Orgasms are often the most satisfying feeling a person can have in a day. After all, there’s a reason why so many people masturbate to get themselves off, sending tons of emotions through their body, ultimately, leaving them with a big ol’ smile on their face.

But is this happiness genuine or something that we all make up because of that quick climax and release? As it turns out, studies show that it’s 100 percent genuine, even going as far as saying that the feeling after a person orgasms is the happiest they’ll be. That said, there’s a bit of a caveat with that, and it’s what happens after you and your partner both get off.

While we all know that people who have more sex tend to be happier — thanks to the positive benefits of a good romp session — one study says that it’s the post-sex cuddling that actually leads to such satisfaction, rather than the orgasm itself. That’s according to a sex study that was published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, which discovered that signs of affection and casual chatting led to long-term happiness.

Additionally, psychologists in both Canada and Switzerland dug deeper into this theory, seeing how the expressions in people after orgasms leads to happiness. Here’s what they discovered, per the New York Post.

They found that couples who have sex even just once a week were happier, reports the British Psychological Society. They surveyed 335 people who were in a relationship and asked them how often they had sex. They were also quizzed on how much affection, such as hugging and kissing, was shown in their relationship. And researchers asked them to rate their life satisfaction and how often they experienced joy and happiness. The researchers said: “When engaging in sex, people not only seek an intimate connection, but indeed experience more affection, both when having sex and in the next several hours.”

So what does this really mean about how sex is impacting a person’s overall happiness? While people who engage in sexual activity more frequently tend to be happier, it’s the emotional connection afterwards — not necessarily during — that makes or breaks a sexual experience.

One researcher, Amy Muise, had this to say, per the aforementioned New York Post article.

“Although more frequent sex is associated with greater happiness, this link was no longer significant at a frequency of more than once a week. Our findings suggest that it’s important to maintain an intimate connection with your partner, but you don’t need to have sex every day as long as you’re maintaining that connection.”

This means that, while orgasms will always relieve some pressure that might be built up due to work stress or other issues, it’s the emotional connection that comes from conversations and, yes, cuddling after sex that will lead to the most happiness.

(H/T NY Post)