Wendy Walsh, a clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at California State University, told The Healthy that sex "causes a cascade of positive changes both in your body and your mind," and the outlet's roundup of expert advice and research ties sex to better cognition, lower stress and a longer life. The studies it cites carry real limits: the cognition research "can't prove that the sex was the cause of better cognition," and the stress findings come from rats.
"Sex causes a cascade of positive changes both in your body and your mind," clinical psychologist Walsh told The Healthy. She said sex can trigger powerful brain chemicals, help balance sex hormones and increase blood flow throughout the body. The outlet's standard for good sex is simple: consensual, and whatever works for you and your partner.
It also doesn't have to be a marathon. "Even a quickie is better than nothing," Walsh said. Solo sex counts too: sexologist Laura Deitsch said masturbation is a good way to release endorphins, the brain chemicals behind many of the benefits.
Here is what The Healthy reports, with the caveats attached.
Sharper thinking. A 2019 study in the Journals of Gerontology asked 73 adults aged 50 to 83 how often they had sex, then gave them a cognitive test. Those who reported weekly sex or more scored higher overall, with the biggest gaps in verbal fluency and memory. The study can't prove sex caused the difference, sex educator Cyndi Darnell noted, though sex does increase blood flow to the brain.
Less stress. A rodent study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that pleasurable activities, including sex, dampened rats' stress responses, likely through brain changes and a rise in dopamine. It was done in rats, so the findings need to be replicated in humans.
Less pain. Deitsch said endorphins act as natural analgesics, reducing the perception of pain physically and emotionally. A study in the Hawaii Medical Journal on beta-endorphins looked at pain from surgery, though the effects seem to apply to physical pain in general.
Closer bonds, longer lives. Oxytocin, released during sex, hugging and kissing, can help create a tight bond with a partner. A 2019 Psychological Science study followed more than 4,000 mostly heterosexual couples aged 50 and over for eight years. People in happy relationships, particularly those whose spouse reported being satisfied, had a 13 percent reduced risk of death during that time, regardless of household wealth, demographics or baseline health.
A healthier heart, with a catch. An intense session may raise heart attack risk in the short term, especially for people already at risk for heart disease. Over time, a healthy sex life could lower cardiovascular risk. A 2014 study in the Brazilian Journal of Biological and Medical Research found oxytocin plays a role in five cardiovascular functions, and in rats it improved healing after induced heart attacks.
Calories. In a PLOS One study of 21 heterosexual couples in their 20s, a moderately active 24-minute session burned an average of 101 calories for men and about 69 for women. That is less than a gym workout or a run, though it can add up with other incidental activity.
Mood and self-esteem. Sex floods the brain with serotonin, according to the PNAS study. "Having an orgasm is a powerful and immediate way to boost your mood," Deitsch said. She added that climax can improve self-image, but orgasm is not required for the self-esteem benefit.
Immune support. In a 2015 Fertility and Sterility study, 30 premenopausal women who had sex at least once a week had more T-helper cells than women who abstained. A separate study of 112 college students in Psychological Reports found a stronger immune response, including higher immunoglobulin A, among those who had sex one or two times per week.
Fertility. According to the Fertility and Sterility study, women who have sex more often, even in the less fertile parts of their cycle, are more likely to conceive.
A better workday. A 2017 review in the Journal of Management aggregated studies of married, employed people and found those who had sex reported more positive moods the next day, linked to greater work engagement and job satisfaction for at least 24 hours.
One note of caution on solo play: Darnell said some people become so used to a particular style of masturbation that they struggle to orgasm in conventional ways, which can make partnered sex less satisfying.
How often to do any of this is up to you. Deitsch's advice for people who want more sex: "give sex as high a priority as you do to anything else in your life that you consider important."