Were sex only important for procreation, it would more than do its job from an evolutionary perspective. However, evidence suggests that at a physical and social level, sex is about much more than making babies.
Most nonhuman animals have no interest in sex outside of a reproductive context. But women have sex throughout their menstrual cycle despite being fertile for only a few days each month, and go on having sex long after menopause renders them infertile. And of course, couples who are of the same sex, using contraception or infertile are no less keen for congress than any pregnancy-focused counterparts.
Ultimately, no one knows for sure what the point of all this sex is, but its other biological effects may provide clues. [...]
In humans, those couples who have sex less frequently are at greater risk of relationship dissolution than are friskier couples.
But oxytocin is not just good for pair bonding. It is released from the brain into the blood stream in many social situations, including breastfeeding, singing and most activities that involve being “together” pleasurably. It appears oxytocin plays a role in a lot of group oriented and socially harmonious activities, and is implicated in altruism.
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