In this this video, Lou Paget discusses the types of orgasms that men and women can experience. According to Lou, women are capable of ten different flavors of orgasmic pleasure, while men enjoy eight.

Both men and women are able to experience mouth, nipple/breast, anal, blended, and zone orgasms. Paget also mentions that the different varieties of orgasm feel different because they ensue from different neural pathways.

Clitoral and penile orgasms result from stimulation of the pudendal pathway, while orgasms that result from G spot, vaginal, and rectal stimulation often involve the pelvic nerve. Stimulating the pelvic nerve, via the rectum, can also lead to pleasure in some surprising ways.

According to Barry Komisaruk and Beverly Whipple in their book The Science of Orgasm, one guy claimed that every time he took a dump he experienced something like an orgasm or an ejaculation - most likely due to inadvertent stimulation of the pelvic nerve  (a type of neural "cross talk"). This also occurred during a strong urination. He experienced other odd symptoms as well, such as an increased pulse rate and extreme fatigue. The researchers claimed this went on for something like ten years! (Gee, it's a wonder he ever got out of the toilet).

The cervix is connected to three different nerve pathways: the vagus, hypogastric, and the pelvic. In an interesting experiment, Komisaruk and Whipple devised a unique cervical stimulator, essentially a diaphragm that had suction capabilities in order to study how the cervix responds sexually. The device was a huge success and one enthralled woman said it created a uniquely pleasurable sensation that felt like a "shower of stars". Stimulating more than one hot spot (i.e., vagina and clitoris etc.) at a time combines sensory information from different nerve pathways creating the blended orgasm (a much bigger band for your buck).

Our bodies are capable of some amazing things. But it's important to keep this information in perspective. Even if women are physiologically capable of ten different types of orgasms, many women struggle to have even one type, or even one orgasm. Not every woman  is going to have a vaginal or G spot orgasm. And most women orgasm primarily from clit stimulation. It's interesting to me that men's orgasmic capabilities are still largely ignored. For example, while many women spend countless hours in a fruitless search for their G spots, often feeling like failures for their inability to manufacture the orgasm du jour, few men seem all that interested in digging in their behinds for a prostate gland (the unsung male equivalent of the G spot).

I would like to see more men look for  their "great eight", and more women accepting of their unique orgasmic capabilities. Anyway, here's Lou...




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On a topic more related to politics and less to sex, I love this quote attributed (though it has been disputed by some) to John Steinbeck about American political values.

Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.

How true.

I just came across a non-scientific study sponsored by the "passion pill" Fembido, which found that over 52% of its female participants avoided partner sex because of body image concerns. The Sex in the Nation study was conducted in England and included over 4,000 people. Not surprisingly, very few men avoided sex because of an extra spare tire or two. Less than 20% of male participants voiced such worries.

Not true for the ladies - twenty-nine percent of women stated that they felt too fat to get busy, and twenty-three percent thought their extra wobbles were way to embarrassing to be shag worthy. The figures for men were eight percent and eleven percent respectively. The women also reported that when sex did occur their lack of body positivity decreased sexual enjoyment by hampering experimentation. Many women reported being too uncomfortable with their bodies to try new positions, or even to have sex with the lights on. Sadly, six percent only did the deed out of a sense of duty.

I am not sure this was a particularly "scientific" survey however, it does echo research in the professional journals. In a study of 307 women in the Journal of Sex Research, scientists  found that poor body image had a more of a negative impact on female sexual response than menopause. The participants were between the ages of 35 and 55 and the majority reported that, regardless of their age or menopausal status, they thought they were more attractive ten years earlier. (Oh, to be ten years younger and ten pounds thinner - the self-hating, reality defying mantra of the modern woman, sigh, been there).

Women who thought they were less attractive also reported less interest in sex. Conversely, feeling cuter led to an increase in desire. Body dissatisfaction was common among the participants, and a  full 21% couldn’t identify one single attractive feature on their bodies. The women were particularly dissatisfied with the body parts that accumulate fat with age (belly, hips, legs, butt etc.).

Worrying about the size of your ass tends to lead to major issues with distraction, anxiety, and self-consciousness. All of which are gigantic buzz kills for women sexually. In order for a woman, to even consider getting turned on her brain has to feel safe. When scientists look at the female brain "on" orgasm using positron-emission tomography (PET scans) they see areas associated with anxiety literally close down for the holidays. Parts of the brain associated with self control (the left lateral orbitofrontal cortex), moral reasoning/social judgment, (the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex), and fear/anxiety (the amygdala) showed decreased activity to the point of deactivation.

Indeed, according to Dutch researcher Gert Holstege,  “Fear and anxiety need to be avoided at all costs if a woman wishes to have an orgasm..."

I think these studies point to the overwhelming impact of body image on female sexuality. But it goes further than that. In the late 90s, researchers Barbara Fredrickson and Tomi-Ann Roberts pointed out that women's preoccupation with body image impacts their overall level of well-being. Women who obsess over their appearance are more likely to feel out of control, experience more shame, and are more prone to depression. Plus, the habitually self-conscious have less body awareness and are more distractible during performance tasks. As they put it:

…in a culture that objectifies the female body, whatever girls and women do, the potential always exists for their thoughts and actions to be interrupted by images of how their bodies appear. This habitual body monitoring…may be essential to understanding the psychology of women.

I love Arrow of Adonis's tumblr blog. Talk about yummy man candy, Arrow's got it. I found this beautiful image on her site.

Here is a rather interesting optical illusion - and it says a lot about just where your mind is at dear reader.  What do you see when you look at this picture - a lamp or a woman with her legs open? Well, I guess I will be the first one to fess up: I saw a woman's crotch. This is aptly titled the "Dirty Mind Illusion", and I found it at Manic World.

Hi all, sorry I haven't posted in awhile. I have been in the hospital with gall bladder problems. Essentially, my gall bladder decided to go on a Columbine style rampage with my poor gut as a casualty. Thank God, the doctor took the damn thing out. Ouch. Anyway, here is a video on a far more pleasant topic: sex appeal. Or rather, what science has to say about who we find delectable and shag worthy.

From my own perspective, I find sexual attraction quite mysterious. It seems to have this annoying habit of being present with the wrong people and absent with the right, which is probably why I have never married. I always got all hot and horny over Mr.Wrong. If you were to ask what turns me on (I know, you haven't), I would say that it is very complex and multi-faceted.  I have gone on dates with men I thought were gorgeous, smart, and everything I would want on paper only to have absolutely no chemistry whatsoever with them. Weird. Many times, I would give it the old college try and actually try to date them anyway- only to find that chemistry can't be forced.

I would say looks matter a lot in how attracted I am to a man. Probably more than they should - and not just for me. The forthcoming video will provide some answers as to why we are so looks obsessed as a species. Notice I said "as a species". Modern culture didn't invent our fixation on physical beauty. It has been around for a along time and is intricately connected with demands of reproduction.

I may be  a sucker for a pretty face, but I also value intelligence as much, if not more. I love an intelligent, well-read man who likes to think and ask questions. I also don't place much emphasis on the "cult of personality". Frankly, I think character and creativity are more important than a great sense of humor, or being the life of the party. However, I'm not attracted to whiny sourpusses either. Anyway, enough about me. So, what floats your boat?