According to research, semen could be a woman’s new favorite antidepressant. It appears that semen contains high doses of chemicals that can boost the partner’s mood, happiness, and even improve the quality of sleep. Which inevitably brings us to the next question.
How could the benefits of semen possibly outweigh the risks involved with having unprotected sex?
Critics have pointed this out to be an obvious flaw in the study since having a whole lot of children isn’t going to do a woman’s mood or sleep any good in the long run. Not to mention the dangers of contracting sexually transmitted diseases.
On the other hand, researchers suggest that if you’re a woman in a long term, monogamous relationship and are on birth control (or not, if you’re trying to conceive), ditching the condom could have an uplifting impact on your mood. Unfortunately, the study didn’t involve looking into same sex relationships.
Details Of The Study
In the year 2002, a team of psychologists at the State University of New York at Albany decided to look into the potential role of semen in curing depression in women.1
In order to identify the possible connection between unprotected sex and a person’s overall happiness, 293 women were brought in to SUNY Albany’s campus. They were asked to complete the Beck Depression Inventory, a standard clinical test which helps determine depressive symptoms in a person.
What Did The Study Conclude?
The results declared that sexually active women who indulged in intercourse without a condom not only demonstrated significantly fewer depressive symptoms but also slept much better than those who always or usually used condoms. The results also pointed out that women in the study who described themselves to be “promiscuous” and used condoms during intercourse regularly showed just as many depressive symptoms as those women who were practicing sexual abstinence.
The psychologists suggested that it was the semen, not just the sex, that was responsible for boosting the happiness levels of the women who were having intercourse without a condom.
What Exactly Does Semen Have To Do With Mood?
Semen is a complex concoction of various compounds and the sperm makes up only a small percentage of it. If you remove the sperm, you will be left with the seminal plasma, a fluid that contains a large number of “mood-altering chemicals”. Some of these can pass through the vagina and are detected in the bloodstream almost immediately after intercourse.
There are six main compounds of interest in seminal plasma, and these are cortisol, estrogen, prostaglandins, oxytocin melatonin, and serotonin. Estrogen, oxytocin, and prostaglandins have been linked to inducing lower levels of depression, while cortisol, a hormone released by women during orgasm, birth, and breastfeeding, has been shown to trigger feelings of affection and hence, promotes social bonding. Melatonin is a sleep-inducing hormone while serotonin is regarded by science as the best known antidepressant neurotransmitter.
Needless to say, the combination of all these compounds in semen would definitely have a positive impact on a person’s mood, and it is perhaps this after-effect that keeps women coming back for more.
Therefore, it has been concluded that it is not just sex that makes women happier but that their happiness levels could be related to the quantity of semen going into their bodies during the time of intercourse.
Another prevalent theory is that a woman’s body has the ability to detect and identify semen from long-term or recurrent partners. From an evolutionary point of view, there’s a huge advantage to a mate’s sperm inducing chemical feelings of closeness and affection.
Note: Please approach this topic with caution, for not everyone can afford to have unprotected sex. Just because semen may exhibit certain anti-depressant properties, it doesn’t mean one should indulge in sex with no form of protection. If you’re unhappy or depressed about something – the immediate solution is not to toss aside those condoms and proceed to have intercourse. If you develop an unwanted pregnancy or contract a sexually transmitted disease, it could actually make your current depression seem like a cakewalk.
Sex, least of all, the unprotected kind, should not be used as a weapon against depression, but to get to know your partner better. If you’re suffering from depression, we suggest you consult with a close family member or talk to a therapist to help you.
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