Sex makes you Smarter, and Smarts make you Sexy

What's the biggest sex organ in the human body? Simple - your brain! 

We've talked about it before in This is Your Brain on Sex but just to remind you, orgasms activate 30 major areas within the brain and some women are even able to bring themselves to orgasm using their thoughts alone. 

So what does science know about the correlation of sex and intelligence? Do smart people have more sex or even better sex? And why is science telling us that sex makes us smarter? Let's probe your brain and find out what turns you on.

Sex might actually make you smarter

It turns out orgasms are better for your brain than Sudoku - research has confirmed that sex boosts your brain power. Psychologists from the University of Maryland found that the brain cells of the mice in their study multiplied when they had sex. This is because regular sex flushes the brain cells with fresh oxygen and this, theoretically, leads to a boost in brain power. But you need to do mental training to keep the cells you've produced alive.  Tracey J. Shors, a psychologist at Rutgers University says “You can make new cells with exercise, Prozac and sex. If you do mental training, you’ll keep alive more cells that you produced. And if you do both, now you have the best of both worlds - you’re making more cells and keeping more alive.”

And Dutch researchers have concluded that your overall satisfaction with your sex life may determine the level of your intelligence in your 60s and 70s. A study of over 2000 people over 60 found those who scored the highest were the same people who rated their sexual satisfaction and the value they placed on it highly.

Being smarter doesn't mean you'll have more sex

But if having sex can make you smarter, the reverse is not true: being smarter does not mean you’ll have more sex!

A 2007 study in the journal Neuropsychologia measured the level of testosterone in prepubertal boys and concluded that “boys of average intelligence had significantly higher testosterone levels than intellectually gifted boys". In fact smart teens tend to hits the books more than the sack and delay their first sexual experience.  

A survey by the UK sex toy retailer Love Honey found that students studying at prestigious universities such as Oxford and Cambridge spend more on sex toys than their peers at other universities. Their assumption was that this meant a high IQ equated to a higher sex drive. However Love Honey's logic isn't exactly rocket science as students at elite universities are just more likely to have disposable income for such items. 

So smarties might be less promiscuous but more adventurous. The basic premise is that intelligent people are more open-minded and have a desire to expand their mind or a biological urge to push boundaries and experiment.  

Which is perhaps why you tend to find so many professionals and educated smarties in the swinging lifestyle and BDSM Community. In fact there is a long history of famous smarties with fetishes. 

Intelligence is sexy

Guys, your brain might be the most attractive body party so drop the dumbbells and hit the books if you want to attract a smart, sexy woman. Mark Prokosch, an assistant professor at Elon University, published findings in a report entitled Evolution and Human Behavior that intelligence is important when it comes to attracting women. Prokosch is quoted as saying "We know that physical attractiveness is still the best predictor of appeal, but I wanted to understand if once you get past this hurdle of physical attractiveness, does intelligence help?" The study used audio visuals of the men and found that women associated positive attributes to intelligent men and preferred them for both long term relationships and short term flings. 

Psychologists have also found that men with the highest IQ also have the healthiest sperm which could explain why some of the world’s most intelligent men have so many female admirers. Professor Geoffrey Miller of the University of New Mexico tested 400 men for their overall intelligence. The men who scored highest on the cognitive tests also had the healthiest sperm. Miller believes that sperm quality is directly related to brain quality and is a genetic trait passed down through generations. 

And that brings us to the emerging dating trend "sapiosexual seeking same".  The labels "sapiosexual" or “nymphobrainiacs" are used to describe individuals who find it arousing to engage with the intellectual side of another person. The truth is, intelligence is sexy and science has proven it. 

In summary. Have more sex = grow more brain cells. More brain cells = higher quality sperm. Use brain cells to attract women = more sex. Seems like a no-brainer to us.