I thought I'd give a heads up on this. Just bought a copy today and there's a whole article on a study done using MRI scans whilst having an orgasm. Looks like it affects the entire brain and they can see differences between solo orgasms vs couples orgasming.
Haven't read it all but I'm wondering how the hell they managed to get such good images whilst someone's having an orgasm. They must have had their heads fixed in position surely?
I remember a while ago seeing images of a man inside a woman MRI'd having intercourse. Very odd. How do you get funding for this lol?!
If you follow them on Twitter the post all stories like this and often you only need to sign up to read them (free)!
Oh... I didn't realise that it was free to sign up! When I encountered the "You must be registered to read the rest of this article" message in the past, I always assumed that it meant that a paid subscription was required. As a result, I stopped following any links to the New Scientist site! Maybe if I'd read the banner more carefully in the first place then I'd have known better. Anyway, thanks for the tip!
Alicia D'amore wrote:
Not that buying New Scientist is a bad thing - it's just expensive if you don't have student/uni/research department linked subscription!
That's the point. I have quite a strong interest but it's too pricey for me to buy the magazine regularly, so I only bother when I spot an article of particular interest to me.
If you follow them on Twitter the post all stories like this and often you only need to sign up to read them (free)!
Oh... I didn't realise that it was free to sign up! When I encountered the "You must be registered to read the rest of this article" message in the past, I always assumed that it meant that a paid subscription was required. As a result, I stopped following any links to the New Scientist site! Maybe if I'd read the banner more carefully in the first place then I'd have known better. Anyway, thanks for the tip!
On their Twitter page they'll add "(free registration req)" or something similar if you can access the article free - if they don't put anything then it's free and you don't need to register I believe.
I don't actually enjoy reading scientific studies on sex...I don't know why - I love science and I love sex....I guess because it's hard to study sex in a truly scientific way because you need people to either self report or it's just observational. Or maybe it's because we all respond so differently that it's hard to get real results.
I'm interested in the science of the reproductive system and what happens during sex in a physiological sense but that's probably the linit of my interest.
Still, I can see its value and understand why others may find it interesting :D
I'm wondering how the hell they managed to get such good images whilst someone's having an orgasm. They must have had their heads fixed in position surely?
Never mind their heads - how did they manage to get two people inside the MRI scanner? The tube isn't exactly spacious.
I just had a thought that perhaps they used animal MRI scanners. I heard once that Edinburgh Zoo has or has access too scanners large enough to take very large animals - this may be poppycock for all I know.
Alternatively perhaps a couple could just fit in if they lay on their sides??
I agree that it's cost prohibitive. I check it each week an buy ones that catch my areas if interest. After not reading it for years and only reading stuff like Empire magazine it was so cool to read some quality journalism that was both interesting and expanded my understanding of the world I live in. Articles like 'the next Kiera Knightly' and interviews with film stars whilst interesting don't add much to my life. Don't even get me starred with most newspaper. Pages and pages of bloody speculation and critique. Hardly a solid fact in sight.
I loved the title of it as I knew exactly what it meant without needing to say so.
Can you imagine - in the throes of an orgasms and someone comes over the tannoy (please can you hold your head still, you'll ruin the imaging!) External Media
I nearly spilled my drink when I read that! I can imagine what my wife would say to that. Or a hand signal might suffice. External Medial
In the end, though, I decided to buy a copy of that edition of New Scientist to read on the train today. I took the precaution of also buying a copy of Nuts! to wrap around it so that people didn't think I was weird because I was reading a science magazine.
I found the article interesting on a number of levels. The research confirms what we've always known -- that orgasm has both physical (stimulation) and psychological (imagination) aspects -- but it also provides a new understanding of the brain mechanisms involved. Sceptics of this type of research might wish to take note that potential benefits of this knowledge include more effective treatments for anorgasmia (inability to orgasm) and new methods of pain control (in general).
There's a curious finding that different sets of brain functions are invoked on the route to orgasm by self-masturbation as compared to stimulation by a partner, perhaps because the former involves greater use of imagination and the latter requires control to be relinquished early on. I'd be interested to see how the MRI scans compare for someone, say, reading an erotic story, or even listening to one of the "hypnosis-style" audio tracks that claim to bring women to orgasm purely through sound and imagination without any need for touching.
Great food for thought! Thanks to BigPoppa for the heads-up on this article.
