17 Sexy Science Facts To Liven Up Parties

10. Sex Stops You From Being Grossed Out By Sex

It is a matter of debate as to whether this is an excellent bit of adaptation, or deeply troubling, but sexual arousal has been found to dampen the disgust response in both men and women. It turns out that sex is so gross that the brain switches bits of itself off to get through it.

A study of 90 female university students in the Netherlands found that the participants were much more likely to commit gross acts such as sticking their hands in a bowl of "used" condoms and even putting on a shirt that they were told was worn by a paedophile whilst committing his crimes (neither of these claims were true, but the participants didn't know that), when they were turned on.

In another study with men, it was found that dudes were more likely to be up for having sex with a morbidly obese person when aroused (provided that it wasn't already something they were up for).

Generally speaking, humans have an instinct for avoiding the swapping of bodily fluids, as this is how disease is spread. It is, however, entirely necessary for the purposes of procreation, and so it makes sense for the brain to ignore this instinct whilst some baby making is on the cards.