Some women, though not many, have reported that they can achieve
an orgasm simply by having their breasts and nipples stimulated.1 The idea of awoman experiencing orgasm without any genital touching whatsoever might seem
perplexing, but new research suggests that there is actually a sound biological
basis for it.
The goal of this study was to see what areas of the brain
are active in response to stimulation of different parts of the female body.
Female participants were asked to lie inside an fMRI machine and alternate
between stimulating the clitoris, vagina, cervix, and nipple. An experimenter
instructed the women to “comfortably” stimulate one of those body parts for 30
seconds, then rest for 30 seconds before repeating the process with a different
part of the body. All participants were asked to simulate themselves in the
exact same way to keep the results as constant as possible (e.g., when it came
to nipple stimulation, women were asked to use their right hand to “tap the
left nipple rhythmically”).
The researchers discovered that stimulation of the nipple
activated an area of the brain known as the genital sensory cortex. This is the
same brain region activated by stimulation of the clitoris, vagina, and cervix.
What this means is that women’s brains seem to process nipple and genital
stimulation in the same way. In light of this, it is not at all surprising that
many women are aroused by having their nipples touched and that, for some, this
may be enough to lead to orgasm.
If I may offer one note of caution, please keep in mind that
when it comes to nipple stimulation, there is good touching and bad touching.
The nipple can be a highly sensitive part of the body, which means that more
aggressive handling (e.g., twisting) can actually be quite unpleasant. As
always, it’s best to communicate with your partner about what is and is not
pleasurable.
On a side note, the researchers responsible for this fMRI
study recently produced a video of what a complete orgasm looks like inside the
female brain (see here). As you can see in the video, the orgasmic
experience depends upon a complex interplay of multiple regions of the brain (a
“symphony” of activity, if you will). Understanding all of these connections
could help us to one day understand why some women seem to have more
difficultly achieving orgasm than others.
Sign up here with your email
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon