The Big 'O'

Well, just in case there was any confusion, achieving the female orgasm is apparently a bit of a no-brainer. And I mean that quite literally in fact. According to Gert Holstege from the University of Gronigen, scientific evidence has now shown that when a female achieves orgasm, there is a rather pronounced deactivation of the brain. So whilst women have been complaining that men are seemingly lacking in all cognitive processes during a state of arousal, it appears we’re not much better. Unless we’re faking it of course.

The new studies undertaken in the Netherlands (gotta love those Europeans) have shown that the cerebellum, which is linked largely to the control of movement, remains active but everything else it seems, shuts down. Women are apparently quite good at imitating orgasm but ‘in the brain, its not the same’. Similar sorts of things can be seen in the cerebellum we are told, ‘but the cortex, the conscious part of the brain, is also active’. In addition to this, the experiments have also shown what we have long believed to be true, that fear and anxiety will hamper ultimate sexual pleasure in women.

Unfortunately, the study does not appear to have revealed how to increase pleasure for those women who experience difficulties, nor does it shed any light on whether genes actually affect female sexuality. Current research has revealed however that the brain activity in areas involving emotion and also those of alertness and anxiety, fall quite dramatically when a female achieves orgasm. Activity does increase in sensory parts of the brain, but unless the woman is relaxed and free from stress and distractions, she will not reach fulfilment.

So is it really all in our heads? There are those who have suggested that female arousal is more a state of mind than a state of the body (ie. we must be in the mood) and that a woman can actually put herself in the mood if she so desires. There are also those who argue that biology is largely responsible for one’s pleasure or lack thereof and we don’t really get a lot of say in the matter. Whether you prescribe to the idea that women are merely riding the genetic coat tails of men in this area or not, new research can only help right? And it could even be fun, although according to Mr Holstege, he and his team ‘are neurologists, so [they’re] only interested in the brain’.