Sex seems to be more than a hormonal discharge and some short moments of pure pleasure. Scientists show that sex is extremely beneficial for our health, while the lack of an active sex life might have negative effects. But too much sex, can also be harmful: more than thrice a week it can weaken the immune system, making us vulnerable to infections...

1. Our mental and emotional health balance is clearly influenced by sex. Abstinence is known to cause from anxiety to paranoia and depression... In fact, in case of light depressions, after having sex the brain releases endorphins, that decrease stress, inducing a state of euphoria.

2. Sex can be a beauty treatment. While having sex, a woman's body doubles the estrogen level, and this makes her hair shine and the skin becomes softer.

3. A 10-year research carried on 1,000 middle-aged men at Queens University in Belfast, Ireland, showed that sex on a regular basis increases the humans' lifespan. For the same age and health, those who had orgasms more frequently had half the death rate of men who did not have such frequent orgasms. This could be due to the plummeting stress hormones, reaction that installs after we have sex.

3. Sweating while having sex cleanse the skin pores, making the skin brighter and decreasing the risk of developing dermatitis.

4. Sex can make us lose weight. You burn all that fat and carbohydrates from the romantic dinner. Quickies of 20 minutes weekly mean 7 500 calories annually, that's as much as you consume on 120 km (745 mi) of jogging. A sex session can burn about 200 calories. This is like running 15 minutes on a treadmill!

5. Sex strengthen our muscles. You can imagine the effort made by your muscles through those pushes and flexions. It depends on your stunts in bed, of course. And it's clearly a lot more fun than running for miles.

6. The more active your sex life is, the more attractive for the opposite sex you are. High sexual activity makes the body release more pheromones, chemicals that attract the opposite sex.

7. Sex sharpens our senses, at least the smell. Following the orgasm, a rise of the hormone prolactin makes the brain's stem cells form new neurons in the olfactory bulb, boosting a person's olfactory abilities.

8. Sex is also a pain reliever, ten times more effective than typical painkillers: immediately before orgasm, levels of the hormone oxytocin rise by five times, determining a huge release of endorphins. These chemicals calm pain, from a minor headache to arthritis or migraines, and with no secondary effects. Migraines also disappear because the pressure in the brain's blood vessels is lowered while we have sex. So now we see that actually, a woman's headache is rather a good reason for having sex, not against it.

9. Kissing your partner daily means less visits to dentist. Kissing stimulates salivation, which cleanses food left between the teeth and lowers the acidity in the mouth, the main cause of the tooth decay.

10. A good sex session can be a good remedy against stiff nose, being a natural antihistaminic that helps combating asthma and high fever.

11. Having sex regularly drops the cholesterol level, balancing the ratio good cholesterol: bad cholesterol.

12. The hormones released while we have sex helps both men and women; estrogen protects a woman's heart but on the long term, it can be efficient also against Alzheimer's disease and osteoporosis while testosterone strengthens the bones and muscles.

13. Sex is not beneficial not only for the heart, but also for the blood circulation, especially in the brain, because of the increased heart rate and deep breathing.

14. The sexual activity lowers the risk of getting colds and the flu. 1-2 intercourses weekly means 30 % higher levels of the antibody immunoglobulin A, that spurs the immune system.

15. Sex leads to a better control of the bladder, by strengthening the pelvis muscles controlling the flow of urine.

16. After orgasm, especially in the evening, we become sleepy. This is the effect of some good sex: it increases sleep quality. Following an orgasm, the body of both males or females becomes completely relaxed, so they may have a good deep sleep.

17. Sex fights cancer! Various researches have shown that a high ejaculation frequency and sexual activity are linked to a lower risk of prostate cancer later in life. A study found out that men who ejaculated 13 to 20 times monthly presented a 14% lower risk of prostate cancer than men who ejaculated on average, between 4 and 7 times monthly for most of their adult life. Those ejaculating over 21 times a month presented a 33% decreased risk of developing prostate cancer than the baseline group.