One of the most common myths about aging is that we no longer care about sex after 60. For most of us, this is categorically untrue.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that the way that we look at sex changes throughout our lives – and our bodies certainly present us with plenty of interesting challenges and opportunities as we age – but, overall, most boomers I know consider sex to be an important part of life after 60.

Sex After 60 is Important for Your Brain and Your Body

Beyond the obvious emotional and physical benefits of having a good sex life after 60, researchers have shown that the way that you think about sex can impact the health of your brain in your later years.

Specifically, after interviewing about 2,000 people in their 70s, scientists in the Netherlands found that people who considered sex to be unimportant had lower fluid intelligence than people who considered sex important.

As with any study of this kind, it’s difficult to say whether the way that people think about sex causes their brains to stay healthy. An alternative explanation would be that people in relationships are more likely to consider sex important and, therefore, it is actually a person’s relationship status that influences the health of their brain. Regardless, it’s a fascinating correlation that should be explored.

While most of the people in our community are not in their 70s, this study raises some interesting questions for baby boomers. For example, could prioritizing your sex life in your 50s and 60s lead you to have a healthier brain in your 70s?

Since our opinions about topics like sexuality are shaped, in part, by society, could myths about aging and sexuality be contributing to mental health issues among the elderly? I personally would love to have answers to these questions.

I’m curious what you think about this study. Please join the conversation and “like” and share this article to keep the discussion going.

Do you think that sex after 60 is especially important? Or, do you perhaps feel like sexuality is equally important at every stage of life? What do you think about the results of this study? Please add your comments below.