‘Sex, ducks and rock ‘n’ roll': Sussex mathematicians publish 'world first' paper on the male orgasm

Two mathematicians at the University of Sussex have developed the first ever "model" of how to reach orgasm.

Dr Konstantin Blyuss and Dr Yuliya Kyrychko took inspiration from the use of maths to improve sports performance, applying similar techniques to the analysis of male arousal.

The researchers combined decades of data on physiological and psychological arousal to model the optimum conditions to achieve orgasm, including tracking the four stages of the ''male cycle".

Too much mental stimulation too early in the cycle would affect the chances of "achieving climax" they said.

As a result, they created two mathematical equations to represent their findings, one which covers the physiological aspects of reaching climax, and the other which covers the psychological ones.

The paper, titled - Sex, ducks and rock ‘n’ roll: mathematical model of sexual response - has been published in a special issue of the journal Chaos, one of the flagship journals of the American Institute of Physics.

"Ducks" is a reference to the mathematical concept of "canards".

It's hoped the data could be used to improve the treatment of some conditions, such as the inability to get and maintain an erection and low sexual energy.

Dr Yuliya Kyrychko, who co-led the research with Dr Blyuss, said: "Our findings shed light on a socially taboo subject, which we believe could have useful applications for the clinical treatment of sexual dysfunction, as well as for providing the general public with a tested formula for improving their sex life.

“With what we have learned from this study, we intend to mathematically model the female sexual response, which is physiologically – and mathematically – more complex than the male response.”

Dr Konstantin Blyuss added: “In the past, researchers have tried to write a model to describe the physiological path to climax, but without success.

"Drawing on established data, as well as our own previously published work on modelling biological phenomena such as epidemiology and immunity, we have developed the first successful mathematical model of sexual performance.

"Our results cover the physiological and psychological aspects required to reach climax. They reinforce, and mathematically prove, existing studies into the psychology of sex.

“A key finding is that too much psychological arousal early in the process can inhibit the chance of reaching climax.

"Simply put, our findings can be summarised as ‘don’t overthink it’.”

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know…