We all know the situation, you have a somewhat difficult decision to make, but before you draw any conclusions, you need to ‘relieve yourself.’ Why? Because once you ejaculate, your mind sobers up, and you believe you have a clearer perspective. We charmingly call this phenomenon ‘post nut clarity.’
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The Urban Dictionary defines post nut clarity as ‘the immediate clear mindedness or soberness an individual gains after orgasming.’ The term has been around for years and was originally coined by Alexandra Cooper and Sofia Franklyn, of the Call Her Daddy podcast. Often it gets thrown about, used to refer to someone who regrets their one-night stand or choice of pornographic content immediately after the deed is done.
But more often than not, post nut clarity applies to that ‘aha’ moment that sometimes happens right after you orgasm. Perhaps there’s a problem you just can’t solve; after a quick romp, the solution might just come to you. Or maybe a pre-sleep masturbatory session triggers a realisation that you really need to get your life together.
Why do we experience post nut clarity?
There aren’t any studies backing post nut clarity as a concept. But, experts still believe the changes in the brain after orgasm could be responsible for clearer thoughts.
Sex toy company Love Sex Toys weighed in on the debate, explaining to The Metro that when we’re horny, we simply may not be able to think about much else:
When you’re horny, that’s all you can think about and you need to let yourself go before you can put your mind to anything else. Before this point, your thoughts can feel very irrational and stressed, but this subsides once you have scratched the itch, if you will.
They continued: ‘This could mean that the clarity is confused with relief, but it means you’re in the mind frame to think of other things.’
Sex and relationship psychotherapist Ian Kerner, PhD, echoed the sentiment that some men may seem more pensive post-romp as they’ve released the tension and are no longer sexually motivated. They told Cosmopolitan:
For males with higher testosterone levels, their orgasm can put them into a more productive and less sexually motivated state once they’ve released tension.
Love Sex Toys also suspect that the endorphins involved in orgasms might play a part in post nut clarity. Many runners also often experience this kind of endorphin and dopamine release, resulting in stress relief, a confidence boost and an ultimately better mindset for decision-making.
Endorphins relieve stress, and also boost someone’s mood dramatically, which helps mimics the feeling of being able to think more clearly.
Jamin Brahmbhatt, M.D., a urologist at Orlando Health, took the explanation a step further. He told Men’s Health: Then after sex, our dopamine levels drop, and there’s a rise in prolactin. This change in hormones seems to be the reason for the length of the refractory period, but it also can potentially account for ‘post nut clarity.
Does everyone experience post nut clarity?
While some men may be prone to an epiphany post-coitus, others may just feel the need to roll over and take a nap. Everyone experiences sex and orgasms differently, so it makes sense that people may also have different levels of post nut clarity or even none at all. Brahmbhatt continued:
There are likely different degrees to this clarity, as some men may feel relaxed and fall asleep after ejaculating, while others may feel inspired and ready to work on other tasks.
While the term ‘post nut clarity’ tends to be geared towards the male anatomy, men aren’t the only ones to experience it; women can also experience clarity of thought after sex.
Women experience the same endorphins and hormones released during sex, meaning they can also see the same changes in thought. However, women may experience post nut clarity less often as they don’t always orgasm from sex. Research published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, 95% of straight men orgasm from sex while only 65% of straight women do.
