The sun is finally breaking through a dank, dark winter here at Puget Sound, and don’t you all look radiant. All over campus, hair is shining, eyes are twinkling and carefree smiles are breaking out more naturally and more often. The vibe has grown noticeably happier in the past month—not to mention hornier. What is it about spring that makes us suddenly realize how ridiculously good-looking, funny and smooth we all are? I’m not just waxing here: “Spring fever” is a legit phenomenon that has even been featured on WebMD....

It’s quite well-known that female hormonal birth control, particularly oral contraceptives, can often have some undesirable side effects. Mood swings, weight gain, tacky discharge and decreased (or more rarely, increased) libido are all commonly cited concerns. Fortunately, with so many brands of birth control available, many women are able to fine tune their baby-blocking hormonal cocktail to minimize these side effects. Others are content to tolerate them in favor of eliminating risk or simply enjoying more spontaneous, intimate sex without need for a condom. For many women, hormonal birth control...

Love is sometimes crazy. Sex is sometimes confusing. However, the disjointed hit-or-miss nature of good and bad in such relationships may actually have a common underlying factor at play: oxytocin. In understanding this neural hormone which has captivated the scientific community in recent decades, we may become more in tune with ourselves, others and our relationships to each other. And have better sex  to boot! Oxytocin is a social hormone released with eye contact, physical touch, social interaction and, as implied, sex. It is a primary regulator of trust, empathy,...