Barry Komisaruk, who has been studying female sexual pleasure since the 1960s, and Nan Wise, who was previously a sex therapist before entering the academia, were behind the study. In a series of experiments, female volunteers were made to lie in a narrow tube known as a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine. They were then asked to bring themselves to orgasm while the device measured the flow of blood to different parts of the brain.
The results showed that orgasms produced an increased flow of blood – and therefore nutrients and oxygenation as well – to all regions of the brain.
“Mental exercises (such as crosswords and Sudoku) increase brain activity but only in relatively localized regions,” explained Komisaruk. “Orgasm activates the whole.”
He added: “At orgasm we see a tremendous increase in the blood flow (to the brain). So my belief is it can’t be bad. It brings all the nutrients and oxygenation to the brain.”
As well as providing a great workout for your entire brain, having an orgasm is thought to decrease stress and anxiety, alleviate depression, help with addiction, and even increase longevity. Scientists believe that learning how to manipulate the part of the brain that causes orgasms can positively impact the treatment of such conditions.
The sensation of having an orgasm can also reduce pain, which can theoretically be used to lessen the pain of childbirth. Spearheading research on how orgasms can be used thus is Komisaruk himself.
The sex climax evangelist
Komisaruk, 72, began his studies on female sexual pleasure by experimenting on rats. It was in 1982 that he moved on to human females. Because of his decades of dedication to the subject, his studies are well-received in the academic community. It has even transformed him into a kind of guru where the sex climax and its inherent benefits are concerned.
“We are desensitizing people,” said Komisaruk. “They used to be very squeamish about it and we’re very straightforward about it. They don’t make fun of it, we don’t make fun of it. A lot of people take it very seriously.”
Komisaruk believes that, as there is still plenty to be discovered about sexual pleasure, what he is doing is pioneering science.
“We know virtually nothing about pleasure,” he explained. “It’s important to understand how the brain produces it. What parts of the brain produce such intense pleasure, and can we use that in some way?”
Time to put away those crossword puzzles and spend more time in bed, then.
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