This is the crazy sex benefit that lasts for a full 24 hours

pulse

March 8, 2017 1:01 PM

Sex comes with all kinds of brain and body benefits, according to science.

Long-lasting benefits of sex

We didnt think sex could be much better, but we were wrong.

But findings from a recent study indicate that the side effects from a good bedroom workout might follow you all the way to the boardroom.

Researchers at Oregon State University, University of Washington, and the University of Oregon collaborated to explore how your sex life impacts your work life and vice versa.

For two weeks, the researchers asked 159 married couples who were both employed full-time to complete three online surveys per day—once in the morning, again in the middle of the workday, and finally before going to bed.

These questionaires assessed how often they had sex, how positive they felt, how satisfied and engaged they felt at work that day, and how engaged with their partner they were when they got home at night.

According to the findings published in the Journal of Management, the couples who prioritized sex during the workweek were giving themselves an advantage at the office, too.

The couples who reported having more sex reported a more positive mood in the morning and more satisfaction and engagement at work, even after the researchers had adjusted for overall marriage satisfaction and sleep quality. The effect was equally strong for both men and women.

On a biological level, the effects are pretty simple. Sex triggers the release of all kinds of feel-good hormones, including dopamine and oxytocin, which up your levels of pleasure and social bonding.

That natural mood elevator has major benefits that carry over into the office the next morning, according to the researchers. In other words, getting laid can help you be happier—especially at work.

The crazy thing is that these benefits lasted a full 24 hours, meaning making time for a steamy session with your partner the day before a big work presentation or evaluation might just give you an advantage.

But the effect can go both ways. The researchers also found that couples who brought work-related stress home—i.e. were chained to their email all night and didn't make alone time a priority—experienced negative impacts on their sex life.

The overall implications of the study are a case for work-life balance.

The study also suggests it's time to stop feeling guilty about unplugging from work—especially when that means you'll have sex. Who knows, getting it on could be the key to your next promotion.

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