A new study reveals that sexually active couple perform better on memory tests in middle age.
Researchers who conducted the study analysed two years of data on more than 6,000 adults aged 50 and above tracked everything from their diet to sleeping habits.
The research involved a questionnaire that recorded how often they engaged in kissing, sexual touching and intercourse, along with a series of memory tests.
Overwhelmingly, those who had more sex and a closer emotional relationship with their partner were better at recalling recent events.
Researchers, however, also found that the effect was only temporary and it faded over time. They further observed that by old age there was no correlation between sex and money.
According to the study, sex boosts memory by stimulating the growth of neurons in the hippocampus, a part of the brain that is activated when episodic and spatial memory tasks are performed.
The new study by the University of Wollongong in Australia builds on previous experimental work conducted on animals.
Lead author Mark Allen's team analyzed and compared data from 2012 and 2014 contained in the English Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSA).
Speaking about it, he said, “Decline in memory performance over time was unrelated to sexual activity or emotional closeness during partnered sexual activity.â€
The study was published in Springer's journal Archives of Sexual Behavior.
