When it comes to human orgasms, generally involve extremely complex biological functions. It affects various body areas, from the skin to the brain. Although it is described as strong, it is a delightful release of accumulated sexual tension for both men and women. But still, there is no complete understanding of how it affects the brain.
Orgasms create a sudden feeling of severe pleasure that increases pulse rate and blood pressure. It is an individual experience and singular for each person. The signs and sensations might be clear, but the underlying mechanism of neurophysiological effects remains uncertain.
In a new study from Northwestern University in Evanston, one scientist, Adam Safron, has explored a relatively understudied area of human climax. He discovered how orgasms affect the brain. For this study, Safron deploys to get a better understanding of how the human orgasm affects the brain.
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He analyzed large amounts of data from various studies and literature that have investigated the brain and body’s response to sexual stimulation. He then used this information to create a model. His model sheds light on how rhythmic sexual activity affects rhythmic activity in the brain.
He found that the similarities between orgasms and reflex seizures are nothing but the experience triggered by rhythmic stimulation. This stimulation encourages rhythmic activity in the brain, and the way the brain reacts to this activity is comparable to its response to rhythmic music and dance.
Safron said, “The rhythmic sexual stimulation, if intense enough and if it lasts long enough, can boost neural oscillations at correlating frequencies. This is a process called neural entrainment. This process is responsible for sexual trance. In a sexual trance, the sole focus is experienced on the immediate sensation.“
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“I wasn’t expecting to find that sexual activity was so similar to music and dance, not just in the nature of the experiences. But also in that evolutionarily, the rhythm-keeping ability may serve as a test of fitness for potential mates,” he added.
According to Safron, there is still more work required to understand the neurophysiological effects of orgasms.
He said, “Before this research, we knew what lit up in the brain when people had orgasms. We also knew a lot about the hormonal and neurochemical factors in non-human animals. But we didn’t really know why sex and orgasm feel the way they do. I think this research provides a level of mechanistic detail that was previously lacking.“
Journal Reference
- Adam Safron (2016) What is orgasm? A model of sexual trance and climax via rhythmic entrainment, Socioaffective Neuroscience & Psychology, 6:1, DOI: 10.3402/snp.v6.31763