7 Surprising Studies About Sex

How does sex affect your smarts? How will robots play a romantic role in our future? Why do guys get sleepy after sex? We answer all these questions and more…

1. Sex Makes You Smarter

While these studies are not conclusive for guaranteeing a brainier outcome, it appears that regular sexual activity may be good for your brain in more ways than one. In a Princeton study using adult male rats (rats and humans are genetically similar), researchers found that when they provided the rats with daily doses of sexual activity with receptive females, compared to virgin rats, they experienced brain cell growth and a rise in brain cell connections. In addition, the more sex the rats received, the less anxiety (stress hormone damage) they experienced in life, suggesting sex may be healthy for the brain’s longevity.

2. I *Heart* Robot

Research at the University of Maastricht predicts that not only will humans be engaging in sexual activity with robots, but these relationships will escalate to legal marriage. The head researcher, David Levy, doesn’t think that the robot rage will occur at his hometown in the Netherlands, nor even the backwards country of the Ozark Mountains. Instead, he predicts the first robot relationships will develop in the state of Massachusetts, sometime around the year 2050. Why Massachusetts? For one, it’s the home of high tech research at MIT. It is also one of the most liberal U.S. states, currently offering support for same-sex marriage, so why not a human-robot marriage. You can deny your affection for those Roomba vacuums all you like, but “love and sex with robots are inevitable,” says Levy.

3. Ex-Sex in Dreams

Dreaming of sex with an ex isn’t as uncommon as you might think, so if you’re worried about a similar reoccurring dream, researchers say not to fret. According to studies, many women to have sexy dreams about ex-boyfriends before ovulating. Interestingly, the longer the women had been in a monogamous relationship, the more prevalent these ex-sex dreams become. Once their cycle is over, these women always go back to their regular dreams until the next time.

4. Why Guys Fall Asleep After Sex

A recent survey of 10,000 Englishmen suggested that 48 percent had fallen asleep during sex at one time or another. In America, we may have that problem on occasion, but the worst complaint is guys falling asleep immediately after sex. Scientists can offer a few hints about this phenomenon, one being he’s tired, two, it’s relaxing, and three, because the post-orgasmic hormone cocktail mixed by the brain after sex doesn’t exactly come in a non-drowsy (day) formula. We’re talking about such chemicals as prolactin, oxytocin, and vasopressin, all associated with the body’s regulation of relaxation and sleep. In other words, he can’t help it. Just think of it as a way to enjoy the cuddle time you need, you’ll just have to ignore the snoring and drooling.

5. Sexsomnia

Studies on sexsomnia have brought many men suffering from a sexless marriage new promise. A promise that may send a spouse off to bed, saying, Not tonight honey, I have a headache, but three hours later find her spontaneously leaping on his saddle, riding off into an orgasmic sunset. According to research, initiating sex during sleep occurs in 7.6 percent of the population, and while some researchers like to classify this as a sleep disorder, many partners are certainly not complaining.

6. Nature Prefers Sex

Researchers ask the question, why does nature choose sex over spontaneous asexual (cloning) reproduction? Some studies suggest animals enjoy sex too, so if you could ask them, the answer would be rather obvious. Biology, however, has a different viewpoint. Sex shuffles the genes between organisms, ensuring a species remains adaptive and strong. In studies of yeast, the strains that reproduce via sexual contact, emerge heartier than asexual strains. There may be more species than we realize that have the capability to spontaneously multiply if the situation calls for it, such as frogs and snakes. While this research is by no means conclusive, it does suggest that sexual reproduction is preferred by nature, but is capable of adaptation.

7. Wednesday is Not the True Hump Day

According to various surveys, Tuesday is the day most people like to get things done. This leaves little time for fooling around, which is why Tuesday is a bad day for sex. Wednesdays are a good day for a first date, according to surveys, but it is Thursday that is the best day to get it on. According to a report by the London School of Economics (yeah, I know, what would they know about this stuff?), Thursday offers an advantage over any other day, because of synchronized hormone levels between the sexes. In other words, we both have sex on the brain. To this news, I hereby nominate Thursday our new official hump day!