Want to boost your brain power? Try regular sex

Apart from the enjoyment, medicinal value, stress reduction and superlative pleasure that sex offers, it appears that couples who engage in the act regularly may, be enhancing their brain power and intelligence, especially for people who are new in love.



Medical experts have always said that sex is good for the health, but a new study has found that ‘doing it’ could boost intelligence. The researchers that carried out the study said sex stimulates the growth of brain cells in the part of the brain responsible for memory and learning. They also said they found out that sex protects the brain cells against decline.

In other words, couples with active sex lives are more likely to have increased memory, brain power and intelligence, all of which tend to be stronger when the relationship is still new.

The study found that regular intercourse could make the brain more alert and boost overall intelligence.

However, according to findings, other health benefits of regular sex include lower blood pressure, emotional well-being, reduced migraine pain, increased level of testosterone, lower risk of prostate cancer among men, fewer menopause symptoms among women and higher level of cranial nerve growth.

In addition, a Canadian study found out that in an average 25 minutes of sex (equivalent to walking uphill for 20 minutes), men used up an average of 100 calories while women used 69, which corroborates the fact that sex is a form of exercise.


Notably, the link between regular sex and increased alertness has to do with the high levels of nerve growth (as a result of falling in love and having sex) and brain cells that are essential in human’s well-being and mental alertness.

In the study, the researchers carried out a test on the blood of three different groups of people; those who had just fallen in love, those in long-term relationships and singles.

At the end of the study, reviewed by Daily Mail, the researchers from the University of Pavia, Italy, found that people in new relationships showed significantly high levels of nerve and brain cells growth compared to those in long-term relationship and those who are still single.

Interestingly, the levels of the growth of the nerve and brain cells fell the longer a couple stayed together, which implies a distinct health benefit derivable by people in new relationships.

Thus, the study found that frequent sex not only reduces stress, it increases nerve health and boosts brain power, especially in people that are in love newly than in those with long-lasting relationships or those in no relationship at all.

The study said, “Sex could also encourage growth of brain cells in the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for memory and learning, and it protects against mental decline by bringing more nutrients to the brain.

“Madonna, who has never made her love for sex a secret, is said to have an IQ of 140, which puts her at ‘near genius level.’”

One of the lead researchers, Dr. Arun Ghosh, pointed out that there is some evidence that older people who are sexually active are less likely to have dementia. “But as well as boosting brain cells, sex could also sharpen a woman’s mind due to a surge in sex hormones, particularly testosterone, which can help improve concentration and reaction times.

“A huge amount of brain stimulus occurs during intercourse, that is why we feel so overtaken when we orgasm. When researchers do MRI scans on people in orgasm, they observe both sides of the brain being stimulated, including parts of the brain we would not normally use,” he added.

The researchers further pointed out that stress and depression shrink the hippocampus but that exercise and sex are good ways to get rid of such factors.

Also, a professor of psychology and expert in sex and neuroscience at Rutgers University, New Jersey, United States, Barry Komisaruk, noted that sex causes an increase in the flow of blood to the brain, thereby increasing oxygen levels.

“MRI scans have shown that during orgasm, the neurons in the brain are more active and use more oxygen. It appears that the more active the neurons, the more oxygen they withdraw from the blood, so more oxygenated blood is supplied to the region, delivering a fresh supply of nutrients,” he said.

In another comparative study, researchers at Princeton University in the US examined the mental health of rats, by dividing male rats into two groups. One group had sex once a week while the other group had sex daily for two weeks. After the study, it was found that the rats that had sex daily experienced more nerve cell growth and lower levels of stress hormone in their system.

According to iheartsintelligence.com, there are good reasons for couples to have sex daily or as much as couples can. The reasons highlighted include the fact that sex keeps people fit, young, due to the stimulation of anti-ageing hormone,and healthier.

The site pointed out that, “A study done in Scotland showed that people who had more sex, specifically women, had lower blood pressure than women who abstained from sex. Researchers at Brigham Young University found the exact same results. Also, a study in Australia also found people who climaxed at least three times a week had a 50 per cent lower chance of dying for any medical reason than those who only climaxed once a month.

“Sex is good for the skin, it can make someone’s day memorable; it helps women to get rid of menstrual cramps, as it is good for all sorts of period-related issues. Also, sex gets rid of pain, as scientists have found that orgasms and vaginal stimulation can block general pain and chronic back and leg pain.”

In an article by HuffPost, it pointed out that even though there are usually legitimate reasons not to have sex, couples should endeavour to have it. It noted that regardless of stress, being too tired, distracted, not being in the mood, couples having sex with one’s spouse on nearly daily basis comes with some advantages.

“It provides some much-needed time for couples, it leads to more romantic gestures outside the bedroom, a good form of exercise, builds trust, breeds closeness, creativity and understanding between partners, and improves self-esteem and mood,” it added.

Reacting to the study, a professor of psychology, Oni Fagboungbe, said sex involves a lot of cognitive activities and activation of cells, including the brain cells, adding that the more the cells are activated, the more they grow and the more they perform. He stressed that sex has a lot to do with the brain.

He said, “Having sex is like engaging brain cells in active performance, and if you do it regularly, the probability of growing the cells is higher. Sex is hooked on the brain and it consumes a lot of energy, even more than when one is involved in activities that are more physically rigorous.

“Sex involves a lot of energy and it involves brain cells to keep it going. And some of the drugs people use during sex to prolong orgasm and have more satisfaction work on that aspect of the brain that has to do with the release of hormones. So, the more sex one has, the more the cells are activated.”