Image: FPG / Getty
Sex is good for you; we all know that. But a new study finds that getting it on on the regular can actually make you perform better at work.Keith Leavitt, an associate professor at Oregon State University's College of Business, surveyed 159 married employees over a two-week period about their work and sex lives. He found that those who prioritized an active sex life gave themselves an advantage at work the following day. They were not only more likely to work harder, but also to enjoy their job more.
Sex causes the release of oxytocin and dopamine. Oxytocin is a hormone associated with pleasurable social bonding and attachment. The result is a flesh-on-flesh high that improves mood and lowers stress as well as blood pressure. And dopamine is a neurotransmitter involved with our brains' reward centers. The combination of the two makes sex an all-natural, fairly quick mood-enhancer, Leavitt said in a press release about the study.
Even if it's just a ten minute boink sesh, sex's feel-good properties will likely linger for a full 24 hours. After taking common mood predictors—such as sleep quality and marital satisfaction—into account, the researchers found that sex had a strong positive impact on people's dispositions.
On the flip side, the same research showed that work stress carried over from the office to the home negatively impacted people's sex lives. Those that were sending and replying to work-related emails after hours would often sacrifice leisurely activities, sex included. Ironically, when people are so focused on the grind that they neglect the bump'n'grind, their overall investment in and enjoyment of their jobs decrease.
Europe seems to be more on the ball (heh) then we are. One Swedish politician, Per-Erik Muskos, is advocating for daily hour-long breaks on weekdays just for people to go home and have sex. He wants to improve employee performance and mood, as well as inspire people to procreate in his town, which has a declining population. Aside from the mildly Big Brother-esque encouragement to bone, the idea is amazing. The only thing left for him to do is light you a few candles and play some damn D'angelo.Like Muskos, Leavitt feels it's about time we take a new approach to sex and shift it up on our list of priorities. To him, the intentional maintenance of a healthy sex life should be seen as an "issue of human sustainability," and by extension a "potential career advantage." If getting some squish is the key to career success, consider us LinkedIn.