It's about the feeling of insecurity

Mar 24, 2008 18:06 GMT  ·  By

Looking for a hot babe? Then go directly to the sad girl at the party. The sexual tigress lurks inside her. A new research published in the British Medical Journal shows that women who experience from mild to moderate depressions have with up to 30% more sex than women with a more balanced psyche.

The study was made on 107 female subjects, depressed and non-depressed. Depressed women had more sex no matter if they were in a committed relationship, from kissing and affective displays to foreplay and intercourse.

"The results may indicate that the women use sex as a treatment for the depression. When people are depressed they feel more insecure about their relationships and concerned that their partner may not care about them or find them valuable. Having sex helps depressed women find the sense of closeness and security they seek," said co-author Dr. Sabura Allen, from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.

The team also found that depression was connected to more libertine sexual behavior and proneness to adventures; lonely women having depressions had a higher number of sexual partners and a higher rate of casual sex.

Sex and mood: other investigations

In fact, other researches show that people who are involuntarily celibate or abstinent often exhibit depressive feelings (like anger, frustration, self-doubt, and even proper depression). And what's more interesting, a 2007 research made at University of New York in Albany shows that semen exposure improves mood in women!

In another research made three years ago, women practicing sex without condoms were more likely to exhibit depressive signs once they experienced sexual halts than those who stopped an intense sexual active period but whose previous partners employed condoms. Anyway, protected or not, sex and orgasm do provoke a release of endorphins, the "happiness" brain hormone that brings mood up and numbs the pain.

Other researchers believe the touch from a spouse or other trusted lover can trigger hormonal boosts. People who touch and are receptive to touches are more likely to be happy and have fewer problems with depression and anxiety. Especially in a committed relationship or marriage, sex provides more opportunity for touching.