Image: Corbis
It appears there’s a weapon against depression that’s just about as natural and primitive as it can be. According to the a new study by researches at SUNY Albany, unprotected sex has been identified as a remedy against depression as semen is supposedly rich in chemicals that help increase a a partner’s happiness, mood and even quality of sleep.
293 females from the SUNY Albany campus participated in the survey to identify possible connections between unprotected sex and a person’s overall happiness. And to test the emotional health of participants, researchers had the women complete the Beck Depression Inventory, a standard clinical test to help identify signs of depression.
The results? It appears that sexually-active women who had unprotected sex showed significantly lesser symptoms of depression, and even had better sleep than women who always or usually used condoms.
The findings also showed that women who considered themselves ‘promiscuous’ yet practiced safe sex, were just as depressed as sexually-abstinent women. “The team suggests it is semen, not just sex,” that is raising some women’s happiness levels.
But exactly how does sperm trigger positive feelings in women? According to Neetzan Zimmerman, semen is rich in “mood-altering chemicals”. Among them, include estrone and oxytocin to elevate your moods, cortisol to promote affection, serotonin as an antidepressant and melatonin to regulate your sleep patterns. In reality, having all these effects in check daily would obviously make you a happy woman, wouldn’t it? But from an evolutionary standpoint, a woman’s body can detect and recognize semen from long-term or recurrent partners, triggering chemical feelings of affection and feelings of closeness. (Source)
With this study, we’re not suggesting that you toss your boxes of condoms into the bin. If you would in fact like to give this ‘experiment’ a go, we highly recommend that you enjoy it moderately, and practice safety measures.
