We all know sex can leave us feeling happy and more emotionally connected to a partner.
But it seems there’s an unlikely physical benefit to getting intimate – particularly for women.
Scientific researchers have found the brain region linked to genital touch in women – and it seems it’s better developed in those who frequently get it on.
The study, recently published in the Journal of Neuroscience, analysed the connection between touch and cerebral development in 20 adult females.
As part of the research, female volunteers – between the ages of 18 and 45 – had their clitorises stimulated by a vibrating object placed above their underwear, while their brains were scanned.
Researchers also asked female volunteers how frequently they had had sex over the past year.
As the device vibrated, the somatosensory cortex region of the brain was activated.
Researchers then measured the thickness of that brain area, finding it was bigger in females who reported having more sex.
‘We found an association between the frequency of genital intercourse and the thickness of the individually mapped genital field,’ explains study co-author Dr. Christine Heim – a professor of medical psychology at Charite University Hospital in Berlin.
So to put it simply: the more sex, the bigger the region of the brain.
It’s worth pointing out that researchers were unable to confirm whether having a more developed somatosensory cortex prompts more sex, or whether more intercourse expands that brain region.
But they believe it’s more likely to be the latter.
Of course, this isn’t the first study to look into the benefits of sex on the brain.
Back in 2016, scientists at McGill University in Canada found young women who have regular sex have an easier time remembering things than their less sexually active counterparts.
It’s good news for men, too.
That same year, another study also found that older guys who have regular sex have better ‘brain health’ and are less likely to lose memory.
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