New research reveals a surprising connection between a cooler sex life and listening to music out loud.

The positive effects music has on mood and behavior are well-documented. From simply helping people wind down and disconnect after work, to drowning out the noise from the terrible neighbors across the hall, starting up an album or playlist always has a way of hitting the reset button on a less-than stellar day. No wonder new research shows that playing music aloud at home may also work wonders for our sex lives.

Multi-room sound specialist, Sonos, wanted to understand the specific effects of listening to music played aloud in the home (opposed to simply listening to music via headphones/ear buds). The study is titled This Is Your Brain on Music and was led by Dr. Daniel J. Levitin.

Sonos surveyed more than 30,000 individuals and also equipped 30 families with their in-home audio systems while using Apple Watches to observe heart rate, movement, and total calories burned. Households were monitored both before and after the Sonos audio systems were put in place to make a juxtaposition of the results more individually comparable. For one week, no music was played in the home, and conversely, the following week music was played out loud “frequently.”

The study concluded that, in general, music listening as part of a group activity creates stronger relationships.

According to the findings, families who listened to music regularly spent 67 percent more time with one another in “close proximity.” These same individuals were more likely to enjoy a meal together weekly when compared to individuals in a household without music playing. The most telling aspect of the study, was the ability of music to quite literally bring people together; households with the Sonos music systems reported having twice as much sex. The study also found that listening to music aloud in the home also made individuals “12 percent less jittery, 24 percent less irritable, and 25 percent more inspired.”

We’re not here to drop a shameless plug for Sonos by any means. In all fairness, the Sonos base systems start off around $200 and the costs quickly start to rack up after that; however, simply turning on the radio or flipping a record at the ol’ homestead might not be such a bad idea every now and then …