2023-10-19 15:14:00
What if making love was good for our brain? If sexual activity made it possible to age well? In addition to being a source of relaxation and pleasure for many individuals, sex is also said to have certain health benefits. Several old studies have already highlighted its interests for calm pain, reduce stress or even preserve heart health. However, the rare benefits studied are only physical or psychological. According to a recent study, it might go much further.
Faced with all the possible benefits of sex on health, American researchers wanted to be interested in its effects on the brain. The latter, who loses his cognitive abilities as he ages, might reduce his risks of decline thanks to good sexual practice. Indeed, researchers from Hope College and Purdue University revealed that, among older adults, sexual activity was linked to better cognitive function in the long term. Their results were published in The Journal of Sex Research on July 28, 2023.
For this study, the researchers analyzed data from 1,683 people. “We used longitudinal data from two cycles of the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project (NSHAP),” explain the authors. Scientists have taken into account the frequency of sexual relations, but also their quality (physical pleasure and emotional satisfaction) reported by each participant.
On the other hand, participants’ cognitive function was also measured. To achieve this, the researchers used an official scoring process, which takes into account different aspects such as:
Sexuality and the brain: results vary by age
The results showed that sexual intercourse did not impact people in the same way depending on their age. For adults aged 62 to 74, better sexual quality was linked to better cognitive functioningwhile for those aged between 75 and 90, more frequent sexual intercourse was linked to better cognitive functioning.
In addition, the feeling of physical pleasure following intercourse was linked to better cognitive functioning in men but not in women. Other than that, no differences were found between both sexes. There was also no evidence of a link between cognitive functioning and later sexuality. “It was surprising that there were no significant findings on how cognitive functioning was related to sexual activity or sexual quality five years later“, detail the authors.
Aging: the importance of promoting sexual quality in couples
For the authors, the results are very interesting and should encourage promote sexual activity among older people, even if it is sometimes taboo. However, they point out: “Although it may seem that cognitive functioning may be linked to sexuality, we really don’t see any evidence of it, even when we focus on different age and gender groups. Instead of that, findings highlight the importance of sexuality and how it contributes to health“. Thus, if cognitive functioning and sexuality are linked, the link is not necessarily direct. Sexuality would promote brain health thanks to other elements.
This might firstly come from the fact that while making love, a couple engages in physical activity. However, the latter is good for physical health, which can also have an impact on the brain. In addition, a fulfilling sex life would be associated with less stress, known to promote cognitive decline. However, more research is needed in order to validate these hypotheses.
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