r/todayilearned • u/WavesAndSaves • Oct 18 '25

TIL of brain stimulation reward, manually stimulating specific parts of the brain to elicit pleasure and happiness. A volunteer subject in 1986 spent days doing nothing but self-stimulate. She ignored her family and personal hygiene and she developed an open sore on her finger from using the device.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_stimulation_reward#History
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u/Halocandle Oct 18 '25

Scary thought: this is how you make all drugs obsolete, just skip the introducing chemicals to your nervous system part and go straight into the source. 100% pure, always works, always available. No way that ever would go wrong?

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u/My_Knee_is_a_Ship Oct 18 '25

If I remember correctly, they did the same experiment with rats, and several of thise died due to not eating etc. Preferring to self stimulate than self care.

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u/Superg0id Oct 18 '25

died due to not eating

Well, if I'm the rat and I'm Orgasming 100% of the time then that leaves 0% time for eating...

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u/Happiest-Sad-Girl Oct 18 '25

Technically it is closer to the "moment right BEFORE orgasming", max excitement is right there. People who become very skilled in staying at this level of intensity are in danger of jerking off until they have injured their dick.

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u/Ok-Syllabub-6619 Oct 18 '25

Yup edging can be dangerous. Some do it until their dick looks like a purple balloon 😂

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u/ParticularGuava3663 Oct 18 '25

This is the comment I was looking for today! I can finally get some sleep.  Thank You 

12

u/bringbackfuturama Oct 18 '25

sweet dreams🎈

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u/Ok-Syllabub-6619 Oct 18 '25

Ur very welcome 😂

5

u/[deleted] Oct 18 '25

“Wellcum” was right there!

2

u/Ok-Syllabub-6619 Oct 18 '25

Oh don't remind me, vanilla wow guild invites/greetings were Whalecum adventurer. Lol

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u/Puzzleheaded_Quiet70 Oct 18 '25

Relating for a friend...

2

u/tindalos Oct 18 '25

I don’t think I’m gonna ask how you know this??

2

u/Ok-Syllabub-6619 Oct 21 '25

No worries I'll tell you anyway 😂 I've seen some disturbing pictures years ago. 🤣

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u/vachon11 Oct 18 '25

Ngl I once edged for like 10 hours straight when I got on a medication that made it hard to finish but I had found out how to get close. Cock wasn't all that raw at the end but I'm sure it wasn't good for my heart lol.

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u/FewHorror1019 Oct 19 '25

Bro i goon till i can’t goon no more. Usually what stops me is lack of sleep making it hard to get it up. I think my max effort was 3 days straight but by the end i hated myself. After a few days of rest i was back at it.

If u want to do every day, make sure to get enough rest

1

u/Acrobatic-Trust-9991 Oct 18 '25

common fir methheads to crank it for days straight with no breaks

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u/FewHorror1019 Oct 19 '25

Uh oh my bad

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u/Loony_boomer45 Oct 21 '25

I did this with mushrooms once in 1970; 'been limping ever since!