HWN Suggests

Can Orgasms Make You Smarter? Here’s What Experts Say

No matter your relationship status or sexual preference, we all want to experience orgasm during sex. And why not? Studies show one of the benefits of orgasm is shutting down the thinking and logical part of our brain; a vacation for the overthinker. Instead, we drift off into an ecstasy of pleasure, a feeling that has inspired poetry, art, and songs for centuries. While we always remember the feeling, there is a relationship between orgasms, the human brain, and overall health from gynecological and neurological perspectives. And since orgasms have a major effect on the brain, we reached out to experts to ask a simple question: Can orgasms make you smarter?

read full article

Featured

 The Surprising Phenomenon of Exercise-Induced Orgasms

According to a new study by sex researchers at the Indiana University, women having orgasms during exercise is a real phenomenon. As far as the researchers know, this is the first study that deals directly with exercise-induced orgasms (EIO), known colloquially as “coregasms” because they tend to occur during core-strengthening workouts, like sit-ups and crunches.

 This Is the Average Number of Orgasms People Have Per Week Around the World

Lelo's survey also looked at which countries had the quietest and noisiest orgasms. While Brazilians only reported having an average of one orgasm per week — a good bit lower than the global average of two to three orgasms per week — they appear to be having the loudest orgasms, with 65 percent claiming they were "screamers." Norwegians came in second for noisiest climaxing, with 40 percent of respondents reporting very loud orgasms. On the quietest end of the spectrum, 42 percent of people from Portugal said they had quiet climaxes.

Articles of Interest

I used to have wonderful vaginal orgasms. Why did they stop – and how can I get them back?

My husband and I still have sex – but something’s missing. Is stress the culprit?

The Evolutionary Reason Why Women Orgasm

New research suggests the female orgasm is tied to ovulation, not reproduction.

Alcohol Might Be Ruining Your Orgasm

How much and how often you drink can affect your ability to climax during sexual activity.

Appreciating the Orgasm as an Act of Self-Care

The cascade of various hormones released by an orgasm can have a number of far-reaching benefits, starting with a positive impact on our pelvic health.

Are Extended Orgasms Real? Yes, and Here’s How to Make Yours Last Longer

Sex: it's a marathon, not a sprint. That's pretty easy to wrap our minds around that idea, but when it comes (get it?) to our genitalia, not so much. Anyone who's sexually active or masturbates knows that every orgasm is like a snowflake — each one feels a bit different. While some may feel so intensely Earth-shattering that they qualify as a seven-plus on the sexual Richter scale, others can feel short and sweet — and both are totally normal.

Can You Optimize an Orgasm?

An array of smart sex toys cater to those who want to take a data-driven approach to their pleasure.

Experts Say There Are At Least 11 ‘Types’ Of Orgasm. Here’s How To Have Them All

You might have the art of (your own) orgasm down to a science: You know your favorite vibrator, your preferred position, the one technique that *always* gets you there. But people with vulvas have erectile tissue spread throughout the clitoris and vestibular bulbs of the labia minora, meaning there are many, many different erogenous zones to enjoy—and even more routes to O-town than you might have thought.

Explanation, Orgasm And The Need For Basic Science Research Funding

Legislating against orgasms would be bad for the future of the species. Reducing the odds of obtaining satisfying scientific explanations could be equally shortsighted.

Health Check: clash of the orgasms, clitoral vs vaginal

Completed by a team of Italian sexologists and published in the journal Clinical Anatomy, the review concludes vaginal orgasms don’t exist. Female orgasm is only possible if the clitoris is stimulated during masturbation, cunnilingus, partner masturbation or with a finger during intercourse, the researchers say. Penetration alone is not enough. This latest swing of the pendulum – from the view that vaginal orgasm is the ideal that women should aspire to and anything else is second rate – is unlikely to actually affect women. Indeed, one of the more interesting threads in this whole debate is the predominance of men’s voices. Perhaps what we should be talking about is why male experts dictate the parameters of women’s pleasure.

How Do I Know If I Came?

For people with vulvas, figuring out whether or not you've actually orgasmed can be tricky business.

How to Have Better Orgasms

No one actually needs to rally for the wonders of an orgasm when there's enough research—as psychologist and sex therapist Mary Jo Rapini explains—that the tremor-inducing release of serotonin and endorphins can boost the immune system and decrease stress and anxiety. But when there's still a wide "pleasure gap" to bridge today—the term describing the slim number of women who experience orgasms during sex in relation to men—the main question is how.

How to Have Multiple Orgasms When One Just Isn’t Enough

If you want to learn how to have multiple orgasms: Who could blame you? Coming doesn’t have to be at the center of all your sexual encounters—you don’t have to reach orgasm even once to have great sex. But if you’re interested: Going for two (or a few!) in a row can feel amazing, and you should try it. While there’s no universal way to guarantee multiple orgasms, experts have tips about different ways to make it happen.

How to Have the Most Intense Orgasm of Your Life

Orgasms rule, no matter whether you’re having them alone or with a partner. Still, there’s something special to be said for the ones that leave you unable to think straight for a full five minutes after, or that you walk around feeling for the next few hours. Or whatever a super-hot orgasm is like for you! Everybody’s different (as is every body).

Orgasms 101: What You Need to Know for Your Big O

This is your comprehensive guide to orgasms. We've gathered up the very best blogs written on orgasms and put them all to one place. Use it to explore new sensations, improve techniques, or find the perfect toy.

People Tell Us How They Orgasm Without Touching

There are people who can orgasm solely from nipple stimulation, then there are those—Lady Gaga included—who claim that they can experience peak pleasure without so much as a single touch.

Real Orgasms And Transcendent Pleasure: How Women Are Reigniting Desire

Rowland explores why American women aren't happy with their sex lives — and what they can do about it. A landmark study from 1999 found that over 40% of women surveyed experienced sexual dysfunction — the inability to feel satisfied by sex. A contributing factor, noted the researchers, was the lasting psychological effects of sexual trauma.

She Made Orgasmic Meditation Her Life. Not Even Prison Will Stop Her.

Nicole Daedone’s supporters call her a ‘visionary.’ Now facing a trial for allegedly exploiting employees, she is out to preserve her legacy. Will orgasmic meditation have a future?

The "Orgasm Gap"

The way to close the orgasm gap both simple and deeply complex, right? All you have to do is prioritize women’s pleasure, in particular by increasing non-penetrative sex and increasing attention to the context and to the clitoris. HAHAHA “ALL YOU HAVE TO DO.” Simple and obvious, sure, but if it were easy all heterosexual type couples would already be doing it. The deeply complex part is the dismantling of patriarchal, misogynist ideas about women’s pleasure that are the primary barrier to prioritizing women’s pleasure and paying attention to context and the clitoris. Dismantling at the cultural level, yes, but more immediately people need to dismantle it from their own understanding of their sexuality.

The orgasm gap and why women climax less than men

Research shows that some people believe this gap is because women’s orgasms are biologically elusive. Yet, if this were true, women’s orgasm rates would not differ depending on circumstance. Indeed, many studies show that women orgasm more when alone than with a partner.

The orgasm gap – and how to close it: ‘Don’t equate sex and penetration’

In heterosexual sex, men climax more than women. But when we focus solely on the big O, we can miss other forms of sexual pleasure.

The Real Reason Women Fake Orgasms

Women are contorting themselves (sometimes literally) to protect fragile egos, faking orgasms, and blaming themselves when things go south.

The Technology of Orgasm

The electromechanical vibrator, invented in the 1880s by a British physician, represented the last of a long series of solutions to a problem that had plagued medical practitioners since antiquity: effective therapeutic massage that neither fatigued the therapist nor demanded skills that were difficult and time-consuming to acquire.

This International Female Orgasm Day: your guide to why orgasms feel so good

When you have an orgasm, your brain releases oxytocin, explains the nurse. "This is a "feel-good" hormone responsible for helping you to bond with others - it partly answers why orgasms can feel so amazing and make you feel closer to the person you've shared them with," she shares. Similarly, because orgasms make you feel good, some people use partnered sex or masturbation techniques as a means of relieving chronic stress symptoms. "Oxytocin enables relaxation and thus climaxing can make it easier for you to wind down after a busy day," she continues.

Want more orgasms? Choose a woman partner

The orgasm gap — the consistent finding that men who have sex with women have more frequent orgasms than women who have sex with men — has been shown in study after study of cisgender, heterosexual participants. The gap is a big one: Based on a recent Canadian study, approximately 60 per cent of women and 90 per cent of men reported reaching orgasm in their most recent sexual encounter. In sexually diverse samples (samples that also include women who have sex with women and men who have sex with men), the pattern becomes more nuanced but still supports a gendered orgasm gap.

What Is the Point of the Female Orgasm?

A new study examines "orgasmability" to determine whether it serves a purpose or is just an evolutionary accident.

What's Getting in the Way of Your Orgasm?

There is currently an epidemic that is sweeping the nation: Women everywhere are still not having orgasms. Sure, conditions have improved since, say, the Stone Age, but the fact is, men are knocking out orgasms like carnival games while women are forever stuck at the top of the ferris wheel (if they even make it that far).

What’s Happened to the Male Orgasm?

My friend and I chatted for a while about all this, about men not coming as much as they used to, and why that might be. Or we did, until I pointed out that we were being hypocritical. Both of us have complained in the past about how men are really set on making you come.

Wondering Why Orgasms Feel So Good? Here’s What Happens To Your Body When You Orgasm

We often wonder what’s happening within our bodies when we are sick, or when we exercise – but have you ever thought about what happens to your body when you orgasm? Whether you find it easy to climax or experience trouble orgasming, knowing just what happens to your body when you orgasm is a good way of learning to understand your body and your sexuality. Because with more knowledge, comes the possibility of more pleasure!

Resources

6 Ways to Have More Intense Orgasms

Everyone loves a happy ending—so why stop at just one? In our exclusive Health.com orgasm survey, three-quarters of you said you want more: more frequent O’s, stronger O’s, and yes, O’s in a row! Gird your loins, ladies: We’ve got tips from top ecstasy experts on how to achieve ultimate bedroom bliss.

9 Orgasm Myths You Need to Stop Believing

Most men have figured out by now that women don’t pee out of their vaginas, right? Phew. Unfortunately, likely due in part to the sad state of sex education in America, there are myths about sex — and especially about orgasms experienced by female-bodied people — that just won’t die. I’m almost 30 and still encounter straight men who shame female-bodied people for needing a vibrator to get off during penetrative sex. (Don’t go home with such people if you can help it, because they are assholes.) Now, let’s debunk a few virulent orgasm myths, because, like a good vibrator, knowledge is powerful.