Not only do more frequent sexual encounters make life more satisfactory, researchers say, but in some cases, if the frequency of sex is dramatically increased, it can bring about a sense of well-being that is equivalent to getting a $50,000 raise at work.
Titled, "Money, Sex and Happiness: An Empirical Study," the study's intention was to discover how sex measured up to other important and essential aspects of life that promote good feelings.
One of the researchers who initiated the study has stated that while the effects of sex on a person's sense of well-being is largely obvious, the purpose of the study was to measure its "degree of importance," David Blanchflower of Dartmouth College said.
"The effect of sex on happiness is statistically well-determined ... and large," Blanchflower and study co-partner Andrew Oswald of Warwick University concluded. "This is true for males and females, and for those under and over the age of 40."
The two researchers have also determined through data provided by the National Opinion Research Center that individuals in a higher income bracket are not privy to a more active sex life any more than their more economically-challenged counterparts.
The researchers have also concluded that people who paid for sex are not as happy or satisfied as people who maintained steady personal relationships. The study results indicate that having one sexual partner per year, as opposed to many more, was preferred by the majority of the study's respondents.
The results of the study have been submitted to the National Bureau of Economic Research for consideration.
Blanchflower and Oswald are not the first researchers to study the effects of sex on a person's happiness. A previous researcher on the subject determined that among a large demographic of women in Texas, the majority of respondents felt that sex was the most rewarding and satisfactory aspect of their day.
In another survey related to well-being with frequency of sex, a researcher from Queens University in Belfast tracked the mortality of about 1,000 middle-aged men over the course of ten years and found that those men who had more frequent sex preserved their life expectancy by 50 percent.
Additionally, the Queens University study found that those who had sex even a few times a week tended to have an improved sense of smell, reduced risk of heart disease, trimmer bodies, stronger teeth, and less depression.
