What Happens In Our Body And Mind When We Have Sex?
It is said that living beings are characterized by be born, reproduce and die As human beings, it is clear that practically all of our behaviors make sense once we are born and are relatively autonomous and that most of them can be understood as strategies to cheat death. Sex, however, is something optional in our lives, in the sense that it is not a vital necessity and it is perfectly possible to spend an entire existence without having relationships of this type.
Now, our body has been designed in such a way that living having sex is more comfortable and easier than not having it Normally, when faced with a dichotomous decision in which we debate between the possibility of having sexual relations and not having them, there is something that induces us towards the first option. It is a mysterious force that Sigmund Freud named 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 do certain activities associated with love, as we saw in this article.
Specifically, there is a type of substance whose quantity increases significantly: endorphins Endorphins are usually associated with pleasant and relaxing practices, such as chocolate consumption and moderate sports, and that is why they are usually considered a kind of morphine that the body itself produces. However, its quantity also skyrockets during orgasm, and perhaps that is why sexual relations are usually a good way to relieve 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 the same situation occurs again in the future.
There is another type of substance, the hormone oxytocin, which, being associated with the creation of emotional bonds, could also play an important role in sex. High concentrations of oxytocin in the blood appear during hugs, direct gazes, kisses, and all types of culturally modulated expressions of affection. All these situations have the particularity of being associated with the affectivity but also to pleasure And, in fact, oxytocin could be partly responsible for why these expressions of love can give way to other more intimate activities, since its concentrations seem to be high during sex.
Additionally, some researchers believe that the type of self-love found in monogamous couples is rooted in the oxytocin released during this type of activity. If expressions of support and affection are frequent and valued in their own right, it is not surprising that, sometimes, they mean little and lead to something more.
Some cultural factors
The motivations that lead to sex may be described based on the hormones and neurotransmitters that it releases, but The thing is not there Talking about these chemical processes is describing behavior from within the individual outward, 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 seeking possible sexual relationships not for the immediate pleasure of this activity, but for the ideas with which it is associated
The idea of attractive and desirability of a person, for example, are essential when talking about sexual attraction and the motivations that guide our sexual behavior. However, these concepts cannot be explained solely from an analysis of neurotransmitters and hormones associated with sex: their form is strongly influenced by culture. Curiosity about the body of a possible sexual partner, despite having its roots in unconscious biological processes, also has one of its basic pillars in the social sphere: hence some parts of the body are sexualized in some cultures and not in others
Other examples of motivations carved by culture are:
Of course, these motivations may be more or less appropriate and adaptive depending on the context, regardless of the moral from which we start. However, it cannot be denied that there are countless culturally-rooted variables that shape our way of understanding sex and looking for situations in which we experience it. It couldn’t be otherwise, since, fortunately, we neither reproduce nor have fun in the way of automatons. And let it remain that way!
