The importance of sexual behavior is associated with the psychological well being, independent of the presence of a spouse or partner and self-reported health.
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To reach this conclusion, Flynn and co-author Alan J. Gow analyzed 133 participants (medium age 74) who provided information about the frequency with which they participated in six sexual behaviors.
These were touching/holding hands, embracing/hugging, kissing, mutual stroking, masturbating and intercourse. Participants also provided information on their marital status, living arrangements and self-reported health.
Both the frequency and importance of sexual behaviors were moderately positively correlated with quality of life. The importance of sexual behaviors was associated with the psychological well being, independent of the presence of a spouse or partner and self-reported health.
People who found sexual activity to be important had higher scores for psychological quality of life, the authors noted in a paper appeared in the journal Age and Aging.
Source-IANS