Having Sex Could Help Physical Injuries Heal Faster – But There's A Catch

Being intimate with your partner might help physical wounds heal faster, according to the results of a new study. And if you’re not in the mood for sex, then you might be able to achieve a similar effect simply by exchanging compliments with your other half.

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Previous research has highlighted a link between being in a loving relationship and improved physical health, with reduced all-cause mortality rates observed among people with a life partner. The mechanisms behind these benefits are not fully clear, but it has been suggested that affectionate interactions may somehow boost immune function, resulting in increased longevity.

To investigate further, the study authors sought to determine how oxytocin affects the body’s ability to heal. Often referred to as the “love hormone”, oxytocin is released during moments of romantic bliss and parent-infant interactions such as breastfeeding, and plays a key role in mediating social bonding.

The researchers applied small blister wounds to the forearms of both members of 80 heterosexual couples, who were then split into four groups. One group was given an oxytocin nasal spray, to be taken twice a day for a week, and also conducted a Partner Appreciation Task (PAT) – which basically involved saying lovely things about one another – up to three times during the week.

A second group underwent the PAT but received a placebo instead of oxytocin, while another took oxytocin but skipped the PAT, and the final group had the placebo and didn’t take part in the task.

At the end of the week, the study authors noted that oxytocin alone appears to have no effect on the speed of wound healing, although the combination of oxytocin and PAT did cause the blisters to recover faster. However, this phenomenon was enhanced in couples who received oxytocin and also reported having sex during the study period.

“Higher daily sexual activity in the oxytocin group predicted greater wound healing,” write the researchers. Further analyses revealed that those who had more sex also had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their saliva, suggesting that the combination of oxytocin and reduced stress as a result of physical intimacy may be the winning formula when it comes to injury recovery.

Yet participants didn’t have to go all the way to fourth base in order to receive these benefits, as “daily affectionate touch” was also linked to faster wound healing – providing oxytocin was also administered. Such a discovery helps to refine our understanding of the role of oxytocin in immune function, indicating that the hormone itself is incapable of boosting health, but may somehow potentiate the healing properties of canoodling.

“These findings suggest that oxytocin amplifies the benefits of intimacy rather than exerting direct effects,” write the authors.

The study is published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.