A
survey was completed by 1,700 Dutch men and women, all between the ages of 58
and 98. As well as answering questions, they were put through a series of
mental tests which assessed various parts of their brainpower.
More
than half of the men and almost a third of the women aged 70 or above were
found to still be sexually active, with a third of these having sex at least
twice a month. Two thirds of the participants had a partner, with a similar
amount saying that they still felt the need for intimacy. Most significantly,
those who were satisfied with their sex life received more positive results
from the mental tests – an association which was particularly apparent in
women.
“Lower
processing speed, general cognitive functioning and delayed memory recall were
associated with disagreeing with a remaining need for intimacy when getting
older,” the team observed.
These
results support those of a previous study on rats, which found sex to be
associated with the growth of new brain cells. However, the researchers are
unable to definitively conclude whether sex boosts the brain in older people or
if a lack of interest in sex is a result of the brain declining first. Either
way, the findings demonstrate that, for many, sexuality does not lose its
importance with age.
“Many
beliefs about sexual behaviour in older populations are based on personal and
stereotyped views of ageing and sexuality,” the researchers noted. “Older
persons are generally expected to no longer be capable of or to be lacking
interest in sex when, in reality, many elderly persons require sexuality to be
important and wish to remain sexually active as they age.”
“Age
itself is no adequate predictor of sexuality; the reality of ageing is that
most people continue to have sexual feelings of some sort,” they commented.
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