What Is Post Nut Clarity And Is It A Real Thing? | Metro News

Ever had an orgasm and felt like you’ve suddenly come back to reality and back to your senses?

That’s post nut clarity, defined on Urban Dictionary as: ‘the immediate clear mindedness or soberness an individual gains after orgasming (busting a nut).’

The concept of post nut clarity has been bandied about for years and in many different contexts.

Sometimes it’s used in reference to someone experiencing immediate regret for having sex with someone else, whether because they were drunk or being driven by their horniness rather than any sound decision making.

It’s also often brought up when talking about masturbation. Let’s say you’re really worked up and, in a strange erotic daze, you find yourself watching some quite strange porn. After you orgasm, you might land back in your usual mindset and feel baffled by what you’ve just watched (and how you found it arousing), or even ashamed and embarrassed.

The idea is that we make strange – and sometimes bad – decisions when we’re ridiculously horny, and that an orgasm clears that mental fog and lets you see things in a more coherent way.

But is there any truth to this concept? Or is it just a phrase chucked out as an excuse for sexual preferences that we’re perhaps not so proud of?

The team at Love Sex Toys reckons post nut clarity is a very real thing.

‘There is actually a lot of evidence that suggests the feeling of a clarity after an orgasm is true,’ they tell Metro.co.uk. ‘Firstly, science aside, it just makes sense. Before you masturbate or have sex, there is usually little else on your mind.

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‘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.

‘This could mean that the clarity is confused with relief but it means you’re in the mind frame to think of other things.’

They note that all the feelgood hormones rushing around our body after orgasm – for all genders – can create a sense of clarity, focus, and better decision making.

‘Your body also releases a lot of chemicals every time you orgasm which would suggest there is evidence to back up the post nut claims,’ say the Love Sex Toys team. ‘The most relevant here are endorphins. In the same way that many people go for a run to clear their mind and get clarity on something, the same feel-good chemicals are released after having sex.

‘Endorphins relieve stress, and also boost someone’s mood dramatically, which helps mimics the feeling of being able to think more clearly.

‘These feelings are also paired with a release of dopamine, another chemical response our brain has to sex. Dopamine is the euphoric feeling after sex that makes us feel on top of the world. This is why many people claim they make important or big decisions after sex as it gives them the alpha, confidence boost they need to make the jump.

‘The combination of de-stressing and confidence can certainly lead to thinking more clearly. If anything, masturbation and sex are ways to get yourself living in the moment and taking some time for ourselves, which can really put things into perspective.’

Counselling Directory member Tabitha Bast points out that orgasms are unlikely to have any magical powers to give you such enhanced mental capabilities you can suddenly solve every problem and make every decision.

Instead, that post sex ability to think more clearly is likely due to the stress-relieving properties of orgasms.

‘It’s a little bit of a stretch to suppose that having an orgasm gives you mental “clarity” though it serves as a good excuse to fit one in before work or study,’ says Tabitha. ‘But orgasms do give your brain a whole playground of great chemicals that make you feel good, relaxed and happy – and that is a way more useful state of mind to be in for making decisions than anxious, tense and miserable.’

Tabitha agrees with the Love Sex Toys team when it comes to the idea of post nut clarity emerging because of its stark contrast to that horniness daze.

It’s not that we’re super smart after an orgasm, to put it simply, but that we’re really silly when we’re horny.

‘The concept of post sex clarity may really be more in comparison to the lack of clarity when you’re really horny and want to cum, rather than when you’re on the level,’ Tabitha explains.

‘Obviously, when you’re feeling bursting with arousal everything in your brain and body is telling you to focus on getting laid, your thoughts get locked in, your short term goals become way more in focus than any long term ones.

‘The bits of your brain responsible for reasoning and decision gets less active. It’s a time where things that can disgust us when not aroused can become extremely enticing when aroused. Our inhibitions are lowered, fear decreases, we’re not so afraid to be naked, vulnerable or make silly noises. Indeed when we stay anxious and inhibited, or even logical and reasonable, this can really affect sex from struggling to stay hard to reaching orgasm.’

Consistently making decisions you regret due to horniness can be a sign of a deeper issue, such as sex addiction. It’s important that you don’t assume that feeling ashamed or disgusted after sex is a standard thing or just part and parcel of having sex – if your sex life is making you miserable, that’s a sign that something needs to change.

‘Some people battle with bad decisions when they’re horny – usually around engaging in sexual behaviours they don’t want to be engaging with,’ says Tabitha. ‘It may be the belief system that needs to change – if you’re homophobic and keep having sex with men, which makes you feel bad, you may want to address the homophobia.

‘There’s ways to reduce these cravings, getting physical to agitate then calm the body and complete the stress cycle, refocusing your brain on long term plans through lists, mindfulness, recognising unhelpful thoughts… if that’s a struggle it’s also worth thinking about seeing a psychosexual therapist to address unhelpful patterns of thoughts and behaviours.’

It’s also worth noting that if you don’t experience post nut clarity, you don’t need to worry that your brain is broken or the sex wasn’t that great.

We all experience and react to sex and orgasms differently. Tune in to your own experience and work out how sex makes you feel.

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‘While certain chemical reactions happen, someone’s response to it might be different, not just because of something obvious such as gender or the relationship you have with the person you had the orgasm with but in a myriad of ways,’ Tabitha notes. ‘Some people cry after sex, some laugh, some feel sad, some want to sleep, some want to cuddle. This doesn’t just vary from person to person but from context to context. 

‘Orgasms make the parasympathetic nervous system start calming the body down, and that may make you feel a lot more zen about decisions, especially ones that may be motivated by anxiety or anger.

‘It’s probably a good time to have the more tricky conversations with your Mum or your boss: but put your pants on first.’

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