WE all know a quick romp can do wonders for our mood.
Now, scientists say could help stave off , especially between the ages of 20 and 30.
A study from Shantou University Medical College showed that having sex just once a week could boost mental .
Experts analysed the questionnaire responses of 15,000 US adults, which covered how often they had sex and whether they suffered from .
They found that people who got freaky at least once a week had “significantly” lower odds of depression, compared to those who had sex less than once a month.
Researchers said weekly intimacy could reduce the risk of developing depressive symptoms by 24 per cent.
The greatest benefits were observed in younger adults between the aged of 20 and 30.
Researchers said the mood-boosting benefits of sex might have something to do with the heady cocktail of “feel good” hormones – such oxytocin, dopamine, and endorphins – that course through the body during sex.
Previous research also shows that .
“Regardless of sexual orientation, sexual activity offers benefits such as enhanced well-being and quality of life, significantly impacting ,” co-author Professor Mutong Chen wrote in The Journal of Affective Disorders.
Researchers suggested their findings may pave the way for alternative ways of treating depression.
“Despite advancements in medical treatments, the primary approaches to managing depression remain pharmacological and psycho-therapeutic interventions, with drug therapies being the most commonly applied in clinical practice,” Prof Mutong noted.
“However, only 50 per cent of patients experience significant improvement in depressive symptoms through medication, often accompanied by side effects, highlighting the pressing need to explore alternative or complementary treatment strategies.
“Identifying low-cost, modifiable risk factors is therefore crucial, with behavioural patterns offering promising opportunities for the prevention and management of depression.”
The study team analysed the survey responses of 14,741 US adults aged 20 to 59, of whom 1,288 had depression.
Participants' mental health was assessed through a survey commonly used to diagnose depression, called the Patient Health Questionnaire-9.
Researchers found that increasing sexual frequency had a positive effect on psychological well-being.
“Our findings suggest that a sexual frequency of one to two times per week may provide the greatest protective effects on psychological well-being within this age group [adults aged 20–59],” researchers said.
But they noted that protection against depressionseemed to peak at around 103 romps per year – this amounts to having sex about twice a week.
“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first observational study to quantify the association between sexual frequency and depression in young and middle-aged, community-dwelling adults in the ,” Prof Mutong said.
Researchers acknowledged that their study had several limitations.
For one, the study design limited their ability “to exclude reverse causality” – meaning it wasn't clear if people suffering from depression were just less motivated to have sex, instead of sex having mood-boosting properties.
Depression – which affects about one in six people in England– can result in loss of sex drive, as well as low mood, lack of motivation and feelings of emptiness, hopelessness or despair.
Researchers said more long-term research was needed to confirm their findings.
“Secondly, the self-reported sexual frequency data may be subject to recall bias, which could be mitigated by employing repeated surveys to improve accuracy,” they added.
It comes after scientists from Qingdao University suggested that , as the activity gets the heart pumping, improves circulation, and helps reduce stress – all of which are great for the old ticker.
Another study from Walden University in Pennsylvania found that women aged 20 to 59 who , compared to those who had sex more than once a week.
