Sex For Health. Experts Debunk Popular Myths

Updated on February 16, 2022

Is a person’s sexuality more than the ability to perform intercourse and is sex necessary for health? 

The Brain And Puberty

“Sex” literally means “gender”. In our time, the meaning of this word has increasingly become  more reduced to meaning sexual intercourse. However, experts put a broader meaning into it, and we want to unfold their studies. The energy potential and hormonal levels associated with the central nervous system are laid down even before birth and sexual algorithms of behavior are formed in the process of socialization and puberty. According to modern data, biological puberty occurs at the ages of 11 and 12 in adolescents. This is facilitated by an abundance of animal protein and information, and the brain completes development at ages 20 – 21yo. Experts note, the problem lies with the fact that the adolescent “organs” work, but the mind has not caught up, yet, 

Sex And Happiness

In 2016, researchers from Hong Kong, Singapore, and the US published the results of the 1988-2002 United States Adult Polls conducted by the National Center for Public Opinion at the University of Chicago. In total, more than 55 thousand questionnaires were processed.

Scientists were interested in data on how many partners a person had over the past year as well as in the past five years. It turned out that 15.2 percent of men had not had sex for a year, and 8.7 percent for five years. For women – 26.3 and 17.4 percent, respectively. Similar data was obtained in other countries. 

The scientists then compared these results with the answers to questions about happiness. As it turned out, they do not correlate: those who have not had intimate relationships for a long time are happy no less than sexually active men and women. In popular psychology, it has always been the other way around – prolonged abstinence in a physically healthy adult indicates emotional distress. Perhaps the other dimensions in human intimacy have a much greater influence on the state of mind, factors such as self-sufficiency, self-confidence, self-acceptance, life goals and personal growth, are taking the lead, allowing sexual activity to fade into the background.

Experts urge not to confuse sexual inactivity with asexuality, which is understood as the absence of attraction. According to various estimates, in the UK, about one percent of adults have never experienced attraction to anyone. Among Finnish women, this figure is 3.3 percent.

Researchers from the University of British Columbia ( Canada ), who cite these figures, believe that some cases of asexuality do not fall under the definition of mental disorders and, perhaps, there is some kind of special sexual orientation. In the middle of the 20th century, the American scientist Alfred Kinsey created a separate category for people without attraction – X.

Romantic Relationships Without Stress

“The history of mankind testifies that no one has died from prolonged abstinence,” say specialists. Some may joke and say leave a man or woman in a room with a free sex cam, and all their stress and bottled up needs will be released.  But realistically speaking, the body is remarkable thing and will find ways to relieve sexual tension. In men, these are called wet dreams, involuntary ejaculation, and similarly for women, they may experience orgasmic manifestations during an erotic dream.

As for masturbation, which in past centuries was considered a sin and severely punished, now it is seen as a way of sexual release or exploration of one’s own body. Whether a person is engaged in it or not, depends on the sexual constitution, temperament, lack of contact with a partner. This, of course, is about healthy adults who are socialized, adapted, and professionally successful. If masturbation becomes painful, you need to contact a specialist.

To breakdown an orgasm, an orgasm is a result of biochemical signals communicating, triggering reactions in the brain, hormones of pleasure are synthesized and accumulated, information about this enters the brain along the pathways through the spinal cord, and there a firework of ecstasy flares up, happiness enters the mind and an orgasm occurs, and is typically followed by discharge, if male. 

Although the actual act of having an orgasm may feel like ecstasy, it is not proven that sex is necessary for health, however the attitude in society says that it is very important. Sometimes such belief can lead to real disappointment. Some may believe that if you do not have a life full of sex that resembles real live porn, your life is unhealthy and/ or lacking proper fulfillment or happiness. With mental thoughts like this, it can drive someone into depression and have self insecurities. We all should be skeptical about comparing health and ones sex life. The connection between sex and health is not clear-cut as commonly believed. Yes an orgasm may be filled with bliss and pleasure that fill your body, however experts explain that happiness is not rooted in a spasm that lasts 0.8 seconds. 

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