I love to peruse the internet for recent studies that involve sex. While God’s Word remains the foundation of my perspective on sexual intimacy, we have learned a lot about His creation and how things work in the bedroom from well-conducted research.
My last stroll through the web for interesting reports yielded five studies I want to share with you. A couple of them have important implications, a couple are simply interesting, and one is guaranteed to make you laugh.
Does having sex make men more spiritual?
Duke University researchers tested two groups of men by administering oxytocin to one group and a placebo to the second group. They then surveyed the men regarding feelings of spirituality and discovered that those who took oxytocin were more likely to answer questions about spirituality in positive ways. For instance, they said that “spirituality was important in their lives and that life has meaning and purpose” and agreed more with statements like “There is a higher plane of consciousness or spirituality that binds all people.”
What’s particularly interesting about this study is that oxytocin is a chemical produced by our bodies that has been labeled the “love hormone.” It’s been linked to feelings of bonding, trust, and satisfaction. And it’s released during breastfeeding, prolonged physical contact (like a long embrace or holding hands), and sex. Indeed, at sexual climax, men in committed relationships get a huge rush of oxytocin into their system. The upshot is that having sex may make your husband feel not only connected to you, but to the spiritual realm — and our Heavenly Father. So the next time your husband claims making love with you confirmed that there is a God, he might really be reporting his mountaintop-like experience.
Source: Duke Today: Oxytocin Enhances Spirituality, New Study Says
Is sex bad for his heart, but good for hers?
A federally funded study led by a Michigan State researcher looked at the link between frequency of sex and cardiovascular health. Participants were between 57 and 85 years of age, and information was collected once and again five years later. For those who had sex one or more times a week, men had a higher risk of cardiovascular events (like hypertension, heart attack, etc.), while women had a reduced risk of hypertension. So basically, more sex seemed to be bad for his heart, but good for hers.
But wait… The bigger question is why: Why are men at greater risk for heart conditions just by having more frequent sex? It’s not clear that it’s the sex, because older, sexually active men are also more likely to use medication to boost sexual function and could be straining themselves more to reach an orgasm that isn’t quite as easy to attain as it once was. Maybe the takeaway is that we need to let our sexuality mature with us — take our time, don’t sweat it if the orgasm doesn’t happen, and enjoy the vast array of sexually intimate acts. And if that doesn’t work, I know plenty of husbands who’d simply say: “I don’t care if having sex increases my risk of heart attack, because what a way to go!”
Source: MSU Today —Â Is Sex in Later Years Good for Your Health?
Should you turn on the lights?
Research conducted by the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Congress studied 38 male participants with disorders characterized by a lack of interest in sex. They gave them half of them light therapy (exposure to light that mimics the sun’s rays and is used with seasonal depression) and half of them exposure to much dimmer light. The men who received bright light therapy showed increased sexual satisfaction three times higher as well as a jump in testosterone production.
Honestly, this matches one of my theories of why more men have lower sex drives these days. I believe that since many men aren’t spending time outside and in manual labor, they aren’t doing things that used to maintain their testosterone levels and decrease their stress. Whether my theory’s true or not, it appears that sunlight or light therapy would be a good idea for men whose libidos aren’t where they, or perhaps their wives, would like them to be. For you higher-drive wives, maybe you could suggest a daily walk or time together outside more days than not.
Source: Popular Science —Â New Research Shows How Bright Light Could Wake Up Men’s Sexual Desire
Why should college students have all the fun?
Researchers at the University of South Dakota surveyed 706 college students and discovered that having sex in a parked car remains a “fundamental coming-of-age phenomenon.” Sixty percent reported having experienced parked-car sex, and although men reported a higher rate of satisfaction, a strong majority in both genders viewed the experience positively.
Why am I talking about this to married Christians? Because hey, you can do it your car too! Frankly, as you get older, your car is usually bigger and more conducive to having sex without getting jabbed by a gear shift or slammed into the dashboard. You might well own a garage so that maintaining privacy is an easy goal to meet. And you’d probably be surprised how much your body can still bend and move when romance and libido run high. Some of us even own trucks, meaning we have an actual “bed” in our vehicle. Doesn’t that mean we should use it as the word intends?
Source: The Daily Beast —Â Science Says: Car Sex Is Still a Rite of Passage
Is polyester killing your sex appeal, guys?
Cairo University Professor Ahmed Shafik dressed lab rats in pants of different fabrics, then studied how they affected the rats’ sex drive. He discovered that rats in polyester pants got less action than those wearing cotton or wool — a finding that once-and-for-all confirms the 1970s were the worst fashion decade.
So throw out your old leisure suits, husbands, because that polyester look is not helping your sex appeal! Go with cotton or wool (or even a mixed blend, I suppose). Although I wonder how those rats would have fared in satin boxer shorts. Do you think they would have become “love machines”? Maybe, maybe not. But you could give it a try.
Source:Â Polyester pants dampen rats’ sex appeal: Ig Nobel prizes honor weird research
What do you think about these research studies? What surprised you or shed light on your situation?
“For you higher-drive wives, maybe you could suggest a daily walk or time together outside more days than not.”
… and “won’t you lay me down int he tall grass and let me do my stuff” – thanks Lindsey and Stevie from back in 1979…
Lol. Second Hand News, Fleetwood Mac!
Best reply in ages!!!!???
I do own a bigger car, but its a cabrio……we’ll see what my wife thinks of carsex.
How can a rat wearing pants get action? 😀 these studies are certainly interesting. The light therapy is really interesting. Wonder about that with women.
Good question about women too. I hope they study that!
No thank you to car sex…way too uncomfortable.
By the way, I never had car sex when I was younger…did have some “make out” sessions, but no car sex.
Pretty interesting and entertaining stuff. Thanks for sharing!
I have not long finished reading “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. He has a lot to say on the emotions of sex and love. All very positive, although not Christian he also explains faith far better than any Christian ministry I have heard.
We have also found pain management and magnesium supplements to be a huge necessity for continued libido……Car sex, love it.
Really? I wasn’t familiar with this book, but when I looked it up, it seemed like a financial/business book. Something like The Millionaire Next Door. Thanks for the magnesium supplements tip!
Fun stuff, J! I think my man and I may be going on a nice walk when he gets home.
J, thank you for acknowledging the importance of scientific research in general, even (or especially) to Christians. While Truth remains paramount and vetting the experimental design is important, I’ve been dismayed as a biologist at the dismissal by many of scientific conclusions reached because the implications violate preconceived assumptions or call for an altered perspective. (And I’m not talking about evolution.) This is likely not the case here but I post this because too often the Church gives the impression that Christianity requires leaving one’s brain at the door. But as you point out science is a vital tool in learning how we – and the world around us – are “fearfully and wonderfully made.”
Comments on each study:
#1: My wife and both feel more spiritually sensitive after we make love. Part my be the oxytocin, but part is surely that we understand now that so is a very spiritual, God-approved activity.
#2: After I had open heart surgery, my wife was reluctant to resume sex because she was worried about my heart. Apart from the strain on my rib cage, sex was way better, mainly because circulation was better EVERYWHERE! The first question I asked my surgeon at my first follow up visit was when we could resume sex, much to my wife’s embarrassment.
#3: Anything that will raise a man’s testosterone level is good, and I agree that the typical man’s day in an office, at a desk, with artificial light, can’t be doing his sex drive any good.
#4: Car sex, no way! I want the freedom of full body contact, with plenty of room to move. I think it’s the thrill f the forbidden that beckons many, and our married sex is not only not forbidden, it’s joyfully free.
#5: Aside from conjuring up images of rats looking like John Travolta in a white leisure suit, there are other things that may play into it. Were the rats wearing boxers or briefs? Were the researchers measuring how much the rats attracted the opposite sex or only actual sexual activity? I’m sure no rats got any sex without getting naked. Chalk one up for going commando!
The heart condition one is odd because a number of very large, very well done studies have found more sex means a lower death rate for guys – especially older guys. But those studies were done before the heavy use of Viagra et.al, so that could be a factor. It’s also been shown men are at a much higher risk of a heart attack with a woman other than their wife, so I’d be interested to see the marriage status of those survey and a breakdown by who the men were having sex with!
Thanks for the roundup!
Yeah, I just heard about another study about an Italian city with high rates of centenarians, and one of the reasons given for their longevity is lots of sex: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/09/06/how-italians-live-to-100-parsley-sage-rosemary-and-sex.html
I would like to live to 100. I think I will give this a try for the next 30 years!! 🙂
I agree. Even if more sex led to heart damage, it’s a risk I’d be willing to take.
J. Have you seen this clip from Steve Harvey’s Family Feud? This nails it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DQv2GxFHt4
That’s a hilarious clip!
Well, I’m glad to see the comments on the heart issue! My husband just turned 78 and we get pretty vigorous, so I actually worried a little when I read that! As to car sex, that’s a little joke between us, but it’s never going to happen, not without the chiropractor standing by – and that would be a buzz-kill.
Reading through your comments about car sex, I just keep thinking that y’all need to move to Texas and get a big truck. We can fit a full-size air mattress in the bed of ours! Lol. (And no, we don’t rent it out.)
Totally agree with you, J, regarding the lack of physical work and outdoors time for men. Luckily for me, we work outdoors in jobs with plenty of manual labour!
Re car sex, it’s our tradition to ‘christen’ (can I say that on a christian blog???) any car we own…
You can say that on my Christian blog. (It’s what my husband and I call it. Lol.)
The rat wearing pants one makes perfect sense to me. Basically wool, silk, cotton and linnen are all natural fibers and are very good at absorbing sweat and then getting rid of the dirt when washed. Polyester on the other hand is mand made for patrolium and whils it absorbs the sweat ti then dosn’t want to get rid of it so it holds the smell. Really it comes down the the diferance between man made and god made.
Nicely said.
Wow, really interesting about the light therapy one. I wonder if that helps both men and women? My husband and I were planning to get some kind of sun-lamp anyway, because it might help with both our emotional well-being during these cold winters we get in the Midwest. Maybe it’ll help with this, too? Not that we have problems in the sexual area, but I’ve been noticing my drive decreasing more than usual, and want it back where it was.
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Since reading this, I’ve told a number of guys about the study involving heart disease. While I’m suspicious I asked that even if it was true, would you still do it anyway?
Every guy out there so far seems to think it’s worth it.
Self included.
Hey, I have heart disease in my family, and I’d totally do it. I figure life isn’t just about quantity, but quality.
I really like that you performed an informal poll! And thanks for sharing. 🙂
Men, make sure you take care of your body. If you have cardiac issues, get it taken care of. You might die happy in your wife’s arms, but that would be really bad for her.
On the plus side, after I had heart bypass surgery, my wife was worried about sex. I said, “Don’t worry about it. My circulation is much better. Everywhere.”