The Hidden Health Benefits of Sex

The Hidden Health Benefits of Sex
By Cari Wira Dineen March 12, 2014
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"Having sex regularly can do more than make you feel closer to your partner—it can actually make you physically healthier," says Hilda Hutcherson, M.D., a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University and author of Pleasure: A Woman's Guide to Getting the Sex You Want, Need, and Deserve. Check out a few of the surprising perks you can reap from great sex.

Less Stress
If you're freaking out about tomorrow's job interview, slip between the sheets. Research from the University of the West of Scotland reveals that people who had intercourse at least once over two weeks were better able to manage stressful situations such as public speaking, says study author and psychology professor Stuart Brody, Ph.D. That's because endorphins and oxytocin are released during sex, and these feel-good hormones activate pleasure centers in the brain that create feelings of intimacy and relaxation and help stave off anxiety and depression, says WH advisor Laura Berman, Ph.D., an assistant clinical professor of ob-gyn and psychiatry at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University and author of It's Not Him, It's You! You don't have to climax to net the effects, but you'll get the biggest surge of soothing hormones if you have an orgasm. Just one more reason to shoot for a stellar finish!