Getting off, having a happy ending, coming undone – there are endless slang terms for experiencing an orgasm. But what do we really know about the elusive big O beyond sex ed at school, traded titbits and ancient copies of Cosmopolitan magazine?
Scientifically speaking, an orgasm is defined as rhythmic contractions that are 0.8 secs apart and increase in latency until their termination, and are usually accompanied by feelings of euphoria.
However, there’s plenty more an orgasm can do besides making you feel good; they can bond you to your partner, temporarily relieve pain – and even alter your state of consciousness. In fact, the French refer to orgasms as ‘la petite mort’, or ‘the little death’.
They can also make you feel bad, with some disorders seeing climax causing ongoing discomfort and even pain.
And that’s just looking at human research on orgasms; further observations into the animal kingdom show how orgasms are merely a small part of intricate mating rituals and can be used to establish a social hierarchy.
