Sex ‘can boost BRAIN power in older people as scientists discover fascinating new link’
2017-06-22
The study, carried out by Coventry and Oxford Universities, found that over-50s who enjoyed regular romps showed improved cognitive functions.
It investigated the correlation between sex and brain function on 73 participants aged between 50 and 83.
The results found that those that had more sex tended to have better verbal fluency and ability to visually perceive objects and the spaces between them.
This included verbal fluency tests in which participants had a minute to name as many animals as possible, and then to say as many words beginning with F as they could.
They were then asked to take part in tests that determine their visual awareness, including copying a complex design and drawing a clock face from memory.
The stunning results revealed that those who fornicated more regularly were more fluent in speech and had better visual awareness.
The study expanded on previous research from February 2016, which found that older adults who were sexually active scored higher on cognitive tests than those that were not.
Dr Hayley Wright, from Coventry University’s Centre for Research in Psychology, Behaviour and Achievement, said: “We can only speculate whether this is driven by social or physical elements, but an area we would like to research further is the biological mechanisms that may influence this.
“Every time we do another piece of research we are getting a little bit closer to understanding why this association exists at all, what the underlying mechanisms are, and whether there is a ’cause and effect’ relationship between sexual activity and cognitive function in older people.
“People don’t like to think that older people have sex, but we need to challenge this conception at a societal level and look at what impact sexual activity can have on those aged 50 and over, beyond the known effects on sexual health and general wellbeing.”