Discussing The Brain, Sex And Pleasure With Dr Nan Wise
Sep 1, 2023
auto_awesome
In this engaging conversation, Dr. Nan Wise, a neuroscientist and author of "Why Good Sex Matters," dives deep into the brain's role in sexuality and pleasure. She discusses how stress and mental health impact sexual experiences, emphasizing the importance of self-care and genuine desire. Dr. Wise explores the neurochemistry of bonding, explaining how oxytocin and dopamine contribute to pleasure. She also examines the effects of technology on relationships and advocates for prioritizing healthy pleasures over societal pressures.
Understanding human sexuality requires integrating neurological, biological, and social dimensions, highlighting the brain's critical role in sexual experiences.
Emotional states like anxiety and stress significantly impact sexual pleasure, necessitating self-care and therapy to promote overall well-being.
Healthy sexual engagement involves addressing social contexts and fostering real-life connections to counteract the negative effects of media and digital interactions.
Deep dives
Understanding Human Sexuality Through Neuroscience
Research in neuroscience reveals that understanding human sexuality requires a comprehensive approach that integrates neurological, biological, and social dimensions. A significant part of this research focuses on how our brains react during different stages of sexual arousal and orgasm. For example, studies utilizing fMRI technology show that both actual and imagined sexual experiences can activate similar areas of the brain, indicating the brain's central role in sexual sensations. This intersection of physiology and psychology underlines the complexities of human sexuality, emphasizing that pleasure and connection are integral to sexual experiences.
The Impact of Emotional States on Sexual Function
Emotional states such as anxiety, stress, and depression significantly affect an individual's ability to experience sexual pleasure. Anhedonia, the inability to feel pleasure, serves as a common symptom of these emotional challenges, leading to decreased sexual desire and difficulty in engaging sexually. The body and mind operate in tandem, meaning that if one is disrupted, the other often suffers as well. Hence, addressing emotional well-being through techniques like therapy and self-care, such as setting boundaries and enhancing personal pleasure, can help enhance sexual health.
The Role of Social Context in Sexual Experiences
Sex is not only a physical act but deeply rooted in social context and human connection. Many individuals mistakenly assume sexual problems will resolve themselves without addressing underlying issues or contextual factors affecting their sex life. Effective sexual therapy often requires confronting and understanding the social dimensions of sexuality, as these shape personal experiences and responses. For instance, eliminating distractions, such as devices during intimate times, can improve connection and enhance sexual pleasure.
Neurochemical Influences on Sexual Satisfaction
Neurochemistry plays a crucial role in the way we experience pleasure, with dopamine often referred to as the 'pleasure neurotransmitter.' However, understanding sexual satisfaction goes beyond just dopamine release; it involves the care systems that operate through attachments and emotional bonding. Factors like social interactions and emotional connections significantly impact hedonic experiences, suggesting that engaging fully in relationships can enhance pleasure. Distinguishing between immediate gratification and long-term relational satisfaction is key to developing a healthy sexual life.
Navigating the Challenges of Modern Sex
The modern landscape of sexual relationships is often influenced by unrealistic portrayals in media and the rise of digital interactions, which can lead to disconnection and unrealistic standards. Young adults are particularly impacted, experiencing increased anxiety around sex, which is compounded by a lack of real-life social skills and the prevalence of social media comparisons. Healthy sexual engagement necessitates both emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills, which many younger individuals are struggling to develop. Thus, fostering real-life connections and practicing self-awareness emerges as a vital strategy for improving sexual experiences and reducing anxiety.
Sex, pleasure and orgasm are influenced by numerous parts of our lives - biological, social and psychological - but what happens in our brain when we fantasise, experience desire or orgasm? And how do experiences like stress and anxiety interrupt our sex lives on a brain and body level? Neuroscientist, author and researcher Dr Nan Wise unpacks what she has seen in her research using fMRI brain scans, and goes onto explain how the different parts of our lives can work with and against each other to boost or hinder sexual experiences, and what we can to do help. She talks about the role that pleasure plays across our lives, and discusses how our ability to experience healthy pleasures--those that feel good and are good for us-- are not a luxury, but a necessity for overall well-being.
---
Dr. Nan Wise is a certified sex therapist, certified relationship specialist, neuroscience researcher, and author of Amazon best seller Why Good Sex Matters: Understanding the Neuroscience of Pleasure for a Smarter, Happier, and More Purpose-Filled Life. Driven by the desire to understand how the brain operates to create moods and behaviours, she returned to academia and completed her Ph.D. in 2014. Her dissertation work, Genital stimulation, imagery, and orgasm in women: an fMRI analysis, resulted in three published studies. Her research has addressed gaps in the scientific literature regarding the neural basis of human sexuality, and as a result, garnered international attention.
Follow Dr Nan on Instagram at @AskDoctorNan and read her Glamour column Ask Dr. Nan here
