Regular sex improves brain functioning in older adults, according to researchers at the University of Coventry and Oxford.
The study, published in the Journal of Gerontology, claims that more frequent sexual activity is associated with improved brain function.
“Every time we do another piece of research, we are getting a little bit closer to understanding why this association exists at all, what the underlying mechanism is, and whether there is a cause and effect relationship between sexual activity and cognitive function in older people,” Hayley Wright, the lead researcher said.
Participants were made to fill out questionnaires on their general health and lifestyle as well as how often they had sex.
The researchers observed and measured different patterns of brain function in the adults, paying special attention to memory, mental alertness; language; verbal fluency and visuospacial ability.
According to the research, those who had sex on a weekly basis scored the highest points in verbal fluency and visuospacial ability tests.
Though previous research has shown that sexually active adults are marked with better cognitive functioning, the research found that same was not connected with better memory or attention.
“We can only speculate whether this is driven by social or physical elements but an area we would like to research further is the biological mechanism that may influence this,” Hayley said.
