Altered states of consciousness are related to higher sexual responsiveness.
R. Costa, J. Pestaña, D. Costa, Marc Wittmann
Consciousness and Cognition May 1, 2016 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2016.03.013 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 116 |
| Population | Subjects reporting on sexual experiences |
| Topics | Altered states of consciousness |
| Key findings | Greater body awareness and lesser time and space awareness are associated with higher sexual responsiveness, especially for women's vaginal intercourse orgasms. |
Abstract
Altered states of consciousness lead to profound changes in the sense of self, time and space. We assessed how these changes were related to sexual responsiveness during sex. 116 subjects reported (a) intensity of awareness concerning body, space and time, and (b) satisfaction, desire, arousal, and orgasm occurrence. We differentiated vaginal intercourse orgasm from noncoital orgasm. Female vaginal intercourse orgasm was further differentiated as with or without concurrent clitoral masturbation. Overall, sexual responsiveness was related to greater body awareness and lesser time and space awareness. Satisfaction, desire, and arousal were especially associated with less time awareness in women. Female orgasms during vaginal intercourse were related to greater body awareness and lesser time awareness, but noncoital orgasms were unrelated. Our findings provide empirical support for the hypotheses that altered states of consciousness with attentional absorption are strongly related to sexual responsiveness in women, and to a lesser extent in men.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on altered states of consciousness, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neural correlates of the DMT experience assessed with multivariate EEG. 6 female, 7 male human participants | 2019 | Observational cohort | n = 13 |
| Measures of entropy and complexity in altered states of consciousness Subjects during resting wakefulness, different sleep stages, and epileptic seizures | 2017 | Observational study | |
| Altered States of Consciousness and Short-Term Psychological After-Effects Induced by the First Time Ritual Use of Ayahuasca in an Urban Context in Brazil First-time ayahuasca users in Santo Daime and União do Vegetal rituals | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 28 |
| Quantifying arousal and awareness in altered states of consciousness using interpretable deep learning Healthy individuals during sleep, individuals under general anesthesia, and patients... | 2022 | Observational cohort | n = 71 |
| Subanaesthetic ketamine and altered states of consciousness in humans Human volunteers | 2018 | Observational study | n = 15 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 10
- Phenomenal consciousness as an efficiency amplifier of agency: insights from time perception. Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences November 13, 2025
- The power of Dionysus – Effects of red wine on consciousness: a naturalistic study in a wine bar April 24, 2021
- Orgasmic Learning as a Treatment Framework for Female Orgasmic Disorder/Difficulty: A Review Using Perelman’s Sexual Tipping Point® Model Current Sexual Health Reports October 7, 2026
- Induction of altered states of consciousness during Floatation-REST is associated with the dissolution of body boundaries and the distortion of subjective time. Scientific Reports April 23, 2024
- The power of Dionysus-Effects of red wine on consciousness in a naturalistic setting. PLoS One 2021
and 5 more in the library
Cites 9
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- Psychobiology of Altered States of Consciousness. Psychological Bulletin 2005
- Alterations in the sense of time, space and body in the Mindfulness-trained brain: A neurophenomenologically-guided MEG study Frontiers in Psychology May 22, 2014
- Absorbed states play different roles in female and male sexual response: Hypotheses for testing Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy September 1, 1994
- Synaesthesia and sexuality: the influence of synaesthetic perceptions on sexual experience Frontiers in Psychology 2013
and 4 more in the library