There are obvious benefits to sex; pleasure, emotional connection, the possibility of reproduction etc, but there are other ways that sex benefits your wellbeing that you might not be so aware of. Here are six sexy side-effects that have a positive impact on your wellness:
1. Less anxiety: Sure, sex itself can make you a little anxious but sex can also be the cure for anxiety. This is according to a 2010 study published in the science journal PLoS ONE, which found that rats who were sexually active displayed fewer anxious behaviours than rats that hadn’t been allowed to have sex. Moreover, sex also helped to protect the rodents’ brains against the negative effects of stress hormones. However, sex isn’t only beneficial to rodent emotional health, but ours too. For a study, 24 men and 22 women were asked to keep daily diaries of the sex lives and then had to do stressful tasks such as arithmetic or speaking in front of a crowd. Although the results didn’t apply to masturbation (sorry teenage boys everywhere) those who reported more sexual intercourse had lower blood pressure when performing these stressful tasks.
2. Happiness: Well, no prizes for guessing this one; sex makes you feel good – who knew? When researchers writing in the economics journal The American Economic Review asked 900 American women how various daily activities made them feel, the morning commute was the most unpleasant daily ritual but “intimate relations” topped the happiness charts. Another study, which also came out in 2004, found that the happiest people of the 16,000 Americans interviewed were those who were getting the most action. The National Bureau of Economic Research investigators calculated that if you boost your between-the-sheets time from monthly to weekly, it will make you as happy as getting a $50,000 raise. However, before you go out and jump on the next person you see, the happiness that sex provides depends on the type of sex and who you’re having it with. For example, men who paid for sex and those who cheated on their spouse were less happy.
3. Better immunity: If your partner has a cold, it’s best to steer clear. That said, having sex on a regular basis can give your immune system a boost. In 1999, a study presented at the Eastern Psychological Association Convention demonstrated that graduate students who had sex weekly or twice a week had higher levels of the antibody immunoglobulin A (IgA) than their less lucky peers. This antibody is important because it resides in your saliva and mucosal linings, making it one of your body’s first defences against infections. However, before you hit you nearest Freshers’ fair be warned; the same study, which was reported by New Scientist Magazine at the time, found that having sex three times a week or more had similar levels of IgA to those students who didn’t have sex at all. This suggests that, as in all things, moderation is key. The researchers surmised that this is because a sensible amount of sex exposes you to other people’s bugs, which strengthens your immune system, but having a lot of romps may indicate you have an anxiety or stress problem, and this has the opposite effect on your immunity.
4. Pain relief: Not only do orgasms feel oh-oh-oh-so good, they help to ease your pain. Rutgers University researchers found that you have a higher tolerance and lower detection of pain during vaginal stimulation and orgasm. A 1985 study published in the journal Pain also showed that vaginal stimulation increases the female pain threshold by 36-40%, while orgasm saw the female pain threshold rise by almost 75%.
