The Biology of Pleasure

Like other animals, we like to feel good. Our bodies have chemicals and neurotransmitters designed to keep us in a state of homeostasis, deployed throughout our lives automatically to counter physical, mental and emotional discomfort and pain. Endorphins and endocannabinoids are chemicals and compounds that are essential to our physiological and cognitive processes. They effect our immune system, memory, appetite, stress, self-esteem, sleep and pain. These are released when the brain is notified of pain in the body and when we engage in pleasurable activities: exercise, meditation, massage, eating (cheese, sugar, spices) and sex. They are an important part of maintaining balance. They help us through life by providing us pleasure.

I like to watch the podcast The Hot Ones, on which famous people sample spicy sauces that increase on the Scoville scale from 1600 to over two million. As each person progresses through the palette of obstacles, their ability to focus and answer questions is impaired, and you can see the effects of the endorphins and endocannabinoids being released into their body. They laugh, giggle and have difficulty answering simple yet personal questions. Check it out for yourself.

We use food for both celebration and survival. We typically choose foods that provide us with rewards, which is why we offer children an ice-cream cone rather than a broccoli stalk as a reward. One might enjoy a favorite cocktail following a stressful afternoon, consuming sugar and flooding the body with endorphins. Some will go for a run following their nine-to-five to process the events of the day, experiencing what some call an ‘exercise high.’ Rowing, running, swimming, cycling and weightlifting all stimulate the release of endocannabinoids, the tiny neurotransmitters that provide a feeling of euphoria as they cross the blood/brain barrier. These feelings can last for minutes or hours. Massage, meditation, yoga, deep breathing, too, can release these hormones and relax our spirit.

There is one form of self-pleasure that as a species we’ve been doing since before the written word or the first wheel of cheese was produced (cheese affects the same drug receptors as opioids and stimulants), and that is touching ourselves. Somehow this act is a topic of shame, persecution, ridicule, myth, judgment, fear, distrust, taboo and stigma. But it’s as natural an act as eating, exercising, singing, etc., bringing the release of pleasurable body chemicals. It can also be the fastest means of achieving an orgasm, which triggers the release of both endorphins and endocannabinoids (not to be confused with cannabis).

We have been sexually repressed for centuries, yet we see the results of sex daily, as we look in the mirror and see ourselves — none of us would be here if not for sex, and sex with oneself is as natural as reproduction. In some societies it’s even more important to spiritual strength in this difficult world.

Yes, I’m talking about the Root chakra, the foundation on which we build our safety, mind and needs, centered on our sex organs. Not everyone having sex experiences orgasm and its release of those endorphins and endocannabinoids, but we can. I believe that one of the most important things we can do for ourselves is to be be loving, kind, gentle, accepting and curious with ourselves. It’s a very private, sacred, important thing. Self-pleasure, and the desire for it, in all forms, is natural, healthy and normal.

In our culture social imprinting tells women to find a partner, that the partner’s needs come first, and if you enjoy sex you are not as valued and instead judged. Not a lot in this department has changed in the past hundred-plus years, and till we make sexual health an equally important component of a overall biological health, I fear progress will be limited. There is so much involved with sexual health, far above and beyond sexually transmitted infections and reproduction, and pleasure is central to it.

As an older person I know I can talk with a friend about my bowel-movement habits — yes, young people, you will too one day — but somehow talking about sex and self-pleasure becomes a matter of morality. Is morality so sex-oriented it has no other meaning? Doesn’t morality not include sincerity, authenticity, kindness, strength and truth? I say sexual health, which includes pleasure, has scientifically proven biological components, not moral ones.

I’ll leave you with this self-pleasure challenge. Obtain two of your favorite treats. First sit and enjoy one. Next, engage in a self-pleasure activity — jogging, meditation, massage, weightlifting, eating cheese, or experiencing an orgasm. After your orgasm, eat the second treat. Did you notice an increase in how much you enjoyed it?

This is Hedda Fay encouraging everyone, especially during this time in our collective lives, to find ways to release these pleasure chemicals — exercise, a slice of cheese, music, sugar, self-pleasure/touch, massage, whatever it is, in moderation of course, and relax. Know that all these urges and desires are natural and good for health.