 Hey, Psych2Goers, how much do you know about sex? Whether you know a lot or not much, there are quite a lot of interesting things sex can do to our minds and bodies that you might not know. What are these things you may ask? Well, here are six things sex does to your mind and body. Number one, sex may help increase your cognitive capacity. According to a study published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, simply thinking about a sexual encounter may enhance analytical thinking. The study states that it suggests that when in love, people typically focus on a long-term perspective, which should enhance holistic thinking and thereby create thought, whereas when experiencing sexual encounters, they focus on the present and on concrete details, enhancing analytic thinking. Because people automatically activate these processing styles when in love or when they experience sex, subtle or even unconscious reminders of love versus sex should suffice to change processing modes. Another 2010 study published in the PLOS-1, using rats, found that sexually active rodents had more neurons in the part of their brain called the hippocampus when compared to virgin rats. This part of the brain has an important role in memory and learning. Researchers noticed that when sexual activity later stopped among rodents, they lost those advancements in brain power. Number two, sex may boost self-esteem. Everyone's different, but according to psychologists, sex may aid in boosting your self-esteem. Psychologist Ryan Anderson explained in Psychology Today that lack of sex can lead to feelings of angst, self-doubt, and inadequacy. And there is strong evidence that feelings of self-worth and identity are strongly associated with sex. He goes on, explaining that social pressure may come into play with this. He also notes that often sex therapists and marriage counselors agree that couples that engage in regular sex with each other have far greater self-esteem than those who don't. Everyone's scenario is different. For some sex isn't a priority and might not affect their self-esteem as much as others. But for others, sex can't help but make you feel good both in mind and body in more ways than one. Number three, frequent sex may help heart health. According to a study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, frequent sex may decrease a male's risk for fatal heart attack. Results from the research study revealed that males who had sex two times or more a week had a lesser chance of a fatal heart attack than those who had sex not quite as much. The study noted additional findings on strokes and their connections to frequent sex, stating middle-aged men should be heartened to know that frequent sexual intercourse is not likely to result in a substantial increase in the risk of strokes and that some protection from fatal coronary events may be an added bonus. Number four, it can alter your pain perception. Sex can alter your pain perception? Yup, and it's all thanks to a part of our brain called the hypothalamus. According to some research, sex may alter your pain perception, making you feel less pain. The section of the brain called the hypothalamus releases the feel-good hormone oxytocin, also known as the love hormone, during orgasm or arousal. Researchers at Rutgers University found that this release of oxytocin may help women feel less pain. This can be especially true during menstruation. Another study published in the Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine found that extremely low doses of oxytocin reduce pain sensitivity in men, lowering one's pain threshold by 56.5%. Number five, sex can take work for long-term partners. There's a popular belief among many young people that sexual satisfaction can diminish with time and long-term relationships. But it actually just takes a bit of work. Recent research from the University of Toronto recognized that effort is required if you wanna have a great sex life with your long-term partner. So don't expect it to be wonderful every time if you don't put in some work every now and then. A healthy relationship with communication and effort can equal a healthy and happy sex life. And number six, sex before an important event may lower your level of stress. Looks like sex may just help your grades on your university final exams. A 2006 research study published in the journal Biological Psychology had subjects take part in stressful activities. These included giving a public speech or taking a difficult math quiz. Subjects who had sex before the test had lower blood pressure and lower levels of stress. This was then compared to those who had no sex, those who masturbated, and those who had sexual contact without intercourse. The study even claims that penile vaginal intercourse, PVI, but not other sexual behavior is associated with better psychological and physiological function. You may just have to thank not only yourself but your partner as well for that A plus on your math exam. So which of these were you most surprised to hear about? Let us know in the comments down below. We hope you enjoyed this video. And if you did, don't forget to click the like button and share it with a friend. Subscribe to Psych2Go and hit the notification bell icon for more content like this. And as always, thanks for watching. See you next time.