If you’re nervous about an important presentation or lecture coming up, scientists may have a strange tip for you.
They found that orgasms boost your cognitive abilities, potentially temporarily increasing your intelligence.
In both men and women, an orgasm floods the brain areas associated with emotions, decision-making, and memory.
Additionally, an orgasm can help reduce anxiety, making you feel better and perform better in stressful situations.
For these reasons, Jo Zasloff, a registered nurse and midwife in New York City, said, “I tell my patients to put having an orgasm on their to-do list.”
She believes the five essentials are: communication, curiosity, prioritizing your partner’s pleasure, defining sex in a broad sense, and embracing change (stock image)
This 2011 paper by Barry R Komisaruk, a psychologist at Rutgers, showed how different types of stimulation affect different brain areas in women. Studies show a similar response in men,
Ms Zasloff, who was not involved in the investigation, told Vogue: ‘It’s a recipe that I actually give to people.’
More than 30 brain areas are stimulated when someone has an orgasm, Doctor Barry Komisaruk, discovered a psychologist at Rutgers University who wrote a book about the science of orgasm.
In his 2010 researchDr. Komisaruk and his colleagues placed 10 women in MRI scanners while they either stimulated their clitoris or had their clitoris simulated by a partner.
They scanned their brains and saw how brain areas changed as the participants went from arousal to orgasm and back to baseline.
The participants had to press a button on the device when they started masturbating, when their orgasm started, and when it ended. This allowed the researchers to link the signals in their brains to their experience of orgasm.
They discovered an explosion of activity in 30 different brain regions, lasting for about 10 seconds after their orgasm began.
When you reach that peak, your brain is flooded with neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin.
Dopamine helps with movement and memory and is also a ‘feel-good’ hormone.
Serotonin helps with mood, libido and sleep. Oxytocin is considered the bonding chemical, but it also helps manage stress.
These messengers attach to brain areas such as the limbic system and prefrontal cortex, which are responsible for emotions and memory, as well as complex thought and decision-making.
By stimulating these parts of the brain with these chemicals, you can feel clearer, calmer, and more focused, which can also help you perform better outside of the bedroom.
Dr Jillian LoPiano, a gynaecologist and Chief Health Officer at Wisp who was not involved in the study, told DailyMail.com that this could provide a boost to the brain. She said: ‘The neurotransmitters that are released during orgasm are absolutely proven in research to help sharpen the brain or temporarily improve cognitive abilities.’
Research has not shown that these effects accumulate over time or are long-lasting, so it is probably better to expand your mind by studying than by sleeping.
However, research shows that regular orgasms also have other long-term benefits, such as improved blood flow, less chronic pain, and better sleep.
Other research by Dr. Komisaruk has found that women who have sex during their period are less likely to develop endometriosis, a painful condition of the uterus linked to infertility.
Research conducted During the COVID-19 pandemic, people who were able to have sex during lockdown were found to have lower overall depression and anxiety than those who were unable to.
Plus, people who have regular orgasms are actually exercising, which helps fight a number of conditions, from colds and flu to diabetes.
“Sex may also be linked to beauty, as it can increase levels of DHEA, a hormone thought to combat depression and promote shiny hair, radiant skin and bright eyes,” says Dr. Jessica O’Riley, a sexologist. said Glamour.
These hormonal changes and the general sense of well-being you can experience after an orgasm may contribute to the popular idea of the “post-sex glow.”
“During orgasm, both men and women likely experience pleasure, relaxation, and even a sense of connection due to the simultaneous release of these hormones and neurotransmitters,” Dr. LoPiano says.