Sex and happiness

So PopSci ran an article about the positive effect of semen on the mental health of women.  Now this is the type of science I can get behind.  The gist of the article for those that cannot be bothered to click through is that based on the results of a survey done in 2002 on a group of 293 college students:

Women who always had unprotected sex had significantly lower levels of depression symptoms than those who usually or always used condoms, as well as those who abstained from sex. There was no significant difference in depression between condom users and abstainers, indicating that the physical act of sex itself wasn't the mood-boosting factor.

Interesting broad level results but the reasoning may have come from evolutionary biology and the makeup of seminal fluid.  Sperm make up a relatively small percentage of the load, and the remaining bits are a complex mixture that has compounds that can be detected in the blood stream after sex (with out a condom)

Three compounds of interest in seminal plasma are estrogen, prostaglandins and oxytocin. Estrogen and prostaglandins have been linked to lower levels of depression, while oxytocin (which women release during birth, breastfeeding and orgasm) promotes social bonding.

So there you have it, if you want to keep a girl and keep her happy, ditch the rubber.

PopSci via The daily what