Is it right or is it wrong?

[Kharon]

I need some backup on something I read recently online, but don't exactly have a fully credible source for. After all, if you believe everything you read online, you're gonna be one confused li'l puppy.

So, here is what I read, and what I would like feedback on. Also, any links that are reliably credible sources would be nice, if any of you can think of some.

Many years ago, in a study on human sexuality, researchers looked at the relationship between sexual arousal and brain-wave activity, and things like erogenous zones. Using heat-sensitive cameras to film an aroused couple involved the act of intimacy, one could clearly see what parts of the body were getting hotter than others. In this study electrodes were attached to both men and women to measure their brain-wave activity during sexual intercourse.

What they discovered was that in men, during foreplay, intercourse and climax, there was a progression in the brain activity from a normal state to what they called an "animalistic" state - in other words, the brain functions regressed to a lower level in all the men tested. Not only that, but that for each man tested, they sunk to approximately the same level of brain wave activity during climax and immediately after. There was a "floor" of sorts, and it was consistent, regardless of any variations in the sexual encounters.

But listen to what happened to the woman. This is the really good part. Women are exactly the opposite of this! The brain activity, or "state of being", as they put it, progressed upwards from normal to a much higher state. Not only that, but there was also no measurable limit to how high that state could climb.

Any confirmations, denials, or links to support or disprove this?

[CuriousG]

Sounds pretty much like BS, especially given the anecdotal tone and complete lack of citation. "A study"? Come on!

[Undisclosed]

What constitutes a "high" state anyhow?

[willingsub]

Good question. A shift to more activity in the more 'animalistic' parts of the brain is easy to detect. (although that doesn't necessarily mean a 'regression' to a less advanced state) But a 'higher state'? Do those women grow an extra set of lobes more advanced than the frontal lobe? Do they exhibit supernatural brain power? Do they become mathematical geniuses during orgasm?

I expect this is either a case of bad 'popular' science using scientificly unsound experimental methods, or just someone parasitising on (and possibly plagiarising) a real study and drawing wildly unfounded conclusions. Maybe there has been a real experiment showing more activity in the frontal lobe for women, and in lower brain regions for men during sex and orgasm. Somewhere in the back of my head I think I remember hearing about a study like that. But that doesn't have to signify a 'higer state' and a 'regression'. It might simply mean that for the male test subjects, sex is mostly a physical experience, while the female test subjects might have vivid erotic fantasies. So while the quote seems to suggest a difference in mental capacity during sex, there may simplybe a difference between men and women in the experience of sex. But instead of sounding spectecular, that conclusion would be greeted worldwide with a big duh.

On a different note: it might be interesting to monitor the brain activity of male fetishists (for example many of the men on this site) during sex. I wouldn't be surprised if many of you guys would show a 'higher state' too, because of the mental element involved in experiencing your particular fetish.

[Kharon]

Thank you for your help. I was curious as to how truthful or untruthful it may be, and my own interpretation was not towards greater mental capacity, but difference in the mental experience of sex.

It could follow from this that those engaged in sex would, due to their mental experience, be less inclined to conversation during intercourse if male, and possibly more inclinced to analyzing or describing or even want to converse during, or after, an encounter if female.

Would anybody be willing to comment on this theory of mine?