You don't have to be the richest person in the world to seek and obtain pleasures in life.
One of those urges is the act of sex.
While there is no worthy substitute for acting on our inherent sensual desires and reaching a state of euphoria, would you be willing to sacrifice making love for something greater?
Curious to hear where people place their value in life, Redditor serrafinagal asked:
"What would you give up sex for?"

People who truly found love share their thoughts.
Loving Reunion
"To have my best friend and soul mate which is my wife back by my side."
– StraightSho
The Grieving Spouse
"To have my husband back. Life is so empty without him…even after 11 years."
– VioletSea13
Faithful
"My spouse. I'd rather not but if something happened I wouldn't leave him over a lack of sex."
– LastAcrossFinishHare
"Same. If my partner was to get sick or for any reason our relationship was 'sexless' I wouldn’t think twice about staying with him. Until my last day."
– Gaijin-cat-herder
The things that matter most easily trump carnal desires.
Life Itself
"To continue living, and I've done it. When you have advanced prostate cancer, you need to be castrated. That takes away all ability, interest, the works."
– Scrappy_Larue
Redditors shared the things in life they could use more of.
It Can't Buy You Love
"Money. A lot of money."
– Dangerous_Concept341
Different Kind Of Dough
"garlic bread."
– Wall_enjoyer
"cake, lots of cake."
– misconfigbackspace
Having Food On The Table
"Not starving to death is also pretty dope."
– Vomath
An Upgrade
"Sex 2.0"
– Verlepte
"Not worth it. It's just sex 1.0 but in dark blue and slightly better reception."
– its_a_gibibyte
Aside from the more humorous responses, the thread was flooded with Redditors ultimately choosing their loved ones–or genuine love in general–over sex.
Who knew Reddit had a deep, romantic side?
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
This is going to be difficult to talk about without getting graphic, so let's be up front.
Yes, obviously consensual sex with someone you trust is unmatched in sensation and feeling in the physical world.
So what comes second to that?
A lot, actually, if the internet it to be believed.
Reddit user, Confused_Citron, wanted to know what feels almost as good as sex when they asked:
"What is the best non-sexual pleasure?"
Not everything has to be physical to feel just as good as the sensation of sexual intercourse.
There are those life experiences, untouched by others, that can match that limitless sensation.
It Just Won't Stop
"When someone or something makes you laugh so hard you stop making sounds. Just happy gasps."
HellionInAHoopSkirt
"When your stomach and cheek muscles hurt from laughing like that for so long."
RemarkableStruggle9
A Sensation, Unparalleled
"Going to bed with freshly washed sheets after a shower"
ta1234560
"And freshly shaved legs. And a fuzzy blanket. My husband had to shave one knee after a knee injury and he agreed that it feels awesome."
EurekaSm0ke
Letting It All Happen
"Getting into bed knowing you have nothing to do the next day"
LvL_XXiii
"I'd say waking up the next morning feels even better. When you realize you can stay under the sheets as long as you want, and you just kind of squirm around in the warm blanket with a big smile on your face."
JayString
No Better Feeling
"Plans getting canceled when you didn't want to go in the first place."
EurekaSm0ke
"I make plans just so I can cancel them."
MedicIRL
"In terms of instant relief, canceling plans is like heroin. -John Mulaney"
Lil_Polski
Move Your Elbows Freely
"When the door on the plane closes and the seat next to you is still empty."
DrOctopusMD
A Little Piece Of Peace
"Sitting for a moment over a good meal and not being f-cking bothered! AKA, being at peace. I finally understand why celebrities hide."
"If you work all day or have multiple streams of income, family, friends, etc., that moment if uninterrupted peace is priceless."
Professional-Doubt-6
However, we are human after all.
And sometimes a good scratch on the back is just as good as...that other thing.
Shooting All Over You
"Taking a warm shower, and then increasing the temperature ever so slightly, but not too much that it's hard to withstand, and feeling chills shoot across your entire body."
ChaoticBraindead
In, Out, In, Out, In...
"When you can finally take a deep, full breath through your nose after being sick."
Killed_with_Kindness
Scratch The Right Spot
"Removing an article of clothing that has elastic or has otherwise been cutting off surface circulation. Socks, underwear, bras, a tight belt etc."
NBAccount
"And scratching it after"
swagggyyyyyyyy
Look At All That Liquid
"When the water that is stuck in your ear finally comes out."
Skeets5977
The Ultimate Completion
"Closing 15+ tabs after you’re done with an essay"
dodecagon843
Popping Inside
"Having a painful crick in my neck, bending my neck ever so slightly, and getting instant pop/relief."
YourMothersButtox
"I consider this feeling sexual."
JayString
You Can Hear Everything
"When you yawn and your ears pop giving you added audio clarity that you didn't even know you were missing."
trans-positivity-BOT
Basking In The Glorious Aftermath
"Farting away a stomach ache."
HausKino
"OP said non sexual"
Away_Emu4980
"You ever fart so hard your back cracked?"
TZoness
*insert Scissor Joke
"When you’re cutting wrapping paper and the scissors start to glide along the paper."
purebredoregonian
Let's all cancel our plans.
That feels like a nice way to spend the week.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.
People Break Down What Feels Orgasmic But Isn't Actually An Orgasm
You've probably heard someone describe an experience as "better than sex" before.
The range of things that can be almost orgasmic without having anything at all to do with sex might surprise you.
Redditor mackeastman asked:
"What's an orgasmic feeling that isn't an orgasm?"
The Temperature Difference Is Just Perfection
"After working outside on a hot ass day all day, having nice, cold drink is damn near heaven for a few seconds."
-Cheetodude625
"Any sweet cold drink tastes like the drink of gods when parched for the first 5 seconds. Pure euphoria."
-aracnine
So Satisfying
"When you hold the scissors still and they cut straight through the wrapping paper."
-ConElConquistador
"The glide of kings."
-ovary_disappointing
Sweet, Sweet Solid Food
"I'm on Chemotherapy, and I recently went 50 days without keeping down solid food. The first time I digested unbuttered mashed potatoes with chicken broth, It felt like a non-stop 3 hour orgasm the entire way through."
-MushroomTacoboy
Free The Feet!
"Taking my boots off after working in them all day."
-Coffeearing
"Or ski boots after not working all day."
-highknees69
So Dry. Much warm.
"Putting on comfy dry socks."
-dselogeni
"Fresh out of the dryer, on a winter morning."
-macallen
So Much Relief
"Cracking your back when you really need it. Better than sex sometimes"
-killingmesoftly
An End To Annoyance
"When that piece of popcorn finally comes out from between your teeth or gums."
-Zeth_GearTech
To Finally Breathe Properly
"The moment when you've been congested all day and one nostril finally opens."
-supadupa82
No More Pony Tail
"letting your hair down after a long day in a ponytail."
-Yovana19
"It almost hurts at first but it’s so satisfyingly good."
-acewednesday
The Tinglies
"That part of a great song that makes your spine tingle."
-northernman
A lot of truly non-sexual experiences can feel almost orgasmic—if not even better.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.
Good scents are powerful things. They can remind us of something we associate with a pleasant memory.
Certain smells also have the potential to be an aphrodesiac that puts us in a trancelike state of calm.
Whether it is the aroma of piping hot coffee in the morning or something intangible like an ocean breeze, an appealing smell can instantly affect our mood.
It's no wonder why scented candles are so popular.
Curious to hear about the appealing fragrancies in life, Redditor omegamiles420 asked:
"People of reddit, what is your favorite smell?"

The smell of nature and the elements provides calm for the following Redditors.
It Is Heaven-Scent
"There is a meadown near my house and there are certain colder summer nights when the trees and flowers give off an addictive smell. I just keep wanting to breathe the air in."
The smell of mouth-watering food cannot be ignored from mention.
A Transpotive Memory
"Freshly picked tomatoes - takes me straight back to my grandparents' garden, which was one of my favourite places as a kid."
They may be unusual, but for these specific Redditors, these aromatic items just make scents.
It Serves Them
"It's a bit strange, but I find the scent of new tennis balls to be strangely satisfying. . . ."
Fresh From The Printer
"Freshly photocopied paper."
"I remember all the kids in my class shouting 'It smells like bread!' each time the teacher gave us a fresh warm photocopy. Good times."
Whiff Of History
"Old books"
"True I love that too I stopped sniffing then though because my mum told me its caused by mold."
Something redolent of moments in time can bring much peace.
Where Love Once Inhabited
"The smell of my grandparents house. I'd give anything to smell it again."
All The Right Fixins
"The smell in my house when Thanksgiving dinner is being made."
Illuminating Comforts
"Campfire."
"Adding to this, coal fire as well. Different, but very cozy somehow as well."
You know you're talking to an unabashed Disney-phile when he says he loves the smell of the chlorinated water from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland.
I am not alone in this.
Many Disney parks fans I've spoken with—particularly those who have frequently visited the original park in Anaheim, CA—have expressed the same thing about the classic swashbuckling pirate attraction that later inspired the eponymous blockbuster movie franchise.
The water flowing through the potentially moldy interior of the building has sent thousands of visitors plummeting over a waterfall back to the age of the pirates since the 1960s.
It's not necessarily a pleasant smell, but it's one where fans like myself feel like we've come home whenever we ride the historic attraction that appeals to most of our senses.
Image by Rondell Melling from Pixabay |
It seems like sex is the ultimate gift when we discuss the ideas of the pleasure principle. But sex is not the end all be all. I know, you're shocked. Don't get me wrong, I like sex, but... I have had better experiences while shopping. Or winning an award.
Sometimes it's all the simple things in life that bring about the most joy.
Redditor u/oooliveoil wanted to hear about how everyone has indulged in G rated joy, by asking:
What was the greatest pleasure you ever felt?
Two names... Madonna and Adele. Have you ever been to either of their concerts? It's life-changing, I promise. The tears, the laughter, the euphoria... the pleasure, it was all there.
Toasted
"I had a dream that I was a toaster. I "woke" with a feeling of anticipation. Then I made toast with pure concentration. Afterwards I was entirely fulfilled, having accomplished the ultimate purpose of my existence."
Through the Nose
"This one is kind of gross FYI - I got surgery to fix a broken nose so I could breath better, this involved having my nose packed with packing (essentially tampons) for a few weeks. It wasn't the removal of the packing that was amazing, it was the first time I blew my nose shortly after."
"It felt like a 1/2 cup of mucus was pulled directly from my brain and there was a golf ball sized result in the tissue - the best feeling I ever experienced was directly after that where breathing through my nose was so incredibly easy I felt like a superhuman who conditioned in the Andes for months of something, I laughed with excitement."
Anamolies...
"I have an extremely rare (maybe 100 in the US) genetic anomaly that makes susceptible to growing GI tract and other cancers. I just had my 45th surgery (my younger sister has had 70). It's not the anesthesia I enjoy, but the pre anesthesia drugs they give you in the waiting bed, while under warmed up blankets. Hours of near bliss and conscious to enjoy it. Gotta look at the sunny side, right?"
I'm Wet
"The greatest nonsexual pleasure I've ever felt was 32 years ago. I was swimming with friends in the Pacific Ocean at Balboa Park in California. I got wiped out by a huge wave. My friends helped me out of the water, and I went and laid on the grass underneath palm trees looking up at the clear blue sky. A feeling of peace just washed over my body. I've never felt that kind of thing again."
Unclogged
"Had sinus surgery and removing the internal splints after about a week being clogged up was probably the best thing in the world."
- IrlCakal
Reliving physical pain is an ultimate pleasure. There is nothing like the relieving of a throbbing limb. And clearing up a sinus can be life changing. Tell me more...
Warming...
"Putting my feet on or near my radiator after coming home from a cold day."
"I AM THE SMARTEST MAN ALIVE!!"
"I had a small project go wrong. As I went to fix one part, a sub-part messed up. So I had to step back to work on that. Then a sub-sub-part messed up. I took another step back. What I expected to take 20 minutes took 4ish hours. But 3.5 hours in, I thought there was no way it would work out at all. When I got it all fixed, I did the Billy Madison I AM THE SMARTEST MAN ALIVE!!! I've been riding that high for a few weeks now."
People Explain Which Conspiracy Theories They Believe Are 100% True | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
Hey Lobster...
"A pretty rich school mate treated us to a fancy restaurant for their birthday and they served us lobster ravioli for a starter. I can't explain the freaking explosion of joy and palette pleasure as I ate something like that for the first time. I don't know if it was the lobster itself, or the sauce. No meal has ever come close to how good that was. I can still remember it vividly 12 years later. Silly, but that's it."
125 Pages...
"After consulting 3 high powered attorneys about my fiancé's citizenship case, and being told they wouldn't take it bc it was impossible to win, I, a layperson spent a week, night and day, studying the law and putting together 125 pages document, received in the mail that he won the case and got his citizenship in the US."
- psychick
Day Off
"When school's cancelled for the day and you're half-asleep and overhear your mother tell your sister not to wake you up because school's out. Used to leave a smile on my face before snuggling back into my covers."
Best Ever
"Probably when I began to go to the gym. The first day was very rough because I have never went to a gym before, so I was really tired. When I got home I just took a hot shower, I let myself fell into my bed and man... I fell asleep like in 5 seconds, bro I reeeeeally slept well that night. The best sleep I've ever had."
Let it Go
"When a multi-day, vomit-inducing migraine finally lets go. I swear the brain gets flooded with good chemicals after that and you feel better than normal."
- sindk
"This should be the top comment. I lay on the bathroom floor convinced I was going to just... die. The pain just takes you to another place. Waking up the next morning feeling "normal" again was the best."
"flying"
"Wake induced lucid dreaming and flying in said dream. Never felt anything more pleasurable before."
"I used to be a competitive swimmer and was a lifeguard for the better part of 6 years. I used to have dreams of "flying" at the bottom of the crystal clear ocean. I still remember the sensation, the controlled breathing, my arms outstretched just gliding along."
Manga...
"Watching people enjoy food I cooked. It never gets old."
"Oh yeah, as someone who has cooked in fine dining and it turns into an industrial feeling with out any flair or individuality is being put in the dish, when I get the opportunity to cook one of my own dishes were I have experimented and perfected it, this is such a satisfying event. I love doing this for someone, expanding there flavor palate, it's a chef's dream. Our food is our art and self expression."
"And it saved me a lot of money, and created way better experiences when I've cooked for the SO on say their bday or Valentine's day. It always seems to mean a lot to them, a lot more than some over priced dinner where I have 0 control over the outcome of the dish. At least I know when I prepare it they will love it. Because I love them and I show this through food."
I Got It!
"Getting a job offer (of your dream job) days after rounds of interview and assessments."
- ermermss
"Try months with several failed assessments, interviews, and majority of your emails being rejection emails. After almost 9 months after graduation and going ham on apps, got 3 all in one day. Biggest relief I've ever had."
"Getting a job after months of unemployment was what pulled me of rock bottom. Helped great with getting over my depression. I'll never forget those days and be grateful for it."
Merry Christmas
"It was Christmas Eve day and I was eating a pomegranate when one of the seeds became firmly lodged between molars. I tried floss and dental picks and toothpicks and the harder I worked to get it out the more firmly lodged it became. I knew I was facing being stuck with that seed between my teeth until after New years if I couldn't find someone to help."
"I called every single dentist in the phone book and finally a receptionist actually answered the phone and said they would be there until 4:00 and yes they could fit me in, and getting that pomegranate out between my molars was the best Christmas present ever."
"Spiritual State"
"This is weird, but the day I decided 100% to quit my toxic, full time job and retake my life even knowing I had no fall back. Driving two hours from my girl's house with the windows down, on a summer night with a warm breeze tussling my hair like getting a headpat by an angel, "Spiritual State" by Nujabes playing."
"This overwhelming feeling of sincerity and resolve took me over. Everything was on point. It wasn't a blast of pleasure you get when you do something cool like jumping off a 15 ft waterfall, but more of a glaze over of goodness and self care. Like my world opening up again."
The Run
"Sitting down for the first time after completing my first Marathon... I swear that feeling was better than any orgasm. It almost made me cry."
- liaotown
Pushed Magic
"I once had a massage where I could feel what I can only describe as strings of stress being pushed out of my back. I could actually feel these things being ungrouped and pushed out of my shoulder blades. I still try and get massages when I can but have never felt that since. It was a magical moment."
That is a good list of fabulousness. Except the gym, I hate the gym. That is not a happy place, for me. Endorphins be damned.
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.