Here’s How Great Sex Can Give You a Magical 48-Hour ‘Afterglow’
Find out why getting some ass can make you feel amazing for two damn days…
There’s nothing better than a good lay, wouldn’t you agree? It’s sexy, it brings you closer to your girl, it feels amazing, and it leaves you feeling quite magnificent for a while after. Aaamazing.
That said, why does it make you feel so good afterwards? What about sex makes you feel so goddamn happy and intimate with the person you just got it on with? Well, according to a new study by scientists at Florida State University, it all has to do with the “love hormone,” oxytocin.
Apparently, when you have sex, your brain releases a hefty dose of oxytocin, which makes you feel closer to your girlfriend and more trusting and whatnot. And until now, scientists believed that after sex, your brain simply releases oxytocin, and that’s it. But now, we know that the effects of the hormone only last a few days, and then you’re back to normal. Interesting, right?
In the study, researchers had 214 newlywed couples fill out sex diaries for two weeks, in which they recorded how many times they had sex, and how they felt about their relationships in the days following sex. Then, the couples were asked to re-evaluate their relationship six months later.
It was discovered that the couples’ feelings of intimacy and happiness in their relationships, which the researchers called “afterglow,” lasted for two days after sex, but dwindled after day three. And interestingly, two days after having a buttload of sex, during the afterglow phase, a man’s sperm quality decreases, but begins to recover after the third day.
The researchers believe that this two day afterglow and the two day decrease in sperm quality is some sort of evolutionary remnant intended to keep the couple together for at least a few days after sex to increase their chance of having a baby, considering two days is the maximum amount of time sperm can survive in the female reproductive tract, and by not boinking for those two days, the higher quality sperm has a better chance of reaching the egg.
Wow, that was a mouthful. Hooray for science!
It was also found that couples who felt a strong afterglow after getting it on, meaning they were more intimate with one another and were just overall happier, reported being more satisfied with their relationship months later.
“This is the first research to quantify the length of the sexual afterglow and to examine its benefits,” says lead author, Dr. Andrea Meltzer. “Our research shows that sexual satisfaction remains elevated 48 hours after sex. The afterglow appears to last approximately the same length of time that it takes for peak sperm concentration to be restored.
“And people with a stronger sexual afterglow — that is, people who report a higher level of sexual satisfaction 48 hours after sex — report higher levels of relationship satisfaction several months later.”
Well, there you have it, folks. You feel close and affectionate with your girlfriend after sex because you subconsciously want to get her pregnant with your good, high quality sperm. The more you know!
H/T: Science Daily
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