Can Sex Slow the Aging of the Brain?

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When it comes to our brain and cognitive function, is sex the fountain of youth?

The health benefits of sexual activity are widely recognized and well-documented. Research indicates that it not only boosts cardiovascular health but also alleviates stress, strengthens immune function, and contributes to overall happiness, reducing anxiety and depression.

However, the intriguing question remains: Can sex also enhance brain function and offer protection against neurodegenerative diseases? A new study published in The Journal of Sex Research answers this question.

Although the ability of sex to improve our brains may seem far-fetched, there are three pathways by which it could happen, each of which the authors of this study set out to test.

First, given its physicality, sex is considered (by those in the medical field at least) a type of exercise that studies show yields a powerful impact on cognitive performance by increasing the blood flow to the brain, reducing inflammation in the body, and increasing proteins that induce neuron growth and survival.

Second, sex mitigates stress, preserves cognition, and encourages the formation of new neurons in the hippocampus, an area of the brain associated with memory.

Third, arousal and orgasm lead to the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine. In older adults, dopamine has been found to improve episodic memory.

Taken together, as people move across the life course and into old age, sex may be one way to combat atrophy in the brain due to its ability to decrease cardiovascular risk, reduce stress, and release dopamine.

The Study

The authors analyzed U.S. nationally representative survey data from the second (2010-2011) and third (2015-2016) rounds of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP), comparing 2,409 respondents who completed both rounds of the survey spaced five years apart in order to analyze how they changed over time.

Two age groups were measured and compared by the authors; “younger-old” people (aged 62-74) and “older-old” people (aged 75-90).

To measure cognitive function, the NSHAP used an adaptation of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-SA) survey.

Sexual frequency was measured by asking respondents how often they engaged in sexual activity during the past 12 months, with possible responses being “never,” “once a month,” “2-3 times a month,” and “once a week or more.”

To measure sexual quality, the authors looked at questions from the NSHAP that asked participants to report how much physical pleasure and emotional satisfaction they received in their sexual relationship. Both of these sexual quality measures were coded as “none”/”slightly”/”moderately pleasurable or satisfying,” and “very/extremely pleasurable or satisfying.”

The authors discovered four major findings in regard to the impact of sex on cognition in older adults.

Finding One: Among the older-old group (i.e., aged 75-90), the authors found that having sex more frequently was related to better cognitive functioning five years later, in the second round of the study. Specifically, among older adults aged 75-90, those who engaged in sexual activity at least once a week had a cognitive score that was 1.5 units higher five years later compared to their counterparts who reported no sexual activity in the past year. The authors speculate that in this age group, sexual frequency leads to better cognitive function because it improves circulation, like other forms of exercise.

Notably, the effect size of this first finding was comparable to education, another factor known to positively impact cognitive function as we age. In other words, this suggests that having sex once or more a week leads to almost as much improved cognitive function as earning a college degree in older-old (aged 75-90) adults!

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Finding Two: A second important finding from the study was that among the younger-old group (aged 62-74), sexual quality impacted cognition. Younger-old adults who felt their sexual relationships were very pleasurable and satisfying had better cognitive functioning five years later than their counterparts who did not feel so. The authors noted that this finding is consistent with a recent study suggesting that emotional closeness with a sexual partner predicts older adults’ better scores on memory tests. This result may be due to pleasure hormones, specifically dopamine, associated with sexually satisfying relationships. In other words, people with more sexually satisfying relationships may experience higher levels of dopamine, which has been linked to improved memory in older adults.

Finding Three: Men, but not women, who reported high levels of physical pleasure from their sexual relationships enjoyed better cognitive functioning five years later than men who did not. The authors noted that this finding is consistent with previous findings using representative data from English older adults that found sexual activity was linked to men’s memory recall but not women’s. The authors speculate that this gender difference is due to socialization. Since more emphasis is placed on men seeking sexual pleasure than on women, they tend to prioritize it.

Finding Four: Finally, the authors established a clear causal direction from sexual activity to enhanced cognitive function rather than the other way around. This means that adults who had active and fulfilling sex lives experienced significant cognitive benefits when assessed five years later. Intriguingly, it was also noted that having higher cognitive function at the study's onset did not lead to increased frequency or satisfaction in sexual activity in the subsequent five years. This insight emerged from the data gathered in the second round of the study, underscoring the positive impact of sexual activity on cognitive health over time.

This study's findings highlight the significant benefits that an active sex life can have on the cognitive functioning of older adults. It's an important observation that while sexual frequency may naturally decrease with age, many older adults not only remain sexually active but also report enhanced sexual satisfaction. This improvement in sexual quality could be attributed to a deeper understanding and refinement of sexual preferences and skills within their relationships.

Considering the myriad ways in which sex contributes to both physical and mental health, its role in the well-being of aging adults should be a focal point in healthcare discussions and planning.

It's also crucial to recognize that the advantages of sexual activity, as identified in this study, are likely universal, transcending age groups. The physiological benefits of sex — acting as a form of physical exercise, stimulating dopamine release, and aiding memory — are applicable to everyone, regardless of their age.

Everyone deserves a healthy sex life. Our brains may depend on it.

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