Research that found an apparent link between sex and the “nasal function” has become one of the winners of this year’s Ig Nobel Prize – a satiric prize sponsored by the Annals of Improbable Research magazine since 1991, and awarded to “honour achievements that make people laugh, then think”.
The research team, led by Olcay Cem Bulut from University Hospital Heidelberg, has apparently managed to establish that “nasal breathing improved significantly after sexual intercourse with climax to the same degree as after application of nasal decongestant for up to 60 minutes, as measured subjectively by VAS,” or Visual Analogue Scale.
The study notes, however, that three hours after sexual intercourse, “nasal breathing was back to the baseline level in the ‘sex group’, whereas after application of nasal decongestant spray, nasal breathing was still significantly improved.”
Also, only “participants having nasal obstruction” apparently displayed “improvement after sex.”