Orgasm: The Little Death

"The Little Death" isn't just a French expression--neuroscientists doing brain scans on women in the throes of orgasm found decreased blood flow to large portions of the brain. 

Intuitively, I buy this. A good orgasm makes me stupid until I get over it, and I often get a headache afterwards. This has not stopped me from seeking that moment of profound self-forgetting.

This study by researchers at the University Medical Center Groningen describes what might be happening. According to the paper's abstract:

We propose that decreased blood flow in the left lateral orbitofrontal cortex signifies behavioural disinhibition during orgasm in women, and that deactivation of the temporal lobe is directly related to high sexual arousal.

(Full abstract here.)

Later in the paper, the researchers allow that their work supports the idea of the little death "to some degree."

These results are very interesting in the context of "eros and thanatos," but I'm cautious about matching experiences to scientific description. A bunch of articles a few years ago used neuroscience to claim that women prefer chocolate to sex. I'll take the sex, thanks.

Note: The connection between "the little death" and this research is made on the Wikipedia page for La Petite Mort, but I'd had the thought myself when reading a 2005 Dan Savage column that referred to the study.