Duh of the Week – Sex Lowers Stress

GOT some public speaking to do? Here is a tip to keep stress at
bay: have sex beforehand. But make sure it’s penetrative sex – the magic
vanishes if you pursue other forms of sexual gratification.

Stuart Brody, a psychologist at the University of Paisley, UK, compared
the impact of different sexual activities on blood pressure when a person
later experiences acute stress. For a fortnight, 24 women and 22 men kept
diaries of how often they engaged in penile-vaginal intercourse (PVI),
masturbation or partnered sexual activity excluding intercourse. After,
the volunteers underwent a stress test involving public speaking and mental
arithmetic out loud.

Volunteers who’d had PVI but none of the other kinds of sex were least
stressed, and their blood pressure returned to normal faster than those
who’d only masturbated or had non-coital sex. Those who abstained had the
highest blood-pressure response to stress (Biological
Psychology, vol 71, p 214).

Brody also made psychological measurements of neuroticism and anxiety in
the volunteers, as well as work stress and partnership satisfaction. Even
taking these factors into account, differences in sexual behaviour provided
the best explanation for the range of stress responses. "The effects
are not attributable simply to the short-term relief afforded by orgasm,
but rather, endure for at least a week," says Brody. He speculates
that release of the "pair-bonding" hormone oxytocin between partners
might account for the calming effect.

We find that a couple of oxytocins before a speech usually calms
us down nicely, especially when combined with sex. Of course, it has
to be PVI,
since oral sex makes us more stressed, and 45 minutes later we’re hungry
again. As to masturbation, bloggers as a rule should stay away from that
to avoid hand-hair accumulation on their keyboards…

from New
Scientist