UrbanUpdate

The term “post-nut clarity” is often said to have been coined by Alex Cooper on her podcast, Call Her Daddy, in 2018. Many outlets have reported this as a fact. However, doing some real journalism—an advanced search of X (formerly Twitter)—shows that it dates from at least 2012, when one user, @APthe___, posted about it three times in the span of three minutes.

Regardless of its origin, the idea that orgasms lead to clearer thinking is popular, as evinced by a Drake bar from “Rich Baby Daddy,” a track on his latest album: “I swear, poppin' my shit come with consequences /Post-nut clarity, I came to my senses." That followed an earlier entry in the post-nut clarity canon from Lil Wayne, “As soon as I come, I come to my senses”—a line often misattributed to The Weeknd, since he tweeted it once. The idea of using an orgasm to think more clearly was perhaps most famously used in Something About Mary, when one character advises a pre-date jerk off: “The most honest moment in a man's life are the few minutes after he's blown his load—now that is a medical fact,” he said.

Urologist Fenwa Famakinwa Milhouse, star of TLC’s Dr. Down Below, told me that it is not a medical fact. “Post-nut clarity is obviously a colloquial term," she said. "This is not a medical term. There is no medical or neurological term equivalent.” Regardless, she—and every other expert I spoke to—was very open to the idea of it existing. And there’s a lot of anecdotal evidence of people achieving percipience after an orgasm: I spoke to multiple men about post-nut clarity and if they’d experienced it; almost everyone said they had.

Actually defining post-nut clarity, however, is a little thornier, because what people actually mean when they say it varies. There seem to be, broadly speaking, two understandings. The first is the most faithful to the term’s origins: the idea of an “aha” moment post-orgasm. The realization can be positive or negative, but basically you reach orgasm and then reach enlightenment—or at least your brain clears a bit. Brandon, 34, of Columbus, Ohio, said as much: “I just feel like if you're masturbating, once the deed is done it's like, Cool, I can move on with my day. Let me go write this email.”

However, people often conflate this with a similar, perhaps overlapping, feeling of shame after orgasming—especially after masturbating. (To get even more in the weeds, this is often lumped with the actual scientific concept of postcoital dysphoria, which is a feeling of sadness, anxiety, or irritability after sex). If you ask people about post-nut clarity, they often talk about this sense of mortification.

Ryan, 34, from Oakland, said, “I've definitely had moments where I'm like, I know this is a weird thing to do, but I know it will get me to where I want to go. By the time I’m done, it’s like, Yeah, I regret that.” There’s also some evidence that being aroused turns down your ability to feel disgust, which might come roaring back as soon as the deed is done.

Jay, 33, from Kelowna, British Columbia, said he’s experienced both feelings, and that the times he’e experienced post-nut clarity have either resulted in “guilt and shame or euphoria and intellect. Either staring through the ceiling hoping a black hole sucks you into space, or in a clairvoyant bliss.”

As with a lot of sex phenomena, there isn’t much peer-reviewed info on post-nut clarity. (There are a few studies on postcoital dysphoria.) As Milhouse put it, “We don't understand orgasm completely. But what we know is that the part of our brain that is probably most active during arousal and orgasm is the part of the brain called the limbic system.” The limbic system is responsible for anxiety and aggression, but also emotional regulation and hormone release.

Urologist Justin Dubin, host of The Man Up podcast, explained that ejaculation is associated with decreased activity in men's prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain thought to be responsible for reasoning, impulse control, and decision-making. One theory, both Milhouse and explained to me, is that when you’re done orgasming, the blood rushes back to the prefrontal cortex. As Dubin explained, “That can possibly explain that post-nut clarity sensation of calmness or mental clarity. You're kind of rebooting the system there.” He compared the theory to a Robin Williams joke: God gave man a brain and a penis and only enough blood to run one at a time.

Another theory is that orgasms reduce stress via hormone release, suggested sexual psychologist Laurie Mintz. “Biologically, we know orgasms use the parasympathetic nervous system to calm the body down,” she said, “so that might help you feel clearer about decisions.”

One of the first questions @APthe___ ever posed about post-nut clarity was whether women experience it too. Every expert I spoke to seemed to think they would, but it is often discussed as a male phenomenon. Mintz, whose work focuses on the orgasm gap, seems to think the reason behind this might be simple: Women are having fewer orgasms.

Perhaps because of this gender gap, some I spoke to were skeptical about post-nut clarity. Xavier, 32, from Portland, Oregon, said he'd never experienced it. “It has always just seemed silly or super-misogynistic," he said, "like dudes claiming they finish and then want to hurt the person they just slept with.”

On a cheerier note, Ray, 39, from Chico, California, said that sometimes his clarity has come in the form of certainty that “this was the right thing to do and I’m so glad that just happened,” and he said that was especially true when he and his wife were trying to have a baby.

Alternatively, his negative realizations have often come when masturbating, and especially after having spent money on sites like OnlyFans. “I subscribe and pay for, like, a month’s subscription. And then I only watch this thing one time,” he said. “The horny male brain makes rash decisions and then the second that’s done, your rational brain kicks in and is very judgmental.”

Perhaps an orgasm is just a bit of a reset—a way to clear the fog of horniness. Sarah Rosen, a clinical social worker and sex therapist, said she even prescribes orgasms for this reason. “I will use post-nut clarity as a therapeutic intervention with my clients," she said, "like if I’m working with someone who is easily triggered to cheat.”

Mintz, citing the author and neuroscientist Nan Wise, suggested that it was actually the turned-on, pre-orgasm brain that was distinctive. “When you're really horny before a sexual encounter, you're really distracted by the drive for sex," she said. "And after you get the ‘reward,’ then you're no longer distracted, and brain space frees up.”

Matt, 41, from Minneapolis, said this sounds about right: “I think post-nut clarity is just the pre-nut tunnel vision opening back up.”

More Great Wellness Stories From GQ

The Only 6 Exercises You Need to Get a Six-Pack

You Should Be Doing Hamstring Stretches Every Day—Here’s Why (and 7 To Try)

The Many Stealthy Ways Creatine Boosts Your Health

Flexibility Is a Key to Longevity. Here’s How to Improve Yours, According to Experts

How to Actually Build Muscle When You Work Out

Not a subscriber? Join GQ to receive full access to GQ.com.

Related Stories for GQSex and Relationships