How sex changes your brain

When you're sexually aroused, chemicals flood your system and temporarily alter your neurochemistry.

When you have sex, your brain goes through a complex process that includes:

• Norepinephrine, a hormone that makes you feel energetic and euphoric, is released during initial attraction and sexual arousal.
• Dopamine (the chemical responsible for lighting up the brain's pleasure pathway) is also released, which makes you feel good.
• During intercourse, oxytocin (commonly referred to as "the love hormone" for how affectionate, safe, and happy it can make you feel) is released.
• The release of oxytocin triggers a dip in your cortisol levels. Cortisol is referred to as the "stress hormone" as it is most commonly increased during times of stress or upset.
• Melatonin is also typically released at this time unless you have a melatonin deficiency. Melatonin is known for being a "calming" hormone and can make you feel tired

All of this activity is directed by the hypothalamus, an area at the center of your brain that drives many different biological functions such as regulating blood pressure and sleep cycles.

Different sexual activities can cause different neurological responses

Different sexual activities can alter this whole process, causing different combinations of hormones to be released.

In fact, a 2013 study compared the psychological characteristics of BDSM practitioners and a control group. The results showed that people who participate in BDSM activities typically had lower anxiety levels, were less neurotic, and were more secure in their romantic relationships than participants of the control group.

The study also deemed BDSM to be more of a leisure practice than an actual psychological desire. For example, people who enjoy sadomasochism in bed don't typically day-dream of hurting someone outside of the bedroom, it's just a part of what they enjoy during sex. Consider sadomasochism, for example. Sadomasochism is a subset of BDSM that is defined as sexual enjoyment from giving or receiving pain. While there are many who judge those within the BDSM community, consensual BDSM (more particularly, consensual sadomasochism) has not been deemed harmful by the plethora of researchers who have studied the topic.

Participating in sadomasochism can alter your state of consciousness.

Two separate studies performed by different researchers at the Northern University of Illinois showcase the altered states of consciousness that can occur from participating in sadomasochistic activities.

The first study, conducted by James Ambler, involved participants who were randomly assigned to sexual roles of "giving" or "receiving" pain. Before and after their sexual experience, the volunteers completed a cognitive test called the Stroop Task and filled out a questionnaire about their feelings of flow (a state of focus and enjoyment that people feel when immersed in a specific task).

The results of this study showed those participants who were receiving pain scored lower in the Stroop Task cognitive tests, which suggests that the pain caused during their sexual experience may have caused blood to flow away from the region in the brain that is responsible for executive control and working memory.

The second study, conducted by Brad Sagarin and other researchers at the University (including James Ambler) focused on a pain ritual in a non-sexual atmosphere to further test Ambler's theory. The participants of this study experienced something called "the Dance of Souls", which involved temporary skin piercings pulled by rope while music was being played. All participants involved were volunteers.

These "energy pulls" as they are called, showed participants feeling less stressed during their exit cognitive interviews. An interesting note is that the researchers involved in this study found these practices to be quite similar to the experiences people have during yoga or intense meditation - the state of flow and concentration and the release of stress and tension after these experiments suggest there really are altered states of consciousness that we go through when experiencing pain, even in a pleasurable scenario such as BDSM sex.

How does being a dom boost your work ethic?

The altered states BDSM practitioners experience during a scene can improve mood, enhance cognitive abilities, and heighten your capacity to form original ideas and strong connections with others, explains Sex & Psychology author Dr. Justin Lehmiller.

This is how being dominant in the bedroom can impact your mood and flow:

• Heightened concentration, which is experienced due to the intense flow felt by being in the moment.
• Decision-making confidence, which happens due to the cortisol level dip that tends to be more significant in those who are dominant in the BDSM scene.
• Reduced self-consciousness, or a boost in self-confidence.
• Heightened intuition and listening/problem-solving skills, which comes courtesy of the trust and bond build between a dom and their submissive. This is a critical part of safety during BDSM scenes.

These changes in your conscious state can be beneficial in ways you may not realize and can extend far beyond the confines of the bedroom.

According to sex therapist Jamila Dawson, a client of hers was once able to overcome writer's block the morning after a BDSM rope-play experience with her partner. The client reported feeling free, safe, trusting, and creative. This isn't the only instance of an artist contributing their success to BDSM activity. In 2016, Austrian composer Georg Friedrich Haas attributed much of his success as an artist to his kinky marriage to sex educator Mollena Williams.

Haas explained in a New York Times article that his vibrant sex life, which often included BDSM, "dramatically improved his productivity and reshaped his artistic outlook."