When we look at species from an evolutionary perspective, we are examining the animal or human’s chances of passing on their genetics to the next generation. When we talk about a biological/evolutionary perspective, we do not take into account psychology, individual differences or personal choice but rather look at what drives our biological processes and the reasons for our instinctual drives and physiological differences. The purpose of this article is to highlight the reason for the evolution of the female orgasm from a biological and evolutionary perspective (including endocrinology) then address the more complex areas of humans using a psychological and social perspective.
Biological Functions
From a biological perspective, men orgasms have an evolutionary advantage because they produce ejaculation to increase the probability of fertilization in females and reproduction of their own genetics through offspring. Female humans, however, do not need to orgasm in order to increase their chances of pregnancy. It is the standpoint of researchers from the past that the female orgasm is just a useless mechanism of a biological and evolutionary perspective. So why does it exist?
Leftover Function
Scientists use animal behaviour and their productive mechanisms in order to give perspective and correlation to human behaviour and biological drives. The most recent agreed upon theory is that this is a leftover function of humans. Other species, such as rabbits, cats, camels and ferrets, require intercourse in order to produce ovulation (called induced ovulation) in females for reproduction. However, humans and other primates, such as bonobos, chimpanzees and gorillas, do not require the same processes. As a leftover function, we evolved out of intercourse stimulated ovulation into a cyclical ovulation. So why would we lose this then?
Concealed Ovulation
Concealed ovulation is thought to have evolved in order to reduce the chances of obtaining resources from men. One study suggested concealed ovulation was beneficial in order to prevent aggression from other women and increase their chances of finding a mate (Aktipis, 2021). We see this behaviour even in the SWer world (or anywhere in the world) with competition, gossiping and bullying between females. This is obviously an instinctual and primitive way of acting since it can even been seen in the primate world with baboons, where females harm nearby ovulating females, which display unconcealed ovulation with their bright red buttocks (Aktipis, 2021). This suggests the female orgasm was leftover after ovulation became more concealed to increase offspring survival - and so did bullying and human aggression.
One (Unscientifically) Supported Perspective
During my undergraduate studies, my evolutionary psychology class professor shared a previous theory that researchers once believed the female orgasm can increase the chances of pregnancy by bringing the sperm up into the uterus during orgasm to increase the chances of fertilization. However, the rebuttal against this theory is that many women have become pregnant without orgasming. Plus, if orgasms were necessary for reproduction, why do humans have sperm that swim? Alternatively, some women have become pregnant with only pre ejaculation from men, which is interesting because this also suggests men don’t necessarily need to orgasm in order to reproduce. I wonder if the evolution of humans having sex for pleasure plays a role in the necessity of orgasms in reproduction. We are quite different from animals as we have a developed prefrontal cortex and to look at orgasms from a purely biological and reproductive perspective certainly presents its list of drawbacks and doesn’t give a full picture of who we are as humans.
Increasing The Chance of Viable Offspring
Men can reproduce with many women and not need time for a gestational break whereas women can be more selective with who they choose to mate with as this can be biologically disadvantageous because of the time and resources they need to put into carrying and producing their offspring. This is also why evolutionary scientists argue that men tend to chase women and why women have more choice than men. You can even see this correlation with the number of providers (female dominant industry) compared to those who are seeking (predominantly male suitors). Women desire a man to stay because having two parents increase the chances of viable offspring. Men can also choose to stay because they have a better chance of their offspring surviving instead of reproducing with many women.
As mentioned above, evolution doesn’t account for psychological factors because only human psychology is remotely measurable - even though it is prone to many criticisms for being a softer science. But what if psychology is part of evolution that we should consider when looking at mechanisms around the reasons for certain functions?
Evolution Rate of Biological and Psychological Processes
One theory is that our instincts, biology and biological drives don’t evolve as quickly as our minds so it is quite different to attribute certain biological processes to things such as psychological processes and conscious choice.
From a psychological and behavioral standpoint, my theory is that a partner’s awareness of her pleasure can drive a woman to allow the man access to her and increase chances of loyalty to the individual. I’ve even seen this in the sex work world where a man who is gentle and respectful can create a better shared experience. Following rules and showing respect will always increase the chances of inviting this person to spend time with her again.
Refractory Period
Men have a refractory period between orgasms whereas women do not. I think this may be due to biological mechanism role in our evolution and drive for sexual copulation since women can have many orgasms in a short period of time whereas men have to wait. If women had a refractory period, or a lack of ability to orgasm, would we still have the drive for sex?
Endocrinology & Orgasms
From a hormonal standpoint, orgasms can actually stimulate production of the neurotransmitters oxytocin (which inspires feelings of connection and bonding with a partner) and dopamine (which is the “feel good” hormone), and can produce endorphins, which can reduce stress and pain by counteracting the stress hormone, cortisol (Clarke, 2017). Perhaps the role of neurotransmitter release during orgasm can drive connection and a desire to “stay” and raise biological offspring together to ensure a better chance of offspring survival. Humans have reported feelings of euphoria, satisfaction, sedation, relief and enjoyment post orgasm which can create a drive for sex with sexual reward (Coria-Avila, Herrera-Covarrubias, Ismail & Pfaus, 2016). I have seen a change in behaviour post orgasm, especially those who have been more demanding and “aggressive” in the past. Further, people seek out sexual satisfaction for pleasure, not always for reproduction, so it’s indicative that sex and orgasms extend beyond a reproductive drive.
Conscious Thought & Choice
It is interesting we are moving to a place where we realize that sex isn’t driven by reproduction nor is sex necessary for achieving an orgasm, especially in my specialized area of neo-tantric massage. And with reproductive technology, sex isn’t even necessary for reproduction.
People who I meet would rather enjoy a slow, erotic and sensual massage with teasing and edging. Many have even reported that it’s better than sex - although they still do enjoy sex and still some would (naturally) want to have sex with me if given the opportunity but it’s not what they’ve reported that they’re looking for.
Sex is typically represented in pornography as being something that is raw and vulgar. It is the man taking control and giving a woman a great pounding because he is “strong” and “manly”. But a lot of men that I meet desire sensual touch and connection. In fact they even seek out pornography that is on the sensual spectrum. They find pleasure in making their partner feel good or enjoy submitting because they understand how much I enjoy taking control of their pleasure. They do not always orgasm, for many different reasons, but that is not a problem for them as they still enjoy the time, caressing touch, massaging and teasing. This cannot be attributed to reproduction or an evolutionary/biological perspective.
From an evolutionary perspective, it seems as though the female orgasm is not required for necessary biological functions for reproduction but rather psychological and behavioural advantages for conceiving with the “best” mate to raise healthy and viable offspring. When we take into account psychological and behavioral advantages of the female orgasm, the female orgasm can inspire connection, the desire for pleasure and is not always driven by the goal of reproduction.
We should always look at all perspectives to gain a better understanding but also realize that we cannot use one theory to fully describe the complexity of humans. We are so much more than our biological and instinctual drives and we are not defined by our evolutionary status.
Photo credit: Lukas, my new duo partner. Session dates TBA
https://socialsciences.nature.com/posts/why-did-concealed-evolution-evolve#:~:text=For%20decades%20the%20dominant%20theory,who%20revealed%20their%20ovulatory%20status.
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