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00:00Hey, Psych2Goers, how much do you know about sex?
00:04Whether you know a lot or not much,
00:06there are quite a lot of interesting things sex can do
00:09to our minds and bodies that you might not know.
00:12What are these things, you may ask?
00:14Well, here are six things sex does to your mind and body.
00:18Number one, sex may help increase your cognitive capacity.
00:23According to a study published
00:24in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin,
00:27simply thinking about a sexual encounter
00:29may enhance analytical thinking.
00:32The study states that it suggests that when in love,
00:35people typically focus on a long-term perspective,
00:38which should enhance holistic thinking
00:40and thereby create thought,
00:42whereas when experiencing sexual encounters,
00:45they focus on the present and on concrete details,
00:48enhancing analytic thinking.
00:50Because people automatically activate
00:52these processing styles when in love
00:54or when they experience sex,
00:56subtle or even unconscious reminders of love versus sex
01:00should suffice to change processing modes.
01:02Another 2010 study published in the PLOS One using rats
01:08found that sexually active rodents had more neurons
01:11in the part of their brain called the hippocampus
01:14when compared to virgin rats.
01:16This part of the brain has an important role
01:19in memory and learning.
01:21Researchers noticed that when sexual activity
01:23later stopped among rodents,
01:25they lost those advancements in brain power.
01:28Number two, sex may boost self-esteem.
01:32Everyone's different, but according to psychologists,
01:35sex may aid in boosting your self-esteem.
01:38Psychologist Ryan Anderson explained in Psychology Today
01:42that lack of sex can lead to feelings of angst,
01:44self-doubt and inadequacy.
01:47And there is strong evidence that feelings of self-worth
01:50and identity are strongly associated with sex.
01:53He goes on explaining that social pressure
01:56may come into play with this.
01:58He also notes that often sex therapists
02:00and marriage counselors agree that couples
02:02that engage in regular sex with each other
02:05have far greater self-esteem than those who don't.
02:09Everyone's scenario is different.
02:11For some, sex isn't a priority
02:13and might not affect their self-esteem as much as others.
02:16But for others, sex can't help but make you feel good
02:19both in mind and body in more ways than one.
02:22Number three, frequent sex may help heart health.
02:27According to a study published
02:28in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health,
02:32frequent sex may decrease a male's risk
02:34for a fatal heart attack.
02:36Results from the research study revealed
02:38that males who had sex two times or more a week
02:41had a lesser chance of a fatal heart attack
02:43than those who had sex not quite as much.
02:46The study noted additional findings on strokes
02:48and their connections to frequent sex,
02:50stating middle-aged men should be heartened
02:53to know that frequent sexual intercourse
02:54is not likely to result in a substantial increase
02:57in the risk of strokes
02:59and that some protection from fatal coronary events
03:02may be an added bonus.
03:04Number four, it can alter your pain perception.
03:07Sex can alter your pain perception?
03:10Yep, and it's all thanks to a part of our brain
03:13called the hypothalamus.
03:15According to some research,
03:16sex may alter your pain perception,
03:18making you feel less pain.
03:21The section of the brain called the hypothalamus
03:23releases the feel-good hormone, oxytocin,
03:26also known as the love hormone,
03:28during orgasm or arousal.
03:30Researchers at Rutgers University
03:32found that this release of oxytocin
03:34may help women feel less pain.
03:37This can be especially true during menstruation.
03:40Another study published
03:41in the Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine
03:44found that extremely low doses of oxytocin
03:47reduce pain sensitivity in men,
03:49lowering one's pain threshold by 56.5%.
03:54Number five, sex can take work for long-term partners.
03:58There's a popular belief among many young people
04:00that sexual satisfaction can diminish
04:02with time in long-term relationships,
04:05but it actually just takes a bit of work.
04:07Recent research from the University of Toronto
04:10recognized that effort is required
04:12if you wanna have a great sex life
04:14with your long-term partner.
04:15So don't expect it to be wonderful every time
04:18if you don't put in some work every now and then.
04:20A healthy relationship with communication and effort
04:24can equal a healthy and happy sex life.
04:26And number six, sex before an important event
04:30may lower your level of stress.
04:32Looks like sex may just help your grades
04:34on your university final exams.
04:36A 2006 research study published
04:38in the journal Biological Psychology
04:41had subjects take part in stressful activities.
04:44These included giving a public speech
04:46or taking a difficult math quiz.
04:48Subjects who had sex before the test
04:50had lower blood pressure and lower levels of stress.
04:53This was then compared to those who had no sex,
04:56those who masturbated,
04:57and those who had sexual contact without intercourse.
05:00The study even claims that penile vaginal intercourse, PVI,
05:04but not other sexual behavior
05:06is associated with better psychological
05:08and physiological function.
05:10You may just have to thank not only yourself,
05:12but your partner as well for that A plus on your math exam.
05:16So which of these were you most surprised to hear about?
05:19Let us know in the comments down below.
05:21We hope you enjoyed this video.
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05:30And as always, thanks for watching.
05:32See you next time.