A good sex life won ’ t just improve your mood , it could also boost your brainpower . A study found that the more satisfied a person was with their love life in their 60s and 70s , the sharper their mind and the better their memory . One possibility is that an active sex life keeps the brain young . The finding follows a recent British study which revealed that age is no barrier to an active love life . Dutch researchers found that people in their 70s having sex were better able to use their memory , file photo . The Manchester University study found , more than half of men and almost a third of women aged 70-plus are still sexually active . And one third of these have sex at least twice a month . The latest study involved quizzing more than 1,700 Dutch men and women about their sex life and their need for intimacy . The volunteers , who ranged in age from 58 to 98 , were also put through a battery of mental tests , designed to assess everything from memory to the ability to think abstractly . Two-thirds of the men and women had a partner and a similar number said that they still felt the need for intimacy . Those who were satisfied with their sex life and said that sexuality was important did better on the tests . The link was particularly strong in women , the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry reports . The researchers , from the Altrecht mental health centre , can ’ t be sure if staying sexually active was keeping the brain or if interest in sex dwindles as the mind fails . However , previous research has credited having sex with the growth of new brain cells , in rats at least . It has also been suggested that doing a crossword is better for the brain than an orgasm – because it gives the whole brain a workout , rather than just one area of it . Researchers have found that rats can boost their brain power by having more sex than normal . The Dutch researchers said it is important not to assume that sex is just for the young . They wrote : ‘ Many beliefs about sexual behaviour in older populations are based on personal and stereotyped views of ageing and sexuality . ‘ 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. ’ ends .
University researchers found that sex in later life helps boost memory . Score: 7