Why do we like sex? Our brain perceives physical acts as a pleasure, just like abusive behavior, e.g., taking drugs, drinking alcohol, gambling, listening to your favorite song, or eating your favorite food too often. What exactly happens to our brains during sex? Does the experience of having an orgasm affect it unusually? What happens with our brain afterward?
A climax can be an incentive for our brain to try multiplication. While physical intercourse, especially experiencing orgasm, increases blood flow to the brain, which can also be a way to keep our brain in good shape. So let's look deep into our brains and find the answer to these questions.
Dating couple. Image credit: StockSnap | Free image via Pixabay
What is the essence of our sexual behavior?
Sex is a way of communication, not only between people but from the biological side between human bodies and brains. You can easily say that only female and male genitals are essential for sex. Nothing could be more wrong.
Nowadays, there is no doubt that human sexual behaviors are controlled by the brain. So how is it possible that during physical acts, when most parts of bodies are used, the brain makes a connection with the genitals? Sexual behavior is regulated in various parts of the brain. Let's talk about it! Different nerves in the genitals send information to the brain.
Our body has four muscles responsible for sex communications: the hypogastric nerve, pelvic nerve, pudendal nerve, and vagus nerve. The first one transmits information from the uterus and the cervix (women), and from the prostate (men). The second one transmits signals coming rectum and, in the case of women, from the vagina and cervix. The third one communicates the brain and the woman's clitoris and the men's penis and scrotum. According to the fourth type, only women have it, and it is responsible for information flow for the cervix, uterus, and vagina.
Brain and orgasm
So, how sex, in particular orgasms, affects our main control unit – the brain. Are all brain functions active then? It turns out that it is not. The lateral orbitofrontal cortex, which is responsible for logical thinking, decision making, and value judgments, is basically turned off during sex. Deactivating this part of the brain causes our fear and anxiety levels to drop. And this makes us feel less tense, less embarrassed, and even gain courage. If this brain area is not deactivated during sex, it can lead to anxiety and disturbances during intercourse.
Which parts of the brain are active during sex, and which parts of the brain are active during orgasm? There is not one area or system in the brain activated during it. One component in the brain does not get activated, but more than 30. During the rapprochement, the atmosphere and everything that puts us in a good mood are significant. Touch, smell, and other things that we associate with sex.
Here, a part of the brain called the hypothalamus plays a crucial role. Hypothalamus is mainly responsible for the short-term and long-term survival of our bodies. If you are hungry or thirsty, you can ensure that specific regions in the hypothalamus are activated.
OK, so we can not live without food and water for a long-term period, but without sex? Of course, it is not pleasant, but we can agree that life without sex is possible compared to water. But here, we need to highlight that without sex, there would be no procreation of our species. The hypothalamus – an area of the brain, that is associated with sexual desire – thanks to it, humans can procreate. It helps us achieve orgasm by linking information about touch, movement, and any sexual memories or fantasies that we ever had.
Hormones in work
While we feel the pleasure of being closer, our brain is not idle. It is working overtime to produce a ton of different hormones and neurochemicals. The hypothalamus stimulates the production of the hormone – oxytocin, also called the love hormone.
When we fall in love, in the first stages of a romantic attachment, we have much higher oxytocin levels than our free peers. It is released during sex and is responsible for the intensity of our climax. Oxytocin levels also increase during cuddling.
In the case of men, oxytocin helps to move sperm. Both sexes' love hormone helps in reaching orgasm and is responsible for the feeling of attachment, but in the case of men, this feeling is much less intense than in the case of women. This hormone is released during sex and orgasm and during breastfeeding.
Another hormone released in the brain during orgasm is dopamine, which is responsible for the feeling of pleasure, desire, and motivation. Dopamine is produced in the part of the brain called the ventral tegmental area, and next, it is released into other regions such as the nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex. During sexually aroused, dopamine flows into this area and gives a message: that was great, do it again!
When we are excited, our body releases nitric oxide and norepinephrine, secreted before the adrenal glands. This causes them to increase the blood flow to our genitals. Consequently, the initiation of an erection as well as hydration and enlargement of the labia.
Orgasms in men and women are similar, although there are apparent physiological differences, such as duration. A female orgasm lasts around 20 seconds, compared to twice as short for men. Its time is not affected by whether it is the result of self-stimulation or stimulation of the partner.
It is known that women can experience two types of orgasm: clitoral and vaginal. Both differ in blood flow and sensations. If we look from the perspective of the brain and the activation of its regions, there is no big difference between the sexes. The image of the brain during orgasm is similar to the image of the brain under the influence of some drugs like heroin.
When women have sex, the part of the brain: the periaqueductal gray (PAG), which play a role in autonomic function, and behavioral responses to threatening stimuli, is activated. When men have an orgasm, that part is diactivated. Interestingly, during orgasm, women switch off all brain areas involved in emotion processing. Looking at this phenomenon from an evolutionary perspective, it seems logical to turn off emotions because producing offspring is more important than individual survival.
In fact, one small part of the brain in the cerebellum related to movement coordination is more active during a woman's orgasm. In fact, there is evidence that the cerebellum helps regulate emotions. Its activation during women's climax remains an open question.
We all know very well that women, unlike men, can pretend to have orgasms. This behavior varies, including increasing their libido during faking orgasms and increased activity of the cerebellum and other areas related to movement control, while during real orgasms, these parts of the brain are not activated.
The right angular gyrus is another part of the brain with a higher activation level during the climax. It has been linked to the subjective feeling of having an out-of-body experience. That could explain that experiencing it literally takes some people elsewhere in their minds.
Orgasm also increases the pain tolerance threshold in women by up to 50 percent. This is due to our pituitary gland; even the things that generally cause us pain can be arousing during sex, such as biting, spanking, or hair pulling. It is also suspected that neurons activate as part of networks that block pain perception rather than transmitting it.
How does the peak of excitement while sexual activity work on our body? It causes a sharp increase in blood pressure and pulse. We breathe at the highest levels, with rapid oxygen intake. There comes a sudden release of tension. In women, the muscles of the vagina contract, and the uterus may also contract rhythmically. In men, the rhythmic muscle contractions at the base of the penis cause semen to ejaculate. Partners may even get rashes all over the body or sex flush.
What happens to our brains during a physical act? Our brain releases hormones, slow down and begin to feel happy and sleepy. This is signalized by an orgasm. Oxytocin allows us to reduce the activity of incredibly snappy areas during sex and makes us feel connected to our partner.
And here, there is a significant difference between the sexes; in women, the release of oxytocin does not stop after orgasm. This phenomenon may explain the need to overwhelm our partner after intercourse.
The second hormone released after sex is vasopressin, which is more important for men. It connects the memories of shared moments of pleasure with the partners.
Another hormone released after sex is serotonin, the so-called hormone of happiness. It affects, among other things, emotional states, concentration, and memory and regulates the stages of sleep and wakefulness. Thanks to it, we feel in a good mood, relaxed, and fall asleep.
After orgasm, levels of another hormone, prolactin, rise. It stimulates the production of milk by the mother's mammary glands after the baby is born, influencing the reproductive system's proper functioning by influencing behavior, well-being, and regulating the immune system. After sex, it acts as a dopamine inhibitor, limiting our sex drives and ensuring a feeling of fullness and sexual satisfaction. Its action remains in our body for a relatively long time after experiencing orgasm.
Did you know that?
Orgasm does not have to be connected to the physical act. We could have a brain orgasm called Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR). The pleased and even euphoric feeling is triggered by soothing auditory and/or visual experiences. It is a wave feeling across the head, neck, and spine.
What can trigger a brain orgasm? It really depends on the person. The most common stimuli include whispering, personal attention, sounds, slow or repetitive movements, and even just a smile. The ASMR practice may provide relaxation, stress relief, anxiety reduction, mood improvement, emotional and sleep regulation, or entertainment.
This article is a joint work of Agnieszka Pregowska (Institute of Fundamental Technological Research, Polish Academy of Sciences), Natalia Zawrotna (Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw; Genegoggle, Warsaw), and Magdalena Osial (Institute of Fundamental Technological Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, and Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw) as a part of Science Embassy project.
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