“Lovers know only too well that men usually need a ‘recovery period’ after orgasm, and that sexual intercourse with orgasm is more satisfying than an orgasm from masturbation alone. Now scientists think the two phenomena might be linked. Following orgasm, the hormone prolactin is released into the bloodstream in both men and women. The hormone makes us feel satiated by countering the effect of dopamine, which is released during sexual arousal. Stuart Brody of the University of Paisley, UK, and Tillmann Krüger of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, measured blood prolactin levels in male and female volunteers who watched erotic films before engaging in masturbation or sexual intercourse to orgasm in the laboratory. Surprisingly, after orgasm from sexual intercourse, the increase in blood prolactin levels is 400 per cent higher in both sexes compared with after orgasm from masturbation. This explains why orgasm from intercourse is more satisfying than masturbation, says Brody. Since elevated levels of prolactin have been linked to erectile dysfunction, this may also explain why most men need a recovery period after sex.” — New Scientist (US)

Dr Brody and Dr Krüger are credentialed researchers engaged in the rigorous scientific study of sexual function. The full text of their paper, “The Post-Orgasmic Prolactin Increase Following Intercourse Is Greater Than Following Masturbation And Suggests Greater Satiety,” can be found at sciencedirect.com.

The full text of the study is well worth reading. First of all, it clarifies the context of the research by pointing out a number of other studies that have demonstrated fundamental differences between intercourse and masturbation. For example, fuckers tend to be thinner than wankers, and they also tend to have better hearts. And in women the differences are especially pronounced, as masturbation correlates with a variety of emotional factors (wankers tend to be more depressed than fuckers) and physiological effects (postmenopausal fuckers experience less “vaginal atrophy” than wankers). Seen in this context, the post-orgasmic prolactic effect contributes to the differentiation between coital and autoerotic activities.

The full text of the study also details the conditions of the research. For example, the study excluded fat people, drug addicts, and homosexuals. The first two exclusions were deliberate. The latter may or may not have been, as the wording in the report is ambiguous. Be that as it may, it would no doubt be informative to follow up this research with homosexual couples. Would the prolactic effect obtain as well for two men engaged in anal sex? For a woman fucking another with a strap-on? Or is there some basic, irreplaceable effect generated by the contact of penis and vagina? And does a prophylactic cause that effect to diminish in any way?

Of course, there are also all sorts of psychological factors involved. What is satiety exactly? If your body experiences one sort of satisfaction, might your mind experience another? Are there instances where intercourse is physiologically more satisfying (as evidenced by prolactin levels) but psychologically less satisfying? For example, suppose a person is raped. Does their body generate satisfaction indicators to which their mind could never assent?

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