Unexpected benefits of sex include making your brain work better! | Source: ShutterStock

As if you needed any more benefits of sex: studies now show that it actually helps your brain work better!

New research says that some added benefits of sex on the regular include more alertness and heightened learning ability. Ow ow!

Researchers gave blood tests to three groups of gals: those who had just fallen in love recently, those in long term relationships and single girls. It turns out, the newly lovin’ girls had higher levels of nerve growth–a big part of brain development and mental ability–than the rest. The research suggests that benefits of sex not only include more smarts, but also lower stress. Woot!

A separate sister study was done with rats, and the results showed that the more often rats had sex, the more nerve cells they grew. It appears that when you’re smitten and in your honeymoon phase, your brain just works better and grows faster–and that’s usually when couples have the most sex, too. Sex specifically helps brain cells grow in your hippocampus, which is responsible for learning and memory. (Stress and depression can actually slow this process, but sex counters both of those!)

Not gonna lie, that sounds like a much more fun all-nighter than the one you’d spend with your chem notes, doesn’t it? Just make sure it’s safe sex!

Do the new brain-boosting benefits of sex make you feel better about having sex? What are other benefits of sex for you? Do you think the brain function benefits of sex are directly linked or just coincidental? Tell us in the comments!

The benefits of sex probably don’t apply to bad sex. Improve yours!

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