[Mhiz Rebecca]

Finally, some good news. s*x makes work
better, according to a study out of Oregon State
University, and it does so equally for men and
women. Of 159 married employees who filled
out surveys, those who had s*x reported better
moods the next day, the effects of which
appeared to last at least a full 24 hours. And, go
figure, being in a better mood led to more
reported engagement and satisfaction on the
job. (The reason for the uptick in mood was not
determined, just the correlation.)
“Making a more intentional effort to maintain a
healthy s*x life should be considered an issue
of human sustainability, and as a result, a
potential career advantage,” said study author
Keith Leavitt in a press release.
And while it is remarkably un-shocking that s*x
can benefit people, the idea that purposefully
including s*x as a regularly scheduled practice
is definitely a newer trend—as is mindfulness
in general. s*x, after all, releases the good
brain chemicals that make daily life that much
more enjoyable: dopamine and oxytocin. You
can’t easily overdose on those, so why not get
them in circulation more?
Here’s more evidence that an active s*x life
should in fact be a health priority—just in case
you needed a reason.
A Healthy Lifespan
A recent study found that women who reported
s*xual activity during a week-long trial period
had longer telomeres. Yes, telomeres, the
protective caps on the ends of chromosomes
that shorten due to age and outside stress,
making them a pretty good indicator of health
and even premature mortality. The study
wasn’t big enough to conclude that having s*x
slows the aging process. But then again, it
doesn’t disprove that, either.
A Healthy Marriage
A new study published in Psychological Science
found that newlywed couples reported 48 hours
of “s*xual afterglow,” or relationship and
s*xual satisfaction, after having s*x—no matter
how often they had it. Those who glowed the
most were more satisfied in their marriages
from the start, as well as four and six months
down the road, leading researchers to believe
s*x strengthens “pair bonding” in couples.
Though recent research found that frequent s*x
leads to a higher risk of heart attack, heart
failure, or stroke in men over the age of 57—
but not older women—the cardiovascular
health of younger men still stands to benefit
from s*x. According to a 2010 study, men who
reported having s*x at least twice a week were
45 percent less likely to suffer a cardiovascular
disease than men who only had s*x once a
month or less.
A Healthy Prostate
In an enormous study of 32,000 men over 18
years, researchers found that frequent Release
was correlated with lower instances of prostate
cancer. For example, men in their forties who
ejaculated at least 21 times a month were 22
percent less likely to develop prostate cancer
than those who ejaculated only 4 to 7 times a
month. (Release doesn’t necessarily imply s*x,
but close enough.)
A Healthy Immune System
Weekly s*x has been linked to higher levels of
immunoglobulin A in saliva, which helps the
body fight off cold viruses—even if having
more s*x would seem to indicate a greater risk
for spreading seasonal bugs.
The Average s*x Time Is Not as Long as You’d
ThinkA Healthy Dose of Vanity
Over 10-year study, a panel of judges was
asked to guess the ages of a group of 3,500 men
and women, and one group of participants was
consistently estimated to be seven to 12 years
younger than their actual age. These
“superyoung” participants reported having
more active s*x lives than other age groups,
around one more time a week on average than
the control group’s average.
A Healthy Brain
A study conducted among young women ages 18
to 29 found that those who more frequently had
penetrative s*x were better at remembering
words than those who didn’t. The study authors
believed that because s*x helps stimulate the
growth of new brain cells in the memory-
storing hippocampus, s*x gave short-term
memory a boost.
A Healthy Outlook
Regular s*x has regularly been linked to lower
stress levels, related to higher oxytocin levels.
This circles back to job satisfaction as reported
in the most recent study: In 2014 Americans
said work injects the second most amount of
stress into their lives, right after money. Plus,
all these aforementioned benefits help people
live longer—and wouldn’t you know, s*x is also
linked to longevity, which gives everyone more
time to have fulfilling jobs and partake in
fulfilling s*x.