It’s hardly groundbreaking stuff, but a new study claims that we’re more likely to be forthcoming about ourselves after sex.
The Israeli study, which was published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, says sex not only takes the shackles off a person’s tongue after sex, but also before the act and when sex is merely on one’s mind.
Combining the findings of three different studies that exposed participants to sexual stimuli (a racy photograph or movie scene) as well as nonsexual stimuli, then had them disclose something personal to a stranger via Instant Messenger, researchers found the subjects that were presented with sexual imagery were more willing to reveal something about themselves.
The reason for this, the study notes, is biological.
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“Selection pressures have produced mechanisms that keep sexual partners bonded to each other so that they can work together to increase their offspring’s chances of survival during the vulnerable period of infancy,” the study said. “Sexual priming facilitated self-disclosure, which, in turn, increased interest in future interactions with the stranger. Together, these findings suggest that activation of the sexual system encourages the use of strategies that allow people to become closer to potential partners.”
In layman’s terms, allowing someone access to your most guarded secrets promotes getting closer to that person, making a couple desire each other that much more.