It’s no secret that orgasms feel amazing, but do you know why? Here is the science behind how your body makes you feel so damn good, and why the experience is so different for men and women.

Dr. Golt Herstege of University of Groningen studied the brains of men and women during orgasm by having them lay flat with their heads in an MRI scanner while their partner brought them to climax. However, because of the oxygen tracing equipment, they only had two minutes to do it.  Basically, this guy expected couples to get each other off while laying on a table in a laboratory with the pressure of a 2 minute timer running.

But they did it. For science.

This study, combined with many others, has shown us what happens to our brains during sex, and the science behind why men and women have different sexual experiences. Here’s a breakdown of what your body is doing to you while you’re busy doing things to your body.

THAT MAGICAL TOUCH

Your genitals are full of nerve endings just waiting to be played with. When that happens, they signal your limbic system that it’s time to bust out the dopamine. The same exact thing happens when you’re about to get a rush of cocaine or eat a delectable piece of cheesecake. Basically, dopamine makes you happy and everything suddenly feels amazing. Your brain is also happy, because it’s getting more nutritiously oxygenated blood.

CLIMAX TIME

Now that your blood is flowing, your pupils are dilated, you’re breathing heavily, and the dopamine has increased every ounce of stimulation you’re receiving, the height of pleasure reaches its peak and your hypothalamus gives you the grand finale.

THE FINAL RELEASE

You finish with a flood of extra dopamine and serotonin (another happy hormone). Also, orgasm stops the spinal cord from releasing pain transmitters, which is why things like biting and hair pulling don’t hurt as much, and can even feel good.

FOR WOMEN ONLY

Oxytocin, also known as the ‘cuddle hormone,’ increases levels of empathy and is the key to bonding.

Women produce way more of it than men, especially during sex, which is why they are more likely to let go and fall in love. But men don’t get the same rush of this bonding hormone; they just receive a surge of simple pleasure. That’s why more men can emotionally detach from their sexual partners, or fall victim to sex addiction.

But the body can’t distinguish whether you’re having a one night stand or being intimate with a loving partner, so oxytocin is released either way. This can cause women to become more attached to even a casual sexual partner, or to break down in misery when a short-term relationship fails.

THE ANCIENT REASON WHY SEX IS DIFFERENT FOR MEN

During an orgasm, women have an enormous deactivation of all the centers of the brain that have to do with anxiety, fear, and alertness, and they completely let go. Some women can even go unconscious during orgasms, but men cannot. This may date back to our prehistoric hunter/gatherer days, when we were having sex on the plains of Africa and trying to forget about the dangerous animals stalking us from the bushes. If something threatening happened to show up during our sexy time, someone had to be alert enough to get up and defend the tribe. Biologically, that person is the man.

THE BLISSFUL AFTERMATH

After sex, your body is very happy. Everything comes to a halt and chills out, while you bask in the glow of your dopamine overload. For men, a powerful orgasm can be so relaxing, it’s the equivalent of having a 3mg shot of Valium… which is why a lot of nights can end like this…