Cold War “Super-Pleasure”: Insatiability, Self-Stimulation, and the Postwar Brain

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience and History of Science

Background:

• The post-World War II era saw the discovery of unprecedented levels of pleasure in the brain.
• This 'supramaximal' super-pleasure challenged established understandings of human nature, selfhood, and societal norms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the discovery and characterization of this new 'supramaximal' super-pleasure.
• To explore its implications for existing scientific and societal models.
• To examine the contexts and reactions surrounding this intense pleasure phenomenon.

Main Methods:

• Reconstruction of laboratory models and enactments defining the pleasure as 'supramaximal,' instant, and insatiable.
• Analysis of postwar contexts influencing the understanding of this pleasure.
• Examination of expert and public reactions to the discovery.

Main Results:

• The discovery necessitated a re-evaluation of pleasure, challenging existing biological and social frameworks.
• Laboratory models established the pleasure's extreme, immediate, and unending characteristics.
• Diverse reactions from scientific and vernacular spheres highlighted the phenomenon's disruptive nature.

Conclusions:

• The study introduces an approach that prioritizes emotion and the concept of 'missed' emotions.
• The findings suggest a need to reconsider the role and nature of pleasure in science and human experience.
• A brief reflection on 'repetitions' in both scientific discovery and the pursuit of pleasure is offered.