What happens in our body and mind when we have sex?
It is said that living beings are characterized by born, reproduce and die . As human beings, it is clear that practically all our behaviors make sense once we are born and we are relatively autonomous and that most of them can be understood as strategies to deceive death. Sex, however, is optional in our lives, in the sense that it is not a vital need and it is perfectly possible to spend an entire existence without having relationships of this type.
When our body asks us for sex
Now, our body has been designed so that living having sex is more comfortable and easier than not having sex . Normally, before a dichotomous decision in which we discuss between the possibility of having sex and not having sex, there is something that leads us to the first option. It is a mysterious force to which Sigmund Freud put the name of libido and that today can be understood from many perspectives. What are these unconscious mechanisms by which our body is predisposed to have sex?
The chemical circuit of sex
Having sex significantly alters the blood concentration of certain hormones and neurotransmitters, as well as certain activities associated with love, as we saw in this article.
In particular, there is a type of substance whose quantity increases significantly: endorphins . Endorphins are usually associated with Pleasant and relaxing practices , like the consumption of chocolate and moderate sports, and for that reason they are usually considered as a kind of morphine that manufactures the own body. However, its amount also shoots up drastically during orgasm, and perhaps that's why sexual intercourse is usually a good way to release stress, improve sleep quality and even relieve physical pain . This biological mechanism from which we benefit so much (even without knowing it) acts as a reinforcer so that in the future the same situation can recur.
There is another type of substance, the hormone oxytocin , that being associated with the creation of affective bonds could also play an important role in sex. The high concentrations of oxytocin in blood appear during hugs, direct glances to the eyes, kisses and all kinds of expressions of affection modulated by the culture. All these situations have the particularity of being associated with the affectivity , but also to pleasure . And, in fact, oxytocin could have some of the responsibility that these expressions of love can give way to other more intimate activities, since it seems that their concentrations are high during sex.
In addition, some researchers believe that the type of self-love of monogamous couples is rooted in the oxytocin released during this type of activity. If the expressions of support and affection are frequent and valued by themselves, it is not strange that, sometimes, they know little and lead to something more.
Some cultural factors
Maybe the motivations that lead to sex can be described starting from the hormones and neurotransmitters that it releases, but The thing is not there . To talk about these chemical processes is to describe a behavior from within the individual to the outside, but we need to talk about the dynamics that go from the outside to the inside.
All areas of our way of life are soaked by cultural factors , and motivations linked to sex are no exception. Human beings are capable of looking for possible sexual relationships not only for the immediate pleasure of this activity, but also for the ideas associated with it .
The idea of attractive and desirability of a person, for example, are indispensable when talking about sexual attraction and motivations that guide our sexual behavior. However, these concepts can not be explained only from an analysis of neurotransmitters and hormones associated with sex: if form is strongly influenced by culture. The curiosity about the body of a possible sexual partner, despite sinking its roots in unconscious biological processes, also has in the social one of its basic pillars: hence, some parts of the body are sexualized in some cultures and not in others .
Other examples of motivations carved by culture are:
- An idea of success associated with the possibility of having frequent sex.
- A demonstration of power.
- A fun concept that includes some sexual fetishes.
- The need to improve self-esteem.
- The search for strong affective bonds and intimacy.
Of course, these motivations may be more or less appropriate and adaptive depending on the context, regardless of the moral from which we leave.However, it can not be denied that there are an infinity of cultural root variables that shape our way of understanding sex and of looking for situations in which we experience it. It could not be otherwise, since, fortunately, we neither reproduce nor have fun in the manner of automata. And keep it that way!
