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Sex for health? How sexual activity improves physical and mental health and beyond.

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Title: Sex for health? How sexual activity improves physical and mental health and beyond.
Authors: Kim, Kyung Hee (AUTHOR)
Source: Sexual & Relationship Therapy. Feb2026, Vol. 41 Issue 1, p3-45. 43p.
Subjects: Brain physiology, Mortality prevention, Cardiovascular disease prevention, Anxiety prevention, Prevention of mental depression, Oxytocin, Fertility, Health status indicators, Mental health, Human sexuality, Masturbation, Orgasm, Sexual excitement, Immune system, Sex customs, Quality of life, Sexual intercourse, Physical fitness, Psychological stress, Dopamine, Blood pressure, Sleep quality, Sexual health
Abstract: The purpose of this review was to synthesize research findings, including brain studies, on how sexual activity (e.g. intimate touch, solo, and partnered sex) improves physical and mental health. Besides sexual pleasure, health benefits can provide another motivation for sex. The review discussed sexual activity's health benefits along with how neurochemicals (e.g. dopamine and oxytocin) released during, before, and after sexual activity facilitate erotic motivation, sexual arousal, and orgasm, contributing to physical and mental health and beyond. This review found that all sexual activities have extensive physical and mental health benefits, particularly for mature adults. Sexual activities' physical health benefits include improving physical fitness, cardiovascular health, skin and hair health, immune system function, fertility, and sexual function while reducing blood pressure, cancer risk, pain, overall illness, and mortality. Their mental health benefits include reducing negative mood, stress, anxiety, and depression while improving sleep quality and brain function. This review concluded that (a) sexual quantity contributes to sexual quality, (b) sexual satisfaction contributes to relationship satisfaction, and (c) women's sexual health requires them to free themselves from the sociocultural sexual norms inhibiting their sexual expression and pleasure, called pleasure gaps. This review ended with urging men to end erotic inequality. Lay summary: I examined how having sex improves our physical and mental health. Understanding its health benefits can further motivate us to have sex, even with busy schedules. I discussed how sex helps with physical and mental health and how brain chemicals released during, before, and after sex helps with health and beyond. I found that all sexual activities are good for our health, especially for mature adults' health: Having sex is good for physical health, such as improving physical fitness, heart health, skin and hair health, immune system function, fertility, and sexual function while reducing blood pressure, cancer risk, pain, overall illness, and mortality. It is also good for mental health, such as reducing negative mood, stress, anxiety, and depression while improving sleep quality and brain function. I also found that (a) frequent sex helps with good sex, (b) frequent and good sex helps with happy relationships, and (c) women must abandon the traditional values that inhibit their sexual expression and pleasure. I urged men to end gender inequality in bed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Sexual & Relationship Therapy is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Sex for health? How sexual activity improves physical and mental health and beyond.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kim%2C+Kyung+Hee%22">Kim, Kyung Hee</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Sexual+%26+Relationship+Therapy%22">Sexual & Relationship Therapy</searchLink>. Feb2026, Vol. 41 Issue 1, p3-45. 43p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Brain+physiology%22">Brain physiology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mortality+prevention%22">Mortality prevention</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cardiovascular+disease+prevention%22">Cardiovascular disease prevention</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Anxiety+prevention%22">Anxiety prevention</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Prevention+of+mental+depression%22">Prevention of mental depression</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Oxytocin%22">Oxytocin</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fertility%22">Fertility</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Health+status+indicators%22">Health status indicators</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mental+health%22">Mental health</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Human+sexuality%22">Human sexuality</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Masturbation%22">Masturbation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Orgasm%22">Orgasm</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sexual+excitement%22">Sexual excitement</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Immune+system%22">Immune system</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sex+customs%22">Sex customs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Quality+of+life%22">Quality of life</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sexual+intercourse%22">Sexual intercourse</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Physical+fitness%22">Physical fitness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychological+stress%22">Psychological stress</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Dopamine%22">Dopamine</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Blood+pressure%22">Blood pressure</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sleep+quality%22">Sleep quality</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sexual+health%22">Sexual health</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: The purpose of this review was to synthesize research findings, including brain studies, on how sexual activity (e.g. intimate touch, solo, and partnered sex) improves physical and mental health. Besides sexual pleasure, health benefits can provide another motivation for sex. The review discussed sexual activity's health benefits along with how neurochemicals (e.g. dopamine and oxytocin) released during, before, and after sexual activity facilitate erotic motivation, sexual arousal, and orgasm, contributing to physical and mental health and beyond. This review found that all sexual activities have extensive physical and mental health benefits, particularly for mature adults. Sexual activities' physical health benefits include improving physical fitness, cardiovascular health, skin and hair health, immune system function, fertility, and sexual function while reducing blood pressure, cancer risk, pain, overall illness, and mortality. Their mental health benefits include reducing negative mood, stress, anxiety, and depression while improving sleep quality and brain function. This review concluded that (a) sexual quantity contributes to sexual quality, (b) sexual satisfaction contributes to relationship satisfaction, and (c) women's sexual health requires them to free themselves from the sociocultural sexual norms inhibiting their sexual expression and pleasure, called pleasure gaps. This review ended with urging men to end erotic inequality. Lay summary: I examined how having sex improves our physical and mental health. Understanding its health benefits can further motivate us to have sex, even with busy schedules. I discussed how sex helps with physical and mental health and how brain chemicals released during, before, and after sex helps with health and beyond. I found that all sexual activities are good for our health, especially for mature adults' health: Having sex is good for physical health, such as improving physical fitness, heart health, skin and hair health, immune system function, fertility, and sexual function while reducing blood pressure, cancer risk, pain, overall illness, and mortality. It is also good for mental health, such as reducing negative mood, stress, anxiety, and depression while improving sleep quality and brain function. I also found that (a) frequent sex helps with good sex, (b) frequent and good sex helps with happy relationships, and (c) women must abandon the traditional values that inhibit their sexual expression and pleasure. I urged men to end gender inequality in bed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Sexual & Relationship Therapy is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=192477495
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/14681994.2025.2491050
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 43
        StartPage: 3
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Brain physiology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Mortality prevention
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cardiovascular disease prevention
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Anxiety prevention
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Prevention of mental depression
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Oxytocin
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Fertility
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Health status indicators
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Mental health
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Human sexuality
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Masturbation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Orgasm
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sexual excitement
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Immune system
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sex customs
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Quality of life
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sexual intercourse
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Physical fitness
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Psychological stress
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Dopamine
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Blood pressure
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sleep quality
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sexual health
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Sex for health? How sexual activity improves physical and mental health and beyond.
        Type: main
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            NameFull: Kim, Kyung Hee
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              M: 02
              Text: Feb2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
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              Value: 14681994
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              Value: 41
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            – TitleFull: Sexual & Relationship Therapy
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