Publish at January 21 2026 Updated January 21 2026
It has long been believed that the success of sexual intimacy in humans, or in animals experiencing arousal, rested largely on mechanical issues and the sexual organs. Yet this couldn't be further from the truth, according to neurologists who have been investigating the brain's role in pleasure for decades. New imaging technologies and techniques to better see neuronal connections and what's going on in the cortex, whether of mice, rats or humans.
It seems, as this France Culture program shows, that specialists are realizing that the role of the brain is more than essential in sexuality. This is because different parts of the brain are involved in arousing individuals.
Thus, naughty words activate one section, while whispering could create more physiological messages and lead to another stimulated part: that of the imagination. These components are even more important than the mechanics of the genitals, since there is desire that does not manifest itself in an erection, and orgasms that take place without ejaculation.
These advances could explain a great deal about sexual arousal and certain sexual problems in men and women, even if the latter are less concerned at the moment. This is fortunately changing, with research being carried out on rodents in California, among other places.
This neurobiology of sexuality and arousal is still taboo in scientific circles. Many will use paraphrases to avoid uttering the words that cause offence, or public bodies will refuse research grants on these seemingly "unessential" subjects, even though they could clarify many things surrounding an important element of human life: intimacy.
Running time: 53 minutes
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Image: Alisa Dyson from Pixabay
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