Despite recent innovations and explorations, the science of intimacy and sex remains largely untapped. There are numerous factors that influence intimacy, connection, pleasure, and everything else that constitutes our sexual lives. Without a doubt, the brain plays a significant role in how and when we connect with sexual partners, as well as the pleasure we experience with them. Have you ever tried to be intimate with someone with whom you didn’t have a mental or emotional connection? It may appear that something is simply missing. Despite our somewhat limited understanding of human neurology and sexuality, we have observed many fascinating phenomena—such as the mirror neuron system’s power and its role in sex.
What Exactly Are Mirror Neurons?
Mirror neurons were discovered in the macaque monkey approximately thirty years ago. Their discovery has sparked a massive debate about how we generate our actions and how we observe and interpret the actions of others (or primates). Scientists discovered the phenomenon when they noticed that the same neurons, or nerve cells, were fired when someone performed a specific action as when they observed it. Mirror neurons, according to the theory, help lay the groundwork for imitation learning, language development and evolution, emotional intelligence, and empathy. Mirror neurons assist primates, including humans, in understanding what is happening, why it is happening, and reproducing the same action. Consider a baby or toddler learning to speak, socialize, and interact with others. Mirror neurons play a significant role in this. So, how do they relate to sex?
What Exactly Is Mirror Neuron Sex?
Even if you aren’t the most scientifically savvy, you have lived experience of being a human and interacting with others. As a result, you can probably conclude that mirror neurons play a significant role in sexual behavior and interaction. One study conducted by Bangor University and Royal Holloway, University of London discovered a link between mirror neurons and sex, dubbed the ‘Erogenous Mirror.’ According to this theory, we subconsciously activate mirror neurons by touching our sexual partners where we want to be touched.
In this study, researchers asked participants from various demographics and sexual orientations to complete a questionnaire about their arousal levels when touched on specific areas of their body and in various sexual situations. This demonstrates a clear mirroring in their preferences for where they preferred to be touched versus where they preferred to touch their partners, lending credence to the idea of mirror neurons and their role in sex.
What Does This Imply?
The erogenous mirror theory also explains why we enjoy touching and looking during sexual encounters. According to the researchers who created it, we treat our partners’ bodies as if they were our own, blurring the lines between them and us. They propose that when our partners look at specific areas of our bodies, we may imagine or anticipate them touching us there. Unfortunately, as researchers go on to explain the differences between men and women, this research only reflects cis-gendered people in heterosexual dynamics so far. Nonetheless, they discovered distinct differences between the healthy men and women they observed. Specifically, when it came to the obvious sexual areas such as the genitals and nipples, men preferred to touch and examine their partners’ bodies more than the other way around.
Positive Results
While research on the connection between mirror neurons during sex and emotional relating is limited, there is most likely some sort of link. We pick up on emotional cues from our partner’s facial expressions, movement observations, and arousal responses. If mirror neurons play a role in the development of emotional intelligence as we grow and mature, it stands to reason that they will also play a role in our sexual evolution as individuals and with partners. Mirror neurons are one (large) piece of the puzzle that goes into how we relate to each other sexually.
There Are Several Degrees of Communication
Healthy sex life is heavily reliant on social interaction, emotional intelligence, and empathy. Reading and understanding your partner’s cues without them having to verbalize them – although all forms of communication are important. Being able to read and understand each other during sex is another step in sexual arousal; it is how we develop trust and strengthen relationships in order to have deeper connections and experience more pleasure. This emotional connection is one of the characteristics that distinguishes the human brain and being human. We’re hardwired to connect, mirror each other’s desires, and act on the signals we send each other subconsciously. That is why sex is said to begin with brain activity. That is insanely cool. Even with mirror neurons, your partner (most likely) cannot read your mind. This is why it is critical to ask for what you want in bed and maintain an open dialogue about your sexual life.