Want to increase your job satisfaction?
More sex may help, according to a new research report.
A study team headed by Dr. Keith Leavitt, an associate professor at Oregon State University’s College of Business, analyzed brief daily diaries kept by 159 married men and women, including government employees, over a two-week period.
They found that after having sexual intercourse at home, participants “unknowingly gave themselves a next-day advantage at work, where they were more likely to immerse themselves in their tasks and enjoy their work lives.”
Those who “prioritized” sex “reported more positive moods the next day,” leading to more sustained job satisfaction throughout the work day.” Specifically, they ranked higher in feeling “inspired, alert, excited, enthusiastic, and determined.”
The effect “appears to linger for at least 24 hours,” is “equally strong for both men and women,” and prevails regardless of “marital satisfaction and sleep quality, which are two common predictors of daily mood,” Leavitt says.
An expert in organizational behavior, Leavitt explains: “Sexual intercourse triggers the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with the reward centers in the brain, as well as oxytocin, a neuropeptide associated with social bonding and attachment. That makes sex a natural and relatively automatic mood elevator, and the benefits extend well into the next day.
“Making a more intentional effort to maintain a healthy sex life should be considered…a potential career advantage.”
Given the positive impact on employee mood and productivity, a town councilman in Sweden recently proposed that local municipal employees be allowed to use an hour of their paid work week for sex.
As a cautionary reminder, Leavitt points out that his study also shows that “bringing work-related stress home from [the job] negatively impinges” on one’s sex life. Work strain-based conflict, he says, “significantly reduces the likelihood of engaging in sex at home.”
Leavitt’s full study, “From the Bedroom to the Office,” published by the Journal of Management, can be accessed free of charge by clicking here.