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Scientists Are Finally Figuring Out How MDMA Makes Us Horny
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MDMA is the quintessential love drug, and scientists are just figuring out why it makes us horny.
Published on January 26, 2022

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Ah, MDMA. The quintessential love drug. Despite its vilified reputation and prohibition, MDMA has a long cultural history of use. People take it at raves and music festivals to dance themselves into a transcendental revolution. Others (and by others, I mean many) use it as an elixir for copulation. In fact, Vice recently cited a study that says, “desire and satisfaction were increased by MDMA in more than 90 percent of subjects.” 

It’s logical to say that MDMA is the horniest drug. But what is it about 3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine that gets us in the mood for sexual healing, while drugs like ketamine make you lay down or Ayahuasca (naturally-occurring DMT + MAOI inhibitor) puts you eye to eye with god?

“MDMA is quite a unique drug,” neuroscientist Dr. Jack Lewis told Vice. Essentially, MDMA  increases the activity of (at least) three neurotransmitters: Serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. Unlike other amphetamines, however, MDMA mostly increases serotonin and norepinephrine rather than dopamine. Serotonin is largely responsible for mood. That’s why our mood skyrockets while on MDMA. 

MDMA amplifies how we experience pleasure physically and emotionally because it floods our synapses with serotonin, according to Harry Sumnall, a professor of substance use at Liverpool John Moores University. Under the groovy effects of MDMA, emotional and physical pleasure are prolonged and intensified. He says that might be why people feel the undeniable urge to get down while under its spell. “[We feel] increased sensations of pleasurable touch, and increased pleasure associated with social interactions,” he says.

Ain’t that the truth. Professor Sumnall also adds, “emerging evidence suggests there might be an interaction with the oxytocin systems while we’re on MDMA”. 

Oxytocin, or “the love hormone” plays an intimate role in social bonding and is often released during hugging and orgasms. On that same logic, it makes sense, then, that MDMA might trigger sensations below the belt. 

Keep in mind, however, that your setting (aka— your environment) plays a role in how your mood gyrates. Being around people and socializing at a party can make it more likely to get horny. Lewis explains that MDMA has a “disinhibiting effect on our behavior, dampening down all of those inhibitory controls that we usually listen to”. In other words, people let down their usual guards and walls while on Molly. 

That brings up an important question about content: Can one truly consent to sex while under the love haze of MDMA? Is a person capable of maintaining conscious boundaries in a moment of sheer lust? And would the decision to bone or fondle each other be different if MDMA was taken out of the picture? 

“Whereas in a healthy adult consensual relationship, it's quite easy for the most part to say stop – if we are under the influence, that becomes quite blurry,” Ruth Micallef, a BACP registered counselor who specializes in trauma told Vice. “Space, time, concept, feelings, all become very distorted, very confused.”

Consenting to fuck — or share any level of intimacy — while on Molly is undoubtedly in the gray area. That said, a lot of people have sex on MDMA and intentionally choose to do so. And many have a great (the best) time. It all depends on the person, scenario, and context, Vice points out (and something we emphatically agree with). 

In one recent study investigating consent during drug-fuelled sex, one-fifth of interviewees argued that being high on MDMA actually improved decision making compared to the effects of other inebriants. “I'd say you have more control on E than if you were pissed," one claimed. "I think you're much more conscious of what you're doing."

Micallef says that, in any drug-related scenario, “harm reduction is very important”. That also extends to the possible sexual effects of being high on MDMA. “Consider that, while you want to take drugs, how can you do it in as safe a way as possible?” she says. This includes thinking about why you’re taking the drug, your tolerance, where you’re going and who you’re with, and keeping condoms on hand in case things do get frisky. 

Despite all this love drug talk, sometimes MDMA doesn’t make people horny. Everyone is different. Even more specifically, everyone’s brain and body chemistries contain a Universe's worth of differences, which is why we all react differently to drugs. For example, antidepressants are not one-size-fits-all. Lithium does not work for everyone and neither does Prozac. The same can be applied to MDMA: Some people would rather just sit and hold hands with their mates, rather than have a one-night stand.

Let’s also not forget that MDMA is not made equal, and the drug supply in the US and beyond is contaminated AF. “It might be cut with something, or it could be MDA, which is very similar chemically, with very similar effects, but it's simply not the same chemical,” said Lewis. This is why everyone should start getting in the habit of testing their drugs.

So, to summarize everything we just talked about, MDMA is the BEST. But it can make consent a little funky, so be sure to plan ahead and consider your set and setting before putting on your disco-colored Molly goggles. Test your frickin rocky, powdery, and/or crumbly drugs ahead of time. Oh, and don’t forget to pack some condoms.

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MERRY JANE Staff
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MERRY JANE is based in Los Angeles, California and is dedicated to elevating the discussion around cannabis culture.
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