According to scientists from Berlin-based Essen University, where the research project was conducted, during sex, women's brains are active in the emotion and planning side of the brain, whereas men tend to only use the temporal lobe of the brain, which is tied to memory and perception and a more immediate association with what they are experiencing at the moment.
The scientists determined that during moments of sexual stimulation, women also occupy the temporal lobe, but they are able to multi-task by thinking about more literal aspects of their lives at the same time. Typically that type of thought process occurs in the frontal lobe of the brain and could include mundane thoughts about clothing, shopping, household chores, etc.
"We don't know why these differences between men and women exist," said a scientists associated with the project. "They just do."
In a similar lstudy, researchers have determined that one third of German motorists think about sex when stuck in traffic, while only 10 percent think about finding a way out of the traffic jam via an alternate route.
Additionally, seven percent of the 1,833 motorists surveyed think about food or going to the bathroom, and eight percent think about how much gas they have in their tanks and the damage sitting in traffic could do to their car motors.
Only six percent thought about their jobs, and 10 percent thought of their loved ones.