Much to the horror of puritanical rodents, researchers found that when rats become chronic sex fiends, they develop more powerful brains.
Negative stress is like kryptonite to neuron growth, and it weakens the precious hippocampus, so researchers wanted to see if “rewarding” stressors like sex could also make a difference.
So, they put male rats through a sex marathon for two weeks straight and then poked around their hippocampus to measure neuron growth, brain cell proliferation, and dendrite complexity. After that, the rats were tested on their novelty suppressed feeding and elevated plus maze skills, and they found improvements every which way.
These findings suggest that sex and other rewarding experiences, reduce anxiety, protect the mind, and improve the brain.
Have lots of sex, and maybe your brain will be e=mc squaring it all over the place.
Or, maybe not. But I doubt you’d regret giving it a go.Â
Do it for science.
Â
Dive Deeper
Leuner B, Glasper ER, Gould E (2010) Sexual Experience Promotes Adult Neurogenesis in the Hippocampus Despite an Initial Elevation in Stress Hormones.PLoS ONE 5(7): e11597. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0011597
2-3X Your
Learning Speed
NeuroTip: Creative Writing Improves the Health of Your Mind
“Life is sometimes hard. Things go wrong, in life and in love, and in business, and in friendship, and in
The Universe in a Glass of Wine – Richard Feynman Remixed
A poet once said, “The whole universe is in a glass of wine.” We will probably never know in what
How to Enhance Your Memory with Simple Learning Hacks
Admission: I’m often forgetful. In fact, I’ve forgotten more things than I can remember. But, don’t get too smug.
A Surprising Shortcut for Achieving Flow States
A fascinating discussion with Steven Kotler, Executive Director at the Flow Research Collective, and Jason Silva was released by Shots
