Assuming you’re not a virgin, chances are you’ve found yourself lying in bed with a partner, cuddling and engaging in pillow talk post-orgasm. While your head rests in that cozy nook under their arm, you suddenly feel compelled to tell them about that time you tripped in front of your crush in elementary school. As it turns out, science has an explanation for that. Read on below.

Post-coital oversharing. Ever noticed how emotionally free you feel after sex? It’s no coincidence. As it turns out, the phenomenon of letting your inhibitions run wild after intercourse is 100 percent backed by science. In other words, there’s a legitimate reason why you open up and spill all those emotional, embarrassing stories right after reaching that orgasm high.

Post-coital oversharing. But first let’s backtrack a little bit. As CanadaJournal.net points out, men have evolved to make an effort to attract women. When there’s sex involved, both men and women are hardwired to keep the other around for love — but also, to reproduce. Remember: We’re talking about this from an evolutionary perspective, not a one-night-stand scenario.

Post-coital oversharing. So, how do you wind up keeping someone around to care for your future babies? By getting intimate with them — like, duh. “We have sex in the missionary position when most animals don’t,” CanadaJournal.net explains. "We tend to sleep together afterward.”
Post-coital oversharing. Moreover, we also get real cute in the sack with our partners. For instance, we say adorable, mushy things during pillow talk. We talk about that time we got bullied in third grade, or how our grandmother’s death affected us. We say really emotional, vulnerable things all to keep the other person around. The question then is: What’s the point?

Post-coital oversharing. A new study has found that sex leads to post-coital oversharing, Cosmopolitan reports. Published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, the study discovered that even just being exposed to sexually suggestive images leads people to engaging in behaviors that encourage nonsexual intimacy. In laymen’s terms, this means that even seeing something that leads you to think about sex makes it way easier for you to feel emotionally uninhibited.

Post-coital oversharing. Cheekily titled “Sex unleashes your tongue,” the study was a compilation of a number of studies that put to test the belief that sex results in an inclination to overshare. Of the three studies analyzed, all three were able to produce the same result, Cosmopolitan reports. So, exactly what did the studies entail of? Well…
Post-coital oversharing. For one of the studies, participants were subliminally exposed to sexual stimuli. In other words, people were shown sexy images that they weren’t actually aware they were seeing. Afterward, the researchers asked them to share a personal anecdote with a stranger of the opposite gender via instant messenger (IM).

Post-coital oversharing. In another one of the studies, participants were shown a racy scene from a movie. Similar to the prior study, they were then asked to share a personal anecdote — an embarrassing one, at that. This, time, however, the interaction would be face-to-face with a stranger and not through IM.

Post-coital oversharing. So, what’d the researchers find? Namely, that one result remained consistent for each of the studies: The volunteers that were exposed to naughty stimuli revealed more personal information than those that didn’t see anything naughty before being asked to disclose information.
Post-coital oversharing. "The findings indicate that activation of the sexual system encourages self-disclosure, a strategy that allows people to become closer to a potential partner," reads a summary of the findings in Science of Relationships, according to Cosmopolitan. "Self-disclosure, in turn, further increases the desire for this partner and fosters relationship development."

Post-coital oversharing. The report continues: "Sharing of private aspects of the self with another individual is a well-documented way for adults to increase interpersonal intimacy and enhance relationship formation. The present research suggests that sexual activation facilitates this process, such that when two strangers meet, sexual interest will determine the extent to which personal information will be revealed during their interaction: Heightened sexual interest in a prospective partner is likely to increase self-disclosure, whereas a lack of sexual interest is likely to inhibit it.”

Post-coital oversharing. The findings suggest that sex does more than bring two people physically closer: It also brings them closer to a “partner” in the moments after. And this, as the researchers state, is all because of the “postcoital oversharing” that takes it place — a.k.a. mushy pillow talk.
Post-coital oversharing. So, what does this all mean? Well, it could mean two things depending on how you look at it: One, if you like the person you’re in bed with and want to get a *legit* romance going, share away. And of course, hope that they do the same.

Post-coital oversharing. On the flip side, however, if you don’t like ‘em, then be careful for the stories you tell moments after you orgasm. And if you accidentally blurt out something totally insane, like, “I love you,” just blame it on science. We warned ya!

You. Do you agree with the study's findings? How do you feel about pillow talk? What's the most embarrassing story you've shared post-sex? Sound off in the comments section and tell all!
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