4 Surprising Reasons to Have More Sex, According to Science

How sex helps: Orgasms increase blood flow to that essential organ.
The science: Sex makes your brain light up, scientifically speaking. Using fMRI machines, researchers have monitored women's brains during orgasm and found a widespread uptick in activity, not just in one or two areas, says Barry Komisaruk, PhD, a professor of psychology and an adjunct professor of radiology at Rutgers, and one such researcher. "These machines monitor how much oxygen your nerve cells are using. The more active they are, the more oxygen they need, and they get it through increased bloodflow," he explains. "By delivering more oxygen to the brain, orgasms increase the amount of bloodflow and nutrients reaching your neurons." Experts haven't pinned down how exactly this might translate into real-world benefits (increased critical-thinking skills, stronger memory, etc.), but they're confident that it means good things for your cognitive health.