Better Sex Life = Better Work Life

Note to employers: your best workers have the best sex lives. That’s the suggestion of research conducted at the University of Washington and the University of Oregon, where business school professors followed 159 married employees over the course of two weeks, asking them to complete two brief surveys each day. A University of Oregon news release reports that the researchers found that people who had sex reported more positive moods the next day, and the elevated mood levels in the morning led to more sustained work engagement and job satisfaction throughout the workday. Want more good news? The good mood lasts for at least 24 hours, and it works equally for both men and women. It even seems to override such major mood influencers as marital issues and sleep quality. How does it work, exactly?  The researchers remind us that sexual intercourse triggers the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with the reward centers in the brain, as well as oxytocin, a neuropeptide associated with social bonding and attachment. Sex, they say, is a natural, automatic and lasting mood elevator.