La petite mort

"Little Death" redirects here. For other uses, see Little Death (disambiguation).

La petite mort, French for "the little death", is an idiom and euphemism for orgasm. This term has generally been interpreted to describe the post-orgasmic state of unconsciousness that some people have after having some sexual experiences.

More widely, it can refer to the spiritual release that comes with orgasm or to a short period of melancholy or transcendence as a result of the expenditure of the "life force", the feeling which is caused by the release of oxytocin in the brain after the occurrence of orgasm. Literary critic Roland Barthes spoke of la petite mort as the chief objective of reading literature. He metaphorically used the concept to describe the feeling one should get when experiencing any great literature.

The term "la petite mort" or "the small death" does not always apply to sexual experiences.

Further reading

• Vaitl, D.; Birbaumer, N.; Gruzelier, J.; Jamieson, G. A.; Kotchoubey, B.; Kübler, A.; Lehmann, D.; Miltner, W. H. et al. (2005). "Psychobiology of Altered States of Consciousness". Psychological Bulletin 131 (1): 98–127. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.131.1.98. PMID 15631555. 
• Janszky, J.; Szücs, A.; Halász, P.; Borbély, C.; Holló, A.; Barsi, P.; Mirnics, Z. (2002). "Orgasmic Aura Originates from the Right Hemisphere". Neurology 58 (2): 302–304. PMID 11805263. 
• Cohen, Harvey D.; Rosen, Raymond C.; Goldstein, Leonide (May 1976). "Electroencephalographic Laterality Changes During Human Sexual Orgasm". Archives of Sexual Behavior (Springer Netherlands) 5 (3): 189–99. doi:10.1007/BF01541370. PMID 952604. "Left and right parietal EEGs were recorded while seven subjects experienced sexual climax through self-stimulation." 
• Graber, B.; Rohrbaugh, J. W.; Newlin, D. B.; Varner, J. L.; Ellingson, R. J. (December 1985). "EEG During Masturbation and Ejaculation". Archives of Sexual Behavior (Springer Netherlands) 14 (6): 491–503. doi:10.1007/BF01541750. PMID 4084049. "Examination of the literature shows little agreement among reported results of studies of EEG changes during orgasm."