Other studies indicate that merely thinking about doing the deed can lead to better critical thinking performance. Practitioners of bondage, discipline, sadism, and masochism (BDSM), in particular, have been shown to have better mental health than those less kinky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But that\u2019s not all, it seems. More recent research suggests that sex may have powerful emotional benefits, as well. Sex seems to strengthen relationships and adds happiness and actual meaning to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"People](\"https:\/\/mysecretdrawer.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/03\/SEX-AND-HAPPINESS-2.jpg\")
Sex Makes You Happy in More Ways than You Think<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Researchers from George Mason University discovered as much when they used daily diaries to examine the link between sexual behavior and well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The researchers asked 152 college students to keep a record of their sexual behaviors, emotions, and feelings every day for three weeks. The scientists measured the well-being of the students by their positive feelings, mood, and how meaningful they felt that their life was each day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People were happier, more relaxed, and found more meaning in their lives the day after any kind of sexual activity, from kissing to sexual intercourse, the researchers found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This link did not depend on how satisfying or intimate the experience was, or whether the subjects were in a relationship. Any sort of sexual experience seems to improve well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Any](\"https:\/\/mysecretdrawer.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/03\/SEX-AND-HAPPINESS-6.jpg\")
Like Money in the Bank<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
To be clear, researchers had long ago established a link between having sex and feeling pleased with yourself and the world, too. In 2004, economists studying data from 16,000 adults concluded that having sex once a week increased happiness to an extent comparable to an additional $50,000 in the bank<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But while this and similar studies, which relied on surveys, revealed an association between sex and happiness, they did not show that more sex causes greater happiness. None of the previous investigations could convincingly prove causality or disprove the possibility that happier people just happen to have more sex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Psychologist Todd Kashdan, who led the George Mason University research team, says the findings of their research<\/a> propose a whole new dimension in defining human well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWith the exception of evolutionary psychology, there is a long list of thinkers who ignore the explicit role of sexuality in their understanding of well-being,\u201d says Kashdan in an article for Psychology Today<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hence, the focus of his team\u2019s research was on psychological and sexual needs that are as important as physical needs for thirst, hunger, and shelter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe think about sex, fantasize about sex, and \u2013 preferably – have sex,\u201d says Kashdan. \u201cWhich begs the question, \u2018Why is sexuality ignored in modern models of well-being?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having raised an important question, Kashdan is quick to point out that the opposite was not true. Happiness did not predict more sexual behavior in their analysis. This, he says, bolsters the research team\u2019s claim that the connection between sex and well-being is due to the sex itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People\u2019s fundamental need to belong is likely at the root of the effect, says Kashdan. In short, sexual contact communicates a deeper acceptance from those with whom we are intimate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere is something profound about someone else giving you access to their body and accepting access to yours,\u201d Kashdan says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This experience of vulnerability and acceptance, Kashdan and his team assert can be a powerful signal of inclusion that improves emotional health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is a small caveat to all this. That is, that sex for reasons other than pleasure might have the opposite effect. Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University learned this much in 2015 when they asked 32 random couples to double the frequency of their sexual relations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some couples in the experimental group did manage to double the rate of intercourse, and on average there was a 40 percent increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The additional rounds of slap-and-tickle did not make them happier, though. Their well-being declined, especially in measures of energy and enthusiasm, as did the quality of the sex. Both men and women in the group reported that the additional intercourse wasn\u2019t much fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The results surprised the researchers – but they probably shouldn\u2019t have, according to George Loewenstein, a professor of economics and psychology at Carnegie Mellon, who led the study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt seems that if you\u2019re having sex for a reason other than because you like and want sex,\u201d he says, \u201cyou may undermine the quality of that sex and your resulting mood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n These findings coincide with findings from Kashdan\u2019s other research, which indicates that pressure-free sex appears to have beneficial consequences in people who suffer mood disorders and social anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Economists](\"https:\/\/mysecretdrawer.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/03\/SEX-AND-HAPPINESS-3.jpg\")
Vulnerability and Acceptance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Sexual](\"https:\/\/mysecretdrawer.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/03\/SEX-AND-HAPPINESS-7.jpg\")
Casual Sex vs. Sex Under Pressure<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Sex](\"https:\/\/mysecretdrawer.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/03\/SEX-AND-HAPPINESS-4.jpg\")
All You Need is Sex<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Intimate](\"https:\/\/mysecretdrawer.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/03\/SEX-AND-HAPPINESS-5.jpg\")