Bzzzzzzz…..listen up, Puritans. Using a vibrator in sexual encounters is linked to better sexual health. Zoinks! You heard me right–pulling Buzzy out of the ol’ skivvy drawer can improve your sexual health. Yes, it’s fun too–but health, people, health.

So says a study out of Indiana University that polled over 2,000 women, and another that polled over 1,000 men. Men? Vibrators? That’s right, the study found that men are buzzin’ it up too. Here’s what they found:

• Women who used vibrators were more likely to have had gynecologic check up within the past year and were also more likely to have performed a genital self-exam within the past month.
• Women who used vibrators, and particularly recent users, reported more desire, arousal, lubrication, and orgasm, and less pain.
• Most women (71.5%) said they never had any side effects associated with vibrator use and side effects that did occur were generally not severe or long-lasting.

And for men:

• Men who used vibrators, particularly those with recent use, were more likely to report participation in sexual health promoting behaviors, such as testicular self-exam.
• Men who reported recent vibrator use scored themselves higher on sexual desire, erectile function and satisfaction with sex and orgasms, than men who did not report recent vibrator use.

Wow! What a useful study. I’m just waiting for the results of the Ben Wa balls double blind placebo trial. If you have an inquistive mind like I do, then you may be wondering what kind of side effects nearly 600 women had. Hmmm. Vertigo genitalia? Zap n’ pap? Battery envy? Makes you wonder, now doesn’t it?

Anyway, let’s give a big cheer for people who use their vibrators freely and openly; and they aren’t afraid to admit it to complete strangers–scientific eggheads, at that. If you are not currently using a vibrator, ladies and gents, then get with it. It’s the in thing.