“Pizza is like sex. When it’s bad, it’s still pretty good.” The movie Threesome had a point. Pizza is great, people like pizza, and pizza makes us feel good when we eat it. You know what else makes us feel good? Sex. Sex is great (you hope), people like sex, and sex makes us feel good. You may not have thought of this before, but eating food and having sex are extremely similar science-wise.
It Engages Your Brain
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The brain is also the most important sex organ. It’s the center of all our emotions and thoughts. The brain is also the operating center for a complex network of neurotransmitters and neuroendocrine systems. These nerves, hormones and other chemicals are responsible for not only sexual desires but other responses, such as how you taste and react to food. Good food has similar neural pathways as good sex.
Food and sex are also physically connected in the limbic system of the brain, which controls emotional activity generally. They walk a similar emotional line and bring out similar types of reactions. They bring out dopamine, which is the hormone that signals cravings. Dopamine plays a huge part in humans; we have no higher desires than to eat and reproduce.
It Uses Your Senses
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Our bodies work in a lot of the same ways when we eat food and have sex. We use a variety of senses when consuming food. Taste is a huge one, but we also use our sense of sight, smell and touch.
Does anybody else get grossed out by foods with an alarming texture (looking at you, tapioca pudding)? We use these same sensations during sex. This includes smell… and I’m sure we’ve all had our own unique experiences with that one.
Jennifer Iannolo writes, on her blog Food Philosophy, that food and sex appeal to our deepest pleasure points – arousing, sustaining and nourishing the most important parts of ourselves. They both provide pleasure or pain, if you’re into that type of thing.
It’s Human Nature
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I bet you’ve never gone a day without talking about food, or sex. Maybe you’re a shy one and don’t voice your opinion on it every day, but odds are, you think about it. We live in a generation where we’re allowed to have as much food and sex as we want, so let’s take advantage of that.
The human need and desire for food and sex are both a basic need in the foundation of human nature. So if you love eating food and having sex, you’re actually completely normal. Being basic never felt (and tasted) so good.
It Starts With An Attraction
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Sex begins with a sense of affection and desire (at least you hope so 99% of the time). You can say the same thing about enjoying a meal. When you’re eating, it’s a great time to unwind with your dining partner. Both acts build intimacy in a relaxed, pleasurable setting. If you need help knowing what to order on your first date, we got you.
I can’t say that your body goes through the same exact functions when you’re chowing down on Chipotle and when you’re getting it on, but they do provoke very similar responses in your brain. I can say, however, that both banging and burritos are glorious, and your body thinks so too.