Weeknight sex sizzles over into increased productivity at the office
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Have you ever noticed that one employee who comes into work with a spring in their step while whistling a soft tune? Or the employee who has a great work ethic, attitude and is cheerful to everyone even on a Wednesday?
There could be a good explanation for that. Maybe you didn’t get the office memo to be having sex each night during the work week.
A 2017 study published in the Journal of Management found that a possible reason for that highly productive worker may have to do with how busy they’ve been between the sheets on a weeknight. If things are getting hot under the covers on a Monday through Thursday night, those same people are more likely to come work with a smile on their face making them more engaging and easier to work with. For most couples, the least likely nights of having sex fall on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, right in the middle of a workweek. Then they tend to play sexual catchup by having more sex on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday night.
Researchers with the study followed 159 married employees who filled out two surveys per day over the course of two weeks. The employees who participated in some evening delight on a weeknight reported being in a better mood the following day extending into their work day. This resulted in more engagement and improved job satisfaction in which the effect lingered for about 24 hours. This afterglow of a sexual encounter the previous night was felt equally by both men and women even after researchers factored in marital satisfaction and sleep quality.
The reason for this post-sex professional high is believed to be triggered by the release of a couple of hormones – dopamine and oxytocin. When a couple has sex, dopamine is released which involves the feeling of reward. Oxytocin, a neuropeptide, is also released which is responsible for social bonding and attachment. With the colliding of these two feel-good hormones, a person is bound to experience a natural mood enhancer that carries over into the next day having a positive effect on their job performance.
Another finding from this study was that if you bring work home, sex suffers. Too many work-related stressors such as answering after-hours emails or working on office papers at home, will often impact negatively a couple’s sex life. This means by the time a couple crawls into bed on a weeknight, they’ve given their all to their job but not to each other, leading to less sex.
The researchers recommend unplugging from technology on weeknights to reduce the temptation to continue work-related activities and instead focus on more sexual activity. Smart employers who want productive workers should take notice of this study using it to their advantage. They should encourage workers to leave work at work and focus instead on their families during their off hours. Simple changes like this can have a significant positive impact on job performance that carries over into their workdays.
Regular, frequent sex benefits all couples socially, emotionally, and physiologically. When recognizing and acknowledging this aspect, an employer can build a team of workers who are more task-oriented and happier all because activities in the bedroom are sizzling during the night.