How Sex Affects Intelligence, And Vice Versa

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8/18/2019 How Sex Affects Intelligence, And Vice Versa http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/how-sex-affects-intelligence-and-vice-versa 1/2 How Sex Afects Intelligence, and Vice Versa http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/01/how-sex-afects-intelligence- and-vice-versa/282889/ New research sas sex!al activit can grow "rain cells. #eeping them ma "e another matter. $orget mind%!lness meditation& comp!teri'ed wor(ing-memor training& and learning a m!sical instr!ment) all methods recentl shown " scientists to increase intelligence. *here co!ld "e an easier answer. +t t!rns o!t that sex might act!all ma(e o! smarter. ,esearchers in arland and o!th #orea recentl %o!nd that sex!al activit in mice and rats improves mental per%ormance and increases ne!rogenesis the prod!ction o% new ne!rons in the hippocamp!s& where long-term memories are %ormed. +n pril& a team %rom the niversit o% arland reported that middle-aged rats permitted to engage in sex showed signs o% improved cognitive %!nction and hippocampal %!nction. +n Novem"er& a gro!p %rom #on(!( niversit in eo!l concl!ded that sex!al activit co!nteracts the memor-ro""ing efects o% chronic stress in mice. 3ex!al interaction co!ld "e help%!l& the wrote& 3%or "!fering ad!lt hippocampal ne!rogenesis and recognition memor %!nction against the s!ppressive actions o% chronic stress. 5ven "rie% viewing o% pornographic images does inter%ere with people6s 7wor(ing memor.7 o growing "rain cells thro!gh sex does appear to have some "asis in scientic %act. !t theres some de"ate over whether %a(e sex;pornograph;co!ld "e harm%!l. Ne!roscientists %rom the niversit o%  *exas recentl arg!ed that excessive porn viewing& li(e other addictions& can res!lt in permanent 3anatomical and pathological changes to the "rain. *hat view& however& was <!ic(l challenged in a re"!ttal %rom researchers at the niversit o% =ali%ornia& >os ngeles& who said that the *exans 7ofered little& i% an& convincing evidence to s!pport their perspectives. +nstead& excessive li"erties and misleading interpretations o% ne!roscience research are !sed to assert that excessive pornograph cons!mption ca!ses "rain damage.7 ?hether or not porn 7addiction7 literall damages the "rain& even "rie% viewing o% pornographic images does inter%ere with peoples 3wor(ing memor;the a"ilit to mentall @!ggle and pa attention to m!ltiple items. st!d p!"lished last Acto"er in the Journal of Sex Research tested the wor(ing memor o% 28 health individ!als when the were as(ed to (eep trac( o% ne!tral& negative& positive& or pornographic stim!li. 3,es!lts revealed worse wor(ing memor per%ormance in the pornographic pict!re condition& concl!ded atthias rand& head o% the cognitive pscholog department at the niversit o% B!is"!rg-5ssen& Cerman. +% having sex can ma(e people smarter& the converse is not tr!e: "eing smarter does not mean o!6ll have more sex. Ane mth a"o!t sex;or perhaps its @!st a @o(eD;is that 3testosterone poisoning ma(es o!ng men st!pid. ct!all& a 200E st!d in the @o!rnal Ne!ropschologia meas!red the level o% testosterone in the saliva o% prep!"ertal "os& incl!ding some who were intellect!all gi%ted& with an +F a"ove 1G0& some who were average& and some who were mentall challenged& with an +F less than E0. *he concl!ded that 3"os o% average intelligence had signicantl higher testosterone levels than "oth mentall challenged and intellect!all gi%ted "os& with the latter two gro!ps showing no signicant diference "etween each other. !t i% having sex can ma(e people smarter& the converse is not tr!e: "eing smarter does not mean o!ll have more sex. marter teens& in %act& tend to dela their initiation o% coital activities. 2012 st!d " researchers at the niversit o% Hennslvania %o!nd that high wor(ing memor decreases the li(elihood o% earl adolescent sex!al de"!t. ome researchers have attri"!ted the dela to greater overall 3competence among smarter teens. !t a 2010 st!d %o!nd that adolescents at "oth the !pper and lower ends o% the intelligence distri"!tion were less li(el to have sex. ost recentl& a st!d o% IGJ same-sex twin pairsconcl!ded that intelligence ma "e a red herring: the association is reall "etween school achievement& not +F per se& and age at rst sex!al experience. +n old age& too& cognitive a"ilities afect ones chances o% getting l!c(. st!dp!"lished @!st last month %o!nd that older ad!lts with mild cognitive impairment =+& o%ten a %orer!nner o% l'heimers disease& were onl a"o!t hal% as li(el to have engaged recentl in sex!al activit as were their cognitivel health peers. A% those with =+& @!st G2.I percent had recentl engaged in sex& compared to J2.G percent o% those witho!t =+. Herhaps& however& the dream o% getting smarter thro!gh sex is @!st an all!ring %antas. *race K. hors& a pschologist at the =enter %or =olla"orative Ne!roscience at ,!tgers niversit& has reported that while man activities can increase the rate at which new "rain cells are "orn& onl efort%!l& s!ccess%!l learning increases their s!rvival. s she said at a meeting on 3=ognitive 5nhancers at the ociet %or Ne!roscience in 2012: 3Lo! can ma(e new cells with exercise& Hro'ac

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8/18/2019 How Sex Affects Intelligence, And Vice Versa

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/how-sex-affects-intelligence-and-vice-versa 1/2

How Sex Afects Intelligence, and Vice Versa http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/01/how-sex-afects-intelligence-

and-vice-versa/282889/

New research sas sex!al activit can grow "rain cells. #eeping them ma "e another matter.

$orget mind%!lness meditation& comp!teri'ed wor(ing-memor training& and learning a m!sicalinstr!ment) all methods recentl shown " scientists to increase intelligence. *here co!ld "e aneasier answer. +t t!rns o!t that sex might act!all ma(e o! smarter.,esearchers in arland and o!th #orea recentl %o!nd that sex!al activit in mice and ratsimproves mental per%ormance and increases ne!rogenesis the prod!ction o% new ne!rons in thehippocamp!s& where long-term memories are %ormed.

+n pril& a team %rom the niversit o% arland reported that middle-aged rats permitted to engagein sex showed signs o% improved cognitive %!nction and hippocampal %!nction. +n Novem"er& a gro!p%rom #on(!( niversit in eo!l concl!ded that sex!al activit co!nteracts the memor-ro""ingefects o% chronic stress in mice. 3ex!al interaction co!ld "e help%!l& the wrote& 3%or "!fering ad!lthippocampal ne!rogenesis and recognition memor %!nction against the s!ppressive actions o%chronic stress.5ven "rie% viewing o% pornographic images does inter%ere with people6s 7wor(ing memor.7o growing "rain cells thro!gh sex does appear to have some "asis in scientic %act. !t theres somede"ate over whether %a(e sex;pornograph;co!ld "e harm%!l. Ne!roscientists %rom the niversit o%

 *exas recentl arg!ed that excessive porn viewing& li(e other addictions& can res!lt in permanent3anatomical and pathological changes to the "rain. *hat view& however& was <!ic(l challenged ina re"!ttal %rom researchers at the niversit o% =ali%ornia& >os ngeles& who said that the *exans7ofered little& i% an& convincing evidence to s!pport their perspectives. +nstead& excessive li"ertiesand misleading interpretations o% ne!roscience research are !sed to assert that excessivepornograph cons!mption ca!ses "rain damage.7?hether or not porn 7addiction7 literall damages the "rain& even "rie% viewing o% pornographicimages does inter%ere with peoples 3wor(ing memor;the a"ilit to mentall @!ggle and paattention to m!ltiple items. st!d p!"lished last Acto"er in the Journal of Sex Research tested thewor(ing memor o% 28 health individ!als when the were as(ed to (eep trac( o% ne!tral& negative&positive& or pornographic stim!li. 3,es!lts revealed worse wor(ing memor per%ormance in thepornographic pict!re condition& concl!ded atthias rand& head o% the cognitive pschologdepartment at the niversit o% B!is"!rg-5ssen& Cerman.+% having sex can ma(e people smarter& the converse is not tr!e: "eing smarter does not mean o!6llhave more sex.Ane mth a"o!t sex;or perhaps its @!st a @o(eD;is that 3testosterone poisoning ma(es o!ng men

st!pid. ct!all& a 200E st!d in the @o!rnal Ne!ropschologia meas!red the level o% testosterone inthe saliva o% prep!"ertal "os& incl!ding some who were intellect!all gi%ted& with an +F a"ove 1G0&some who were average& and some who were mentall challenged& with an +F less than E0. *heconcl!ded that 3"os o% average intelligence had signicantl higher testosterone levels than "othmentall challenged and intellect!all gi%ted "os& with the latter two gro!ps showing no signicantdiference "etween each other.!t i% having sex can ma(e people smarter& the converse is not tr!e: "eing smarter does not meano!ll have more sex. marter teens& in %act& tend to dela their initiation o% coital activities. 2012 st!d " researchers at the niversit o% Hennslvania %o!nd that high wor(ing memordecreases the li(elihood o% earl adolescent sex!al de"!t. ome researchers have attri"!ted thedela to greater overall 3competence among smarter teens. !t a 2010 st!d %o!nd thatadolescents at "oth the !pper and lower ends o% the intelligence distri"!tion were less li(el to havesex. ost recentl& a st!d o% IGJ same-sex twin pairsconcl!ded that intelligence ma "e a redherring: the association is reall "etween school achievement& not +F per se& and age at rst sex!alexperience.+n old age& too& cognitive a"ilities afect ones chances o% getting l!c(. st!dp!"lished @!st lastmonth %o!nd that older ad!lts with mild cognitive impairment =+& o%ten a %orer!nner o% l'heimersdisease& were onl a"o!t hal% as li(el to have engaged recentl in sex!al activit as were theircognitivel health peers. A% those with =+& @!st G2.I percent had recentl engaged in sex&compared to J2.G percent o% those witho!t =+.Herhaps& however& the dream o% getting smarter thro!gh sex is @!st an all!ring %antas. *race K.hors& a pschologist at the =enter %or =olla"orative Ne!roscience at ,!tgers niversit&has reported that while man activities can increase the rate at which new "rain cells are "orn& onlefort%!l& s!ccess%!l learning increases their s!rvival. s she said at a meeting on 3=ognitive5nhancers at the ociet %or Ne!roscience in 2012: 3Lo! can ma(e new cells with exercise& Hro'ac

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and sex. +% o! do mental training& o!ll (eep alive more cells that o! prod!ced. nd i% o! do "oth&now o! have the "est o% "oth worlds;o!re ma(ing more cells and (eeping more alive.