Did you know that a part of your brain turns off when you orgasm? I always wondered what caused that feeling of blissful release I get when I'm in the moment and now, thanks to some very liberal Dutch researchers, I know the answer.
For the study, scientists strapped female volunteers into an MRI machine and then had the volunteers' partners pleasure them to the point of orgasm. (For some reason, I’m picturing more oral stimulation than penetration.) The scientists were then able to pinpoint the timing of the orgasm based on the lack of activity in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) section of the brain. The OFC actually switched off in those moments.
The scientists want to use the findings of this study to help women who have been diagnosed with anorgasmia and are unable to climax. In the United States, it's estimated that 10-15 percent of the female population are anorgasmic. And up to 50 percent of women are not satisfied with the frequency of their orgasms.
The idea is to compare the brain scans of the orgasmic women to those who can't. And then coach the anorgasmic women to alter their thinking until their scans mimic the others, a process known as a top-down technique that has previously been used to help control chronic pain. If the women can get their brains to function like those that are orgasming, their bodies will follow.
I want to volunteer for that study, don’t you? It's probably not that public. I'm sure they put up some privacy screens in the MRI room. They're only interested in your brain. Plus, you could brag to your friends about the sacrifices you're making in the name of science. And I'm just dying to know what a scan of my multi-orgasmic brain looks like.
Do you think your brain can be trained to help your body reach orgasm?
Image via 91RS/Flickr