Your Sex Life At Home May Affect How Happy And Productive You Are At Work

Sex has the potential to benefit us in numerous ways. Among other things, research suggests that it may be good for our physical health (it is a form of exercise after all). In addition, sex relieves stress, it increases our sense of meaning in life, and it may even improve our memory. A new study published this year in the Journal of Management suggests yet another potential benefit: sexual activity just might make us better at our jobs—at least on days following sex.

In a recent column I wrote for TONIC, I described this study in detail, which involved more than 150 married adults who reported on their sexual activities, mood states, and degree of workplace engagement each day for a two-week period. What the researchers found was that on days people had sex at home, they experienced an increase in happiness at work the following day. In addition, they reported being more engaged with their work the day after sex.

At the same time, people’s work lives also seemed to have implications for their sex lives: on days people felt more stressed at work, they were less likely to have sex when they went home. In other words, our sex lives seem to affect our work lives and our work lives seem to affect our sex lives. This is why you need to stop bringing your work home with you.

So why does sex at home seem to make us happier at work? The results of this study don’t necessarily give us a definitive answer; however, I spoke to the study’s lead author, Dr. Keith Leavitt, who offered some interesting insights.

To learn what Leavitt thinks is going on here, check out the full article (available here), which also provides details on the limitations and implications of the study.

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