Listen, you don’t need me to tell you that having sex is great and makes you feel good. But if, after an exceptionally amazing roll in the hay, you’ve ever thought to yourself, “Ah, yes, I feel rejuvenated and revived. Sex keeps me young,” you were onto something, my friend.
Apparently, having sex is pretty damn good for keeping you young, hip, and happenin’. Literally. Yeah, turns out you can stop drowning yourself in wheatgrass shots for the sake of health, because the incredibly fun act of sex can help you live longer, just like coffee can. True story.
In a recent study published in the medical journal Psychoneuroendocrinology (say that three times fast), a team of researchers, led by Tomás Cabeza de Baca of the UC San Francisco, compared the length of DNA strand protectors, called telomeres, of 129 mothers in committed relationships, in order to have an approximate idea of their life expectancy.
Before we move on, let me elaborate on telomeres: telomeres are the main focus of this study because they’re a reliable measure of health, because as you get older, your telomeres shorten, and the shorter your telomeres are, the more likely you are to develop a shitty degenerative disease and die early. So, they basically show how old you are, as well as your risk of dying prematurely.
In case you want a a visual to help illustrate telomere degradation, here it is:
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Furthermore, the researchers also assessed the participant’s general relationship satisfaction, stress levels, as well as daily reports on partner support, conflict, and intimacy (a.k.a. sex) for one week.
The results revealed that, despite factors like stress levels and relationship quality, women who reported having sex at least once a week had significantly longer telomeres than those who had less sex, which means that yes, having sex at least once a week helps you live longer.
So, all you people out there who bump uglies every weekend? Congrats, you’re going to live long, prosperous lives. I’m happy for you.
H/T: Cosmopolitan