If all you have in your sock drawer is, um, socks, you may be missing out. Using a vibrator (both during intercourse and solo) is linked with more positive sexual function and being more proactive in caring for one’s sexual health, according to research from the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University. What’s the link? “It might mean that women who are more comfortable with their bodies are more comfortable using vibrators, but using a vibrator could also help women become more comfortable with their sexuality—it probably works both ways,” says Debby Herbenick, PhD, lead author of the study. What’s more, the women who used vibrators were more likely to have had a gynecological exam during the past year and to have performed a genital self-exam during the previous month. (You’d be smart to do a self-exam of your external genital area monthly to check for irregularities that could signal conditions like STDs or vulvar cancer). So don’t be shy about taking charge of your sexual satisfaction. It’ll do your body good.