The study conducted by Todd B. Kashdan and others at George Mason University asked participants to answer a series of questions every day relating to their life satisfaction and the frequency, intimacy, enjoyability of their sexual activity. Life satisfaction was measured with several parameters, including mood and if they found that day to be meaningful, the Big Think reports.
The subjects, 152 adults who were mostly female, were asked to fill out demographic reports which included whether or not they were in relationships and information on the length and closeness of those relationships. They were then asked to fill out an online form every night detailing their mood, how meaningful they found their lives to be, and if they engaged in sexual activity. They were asked to rate that activity in terms of enjoyment and intimacy on a standardised scale.
The finding?
Having sex leads to increased well-being on all counts for the next day. Moreover, those who reported having high levels of intimacy with their partners see that improvement last more than 24 hours. On the other hand, well-being was not found to influence the occurrence of sex.
