Having An Orgasm Has More To Do With Your Brain Than Your Body

The brain is the most powerful sexual organ because it orchestrates pleasure during sex.

It might sound strange, but having an orgasm has far more to do with what's going on in your mind than your body. Physiology plays a role, of course, but your brain does more work than you might realize.

What's even more interesting is the way in which orgasms impact our brains. These bursts of pleasure are so powerful they shut down our minds while simultaneously increasing blood flow in every part of it.

One might say the orgasm both begins and ends in the brain.

Having an orgasm literally makes us lose ourselves, eliminating both fear and anxiety while leading to a trance-like state. In many ways, it's a far more powerful experience cerebrally than it is physically.

An orgasm has the same impact on both men and women's brains, despite differences in physiology. This has been revealed through observing people as they climax in MRI machines.

Aside from reacting to orgasms, the brain can also take a more proactive role. There's even evidence that some people can orgasm just through thinking.

Author and certified sexologist Barbara Carrellas is a prime example.

During the 1980s, an AIDs crisis struck the US, hitting New York City and the theatrical community particularly hard. At that time, Carrellas was managing off-Broadway plays so, as she told CBS News during a 2010 interview, the AIDs epidemic impacted her personally.

She was forced to watch close friends die from the awful disease.

In this context, she wanted to find different ways of maintaining her sexuality. So she went to a workshop that taught people how to reach orgasm with only their minds. In the process, she learned how to have a hands-free orgasm, and she's been a proponent of it ever since.

Carrellas has also participated in academic studies to help prove she can think herself off.

At Rutgers University, researchers interested in the connection between the brain and sex placed her in an MRI machine to observe her while she thought her way to an orgasm.

They found the parts of the brain that are most active during orgasm lit up when she climaxed.

In other words, there is actual evidence that the brain alone can produce an orgasm without physical stimulation.

Mentally induced orgasms involve a process much like various forms of meditation; there's a lot of heavy breathing and deep concentration involved.

With that said, it appears women might be the only sex who can achieve this; there's not a whole lot of evidence men can think their way to climax (sorry guys).

In fact, it seems that orgasming is far more powerful for women in general. For example, a female orgasm typically lasts around 20 seconds, but for men, it's only about 10 seconds.

But despite these differences, and as noted above, the effect an orgasm has on the brain is essentially identical between sexes.

All of this also helps reveal why many people have trouble reaching orgasm. For example, for individuals who have a fear of relinquishing control, orgasm might be difficult to achieve as it shuts down the part of the brain that controls fear and anxiety.

Simply put, psychology has a huge impact on a person's ability to orgasm, which is further proof that the brain is the most important sexual organ.

In other words, the brain dictates biology. Yes, you certainly need a penis or vagina to have sex, but without the brain, you'd never achieve orgasm.

The human body is a fascinating system that, in spite of its complexity, finds a way to operate harmoniously.

Citations: This is what your brain looks like during an orgasm (Vox), Can you think yourself to orgasm (Daily Mail), Orgasm Just by Thinking Is it Medically Possible (CBS News), 7 Factors Affecting Orgasm in Women (Psychology Today), Orgasms Better For Your Brain Than Crossword Puzzles Research Suggests (Huffington Post)