Female orgasm and the emergence of prosocial empathy: An evo‐devo perspective

Abstract

In human females, direct or indirect stimulation of the clitoris plays a central role in reaching orgasm. A majority of women report that penetrative coitus alone is insufficient for triggering orgasm, puzzling researchers who expect orgasm to be an outcome of procreative intercourse. In the present paper, we turn our attention to the evolutionary role that such unreliability of orgasm at coitus might have played in human evolution. We emphasize that we do not thereby attempt an explanation of its origin, but its potential evolutionary effect. The present proposal suggests that the variable female orgasm, the position of the clitoris remote from the vagina, and the mismatch of the male refractory period with the female capacity for multiple orgasms, may have contributed to the evolution of human prosocial qualities.

The Clitoris—An Appraisal of its Reproductive Function During the Fertile Years: Why Was It, and Still Is, Overlooked in Accounts of Female Sexual Arousal

“…Despite numerous modern accounts that characterize the activation of human female sexual arousal by clitoral stimulation none appear to have referred to it possessing any involvement in a specific reproductive role (viz: Dickinson, 1949;Kinsey et al, 1953;Sherfey, 1966;Singer, 1973;Kaplan, 1974;Symons, 1979;Hrdy, 1981;Seveley, 1987;Gould, 1992;Gilbert, 1993;Leroy, 1993;Baker, 1996;Angier, 1999;Miller, 2001;Morris, 2004;Tuana, 2004;Lloyd, 2005;Kauth, 2006;Komisaruk et al, 2006;Martin, 2007;Waskul et al, 2007;Bancroft, 2009;Bizimana, 2009;Brody, 2010;Frith, 2015;Di Marino and Lepidi, 2014;Gray and Garcia, 2013;Guruge, 2015;Pauls, 2015;Mazloomdost and Pauls, 2015;Estupinyà, 2016;Pavličev and Wagner, 2016;Pfaus et al, 2016;Blechner, 2017;Jannini et al, 2018;Kennedy and Pavličev, 2018;Wikepedia, 2019) despite the fact that the same structures are involved in both the recreative and procreative functions (Levin, 2002). Nearly, all repeat the mantra that "the clitoris is the only human organ whose sole function (my italics) is the transmission of sexual pleasure" (Leroy, 19...…”

The clitoral activation paradox — Claimed outcomes from different methods of its stimulation

“…An important feature of this function of the clitoris is that it occurs no matter how the stimulation is brought about 2012viz by PVI, digitally, lingually or by vibrator. As far as I am aware, this now obvious 'reproductive aspect' of clitoral function had not received, previously, any recognition in the literature (see for example the hypothesis of clitoral function proposed by Kennedy and Pavličev, 2018). It should be noted that stimulating the clitoris also activates the processes for creating the lubrication of the vagina to facilitate penile entry and coital thrusting Wylie, 2008) which, while clearly important to aid painless coitus, is not essential for reproduction as is the activation and induction of vaginal tenting.…”

“…The clitoris is a sexual organ placed superior to the vaginal entrance (introitus), when stimulated it creates sexual arousal but its significant distance from the introitus makes for difficulty of stimulation during coital thrusting (Wallen and Lloyd, 2011). The explanation for this distance has been the subject of a limited number of suggestions (Kennedy and Pavličev, 2018) but none proposed can realistically be confirmed. It is a complex structure composed of internal (crura, root and vestibular bulbs) and external or visible components (body or shaft, glans, prepuce) despite idiosyncratic protestations (Puppo, 2011) about such designations (see Levin 2015 for further discussion).…”

The female orgasm and the homology concept in evolutionary biology

“…Nonetheless, the fact that vaginal intercourse alone is not the most reliable way to achieve orgasm in female primates, led advocates of pair‐bonding theories to emphasize mate selection (Alcock, 1978 , 1980 ; Nebl & Gordon, 2022 ; Prum, 2017 ). Females would select mates arousing them to orgasm during intercourse, either because they just like it (Prum, 2017 ) or because they indirectly select for prosocial empathy (Kennedy & Pavličev, 2018 ).…”