 Sex can bring up a lot of emotions. We usually think of the good ones, the physical sensations and the positive feelings that come from having sex. There are also a lot of psychological and emotional benefits that come from sex. Sex can boost serotonin levels, which can make one feel relaxed from feeling stressed or anxious, and it can improve one's mood. According to a 2003 study, sex may also have an effect on how we process and discuss our emotions. How? Well, in this video we'll be discussing how, along with more of the ways sex may help our mental health. Here's how sex can benefit our mental health. Number one, anxiety and depression. A 2021 study from the Journal of Sexual Medicine showed that those who were able to maintain a sexual relationship with their partner during the COVID-19 lockdown experienced less anxiety and depression than those who were unable to have sex during lockdowns. The study also suggested that regular sexual activity could reduce some of the negative symptoms associated with anxiety and depression for a while. The benefits there, but sometimes it can be difficult to enjoy sex when you have anxiety, for example. There's arousal non-concordance for one. This is when the mind does not match up with what the body is feeling. Your body may be aroused, but your mind is just not feeling it today or the other way around. This often happens to males and females with anxiety. Self-consciousness can also play a role along with anxiety when it comes to sex. And according to a 2018 study published in the Journal of Women's Health, low sexual desire is strongly linked to depression. Lack of subjective arousal and pleasure are linked to trait anxiety. The sensations of physical sexual arousal may lead to fear rather than to pleasure. So basically, sex has different benefits or drawbacks depending on your relationship with sex and how you feel having it. To hear more psychological facts about sex and mental health, check out our video five psychological facts about sex and mental health. Links in the description box. Number two, sex and stress. While stress can sometimes help motivate us to accomplish things, it can also be harmful physically and mentally. Luckily, sex may help with stress as well. Hormones like oxytocin, sometimes known as the love hormone, are released in your body during sex. These hormones coming to life during sex can help in both feeling connected to your partner and relaxation, which can both be beneficial for anxiety and depression overall. In addition, a 2009 study from the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that both men and women were more satisfied with their mental health if they were engaging in sex regularly. Number three, quality of your relationship. Remember when I talked about that love hormone, oxytocin? Well, while it can help you relax, another benefit of that oxytocin release is that it also increases feelings of intimacy with your partner. Sex, especially orgasm, can help us feel more trust, passion and love for our partners. And all of these positive feelings help improve the overall quality of our relationship if we are happier in our relationships and feel very connected to our partners, it can also be helpful to our emotional relationship with them. And number four, processing and discussing emotions. There also may be a link between frequent sex and one's ability to process and manage their emotions, especially in women. A 2003 study from the Archives of Sexual Behavior found that when having less sex, women were more likely to have trouble processing and expressing their emotions. So having more regular sex might mean a greater ability to connect and work with your emotions. Did you know that sex could have benefits beyond just physical? It won't solve all your issues, but it certainly can help with some things. Managing our mental health isn't always an easy thing. Depending upon what we're going through and how we handle it, it can lead to a lot of different stresses and complications in our lives, while sex certainly isn't the solution to managing our mental health. It may be something additional that can help relieve a bit of stress we feel from the day. Thanks so much for watching. If you liked this video, let us know with a like and comment down below. If you want more videos like this, hit the subscribe button and notification bell icon to get updated on when we post our next psychology video. We'll see you next time.