{"id":1321,"date":"2026-07-09T16:47:36","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T16:47:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/bbc-sciencefocus\/?p=1321"},"modified":"2026-07-09T16:47:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T16:47:37","slug":"surprising-facts-orgasms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/bbc-sciencefocus\/2026\/07\/09\/surprising-facts-orgasms\/","title":{"rendered":"The 10 most surprising lessons about orgasms, from the experts who study them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Health<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 10 most surprising lessons about orgasms, from the experts who study them<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

The science of climax is weirder \u2013 and more fascinating \u2013 than you’d think<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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By Kimberley Bond<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Getting off, having a happy ending, coming undone \u2013 there are endless slang terms for experiencing an orgasm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what do we really <\/em>know about the elusive big O beyond sex ed at school, traded titbits and ancient copies of Cosmopolitan<\/em> magazine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scientifically speaking, an orgasm is defined as rhythmic contractions that are 0.8 secs apart and increase in latency until their termination, and are usually accompanied by feelings of euphoria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there\u2019s plenty more an orgasm can do besides making you feel good; they can bond you to your partner, temporarily relieve pain \u2013 and even alter your state of consciousness. In fact, the French refer to orgasms as \u2018la petite mort\u2019, or \u2018the little death\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They can also make you feel bad<\/em>, with some disorders seeing climax causing ongoing discomfort and even pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s just looking at human research on orgasms; further observations into the animal kingdom show how orgasms are merely a small part of intricate mating rituals and can be used to establish a social hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s everything you never knew about orgasms \u2013 with some guaranteed to take your breath away\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Your brain can distinguish between different types of stimulation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Typically, orgasms are associated with genital arousal and stimulation in areas such as the clitoris and anus \u2013 but research indicates around 12 per cent of women can experience orgasm through the stimulation of other erogenous zones<\/a>, including lips, nipples and even through the scalp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s even more intriguing is that your brain can specifically tell when different areas of the body are being aroused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 2016 neurological study<\/a> looking at brain imaging suggests orgasms from different kinds of stimulation activate overlapping but partially distinct neural pathways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Orgasms are as much about the brain as they are about other body parts. Photo credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The sensory cortex appears to map these regions separately, and, if your partner is skilled enough to stimulate every part at once, could result in a more intense experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEach of those body regions projects to a different place, and each is capable, by itself, of eliciting a different quality of orgasm,\u201d explains Dr Barry Komisaruk, a leading researcher on orgasms at Rutgers University, Newark, in the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy hypothesis is that if all are stimulated concurrently, it produces a much more diverse and intense orgasm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause they each go to separate places in the brain, they each produce their own orgasmic response. So, if you put them all together, you get a more complex, more intense, and more enjoyable orgasm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. People with spinal cord injuries can still experience orgasms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The spinal cord works as a two-way communication roadway between the brain and the rest of the body. If your spinal cord is severed, it would typically mean no sensation can be felt whatsoever \u2013 including sexually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, research by Komisaruk<\/a> found that women with a severed spinal cord could be stimulated to orgasm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Even people with spinal cord damage and who have lost sensation in their lower body, can achieve orgasm. Photo credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was previously thought that the vagus nerve only travelled to the abdomen,\u201d Komisaruk explains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHowever, brain imaging showed that sensory signals from the reproductive organs bypassed damaged spinal cords and travelled via the vagus nerve straight to the brain\u2019s reward and sensory processing centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s likely the vagus nerve is probably functioning all the time to respond to vaginal and cervical stimulation. But in the absence of the spinal cord, if it\u2019s severed, then it\u2019s very likely that the function of the vagus nerve becomes intensified.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Read More:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n