The truth about masturbation! The myths, benefits and harms

Masturbation is considered a normal activity to feel pleasure and also explore and get to know your own body. But of course, like everything in life there is another side to the story, masturbation also harms a few issues.

Masturbation is much more beneficial than harmful!

Like everything related to sex, there are many taboos and misconceptions about masturbation. So, before addressing the benefits and harms, let's clarify some doubts about masturbation myths:

1 - Is masturbation bad?

No. Overall, masturbating has many benefits. The thought that masturbating is bad is often the result of psychological pressure, whether from the social environment in which one lives, which suggests that enjoying the pleasures of life is wrong; either by the partner in the relationship who does not agree with masturbation or by yourself, who ends up feeling a kind of guilt after the pleasure, without even knowing why.

2 - Does masturbation cause pimples?

No. It is wrong to say that masturbation causes pimples. What happens is that, when young people enter puberty, the sex hormones circulating in the blood increase. As a result, several changes occur in the boy's and girl's body, where there is an increase in the activity of the skin's sebaceous glands, making it more oily and prone to the appearance of blackheads and pimples. As it is during puberty that masturbation and acne begin, it seems that they are related, when in fact, both are the result of hormonal changes.

3 - Does masturbation cause erectile dysfunction?

No. Science makes no association between masturbation and erectile dysfunction or sexual impotence. One situation in which a man can develop erectile dysfunction is in cases of addiction to pornography. In these cases, the man tends to masturbate excessively, but this is not the case. It is the fact of masturbating that leads to erectile dysfunction, but rather the brain's need to require increasingly intense pornographic visual stimuli to achieve a satisfactory erection for sex.

4 - Does masturbation reduce penis size?

No. This is a myth. There is nothing documented to prove that masturbation reduces penis size. On the contrary, there is an ancient technique, called Jelq, where the movements are similar to masturbation, and is still used today with the aim of increase the size of the penis .

5 - Does masturbation reduce the amount of sperm?

Yes, if you masturbate and then have sex, you may notice that little ejaculation will come out. Which is normal, because, The man's body needs a little time to produce more semen. But in fact, this is not a rule. A man can masturbate and a few hours later ejaculate again and not notice any difference in semen volume.

What are the benefits of masturbation?

Masturbation is a healthy sexual activity most of the time. The practice brings many benefits to physical and mental health. Although there is little research available on the benefits of masturbation, there are many studies on sexual stimulation.

Sexual stimulation, including masturbation, helps:

  • get rid of stress;
  • sleep better;
  • improve mood;
  • be more relaxed;
  • feel the sensation of joy;
  • relieve pain and cramps;
  • get rid of sexual tension;
  • control ejaculation, since men learn to control arousal by training to control the rhythm of movements during masturbation;
  • understand your needs and desires.

In addition to individual masturbation, couples can also masturbate together to explore their different sexual desires. Partners can also masturbate each other. Plus, if you forget to condom at the time of sexual encounter, leaving penetration for another time and preferring masturbation, helps to avoid unexpected pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

Masturbation and prostate cancer

According to some research, there is evidence that regular masturbation reduces the risk of prostate cancer. However, doctors are not unanimous about why this happens.

According to a 2016 study, the risk of prostate cancer was reduced by 20% in men who masturbated 21 or moretimes a month. A study carried out in 2013 had already found a similar relationship between masturbation and reduced chances of prostate cancer.

What are the harms of masturbation?

First of all, you should know that masturbation has no harm per se. However, some people feel guilty and embarrassed after a lot of masturbation and there are also cases of addiction. Therefore, the problem is not masturbating, but how you feel emotionally about it.

Masturbation and guilt

Some people feel ashamed of themselves after masturbating. This may be due to their cultural, spiritual and religious beliefs. Masturbation is neither wrong nor immoral, but still, you may hear that it is a "dirty" and "shameful" act.

First of all, you must remove from your mind that masturbation is a bad habit. Consider that there is already scientific evidence that masturbation is actually beneficial to your health in many ways.

Addiction to masturbation

The habit of masturbating too much is found in some people. Either you spend most of the day masturbating or thinking about it. This condition is called masturbation addiction. It becomes an addiction when maturing becomes more important than other activities, takes up a lot of your time and gets in the way of your life in some way. Masturbation addiction is often the consequence of pornography addiction, which harms the lives of those who suffer from this addiction.

For those who think they may have problems with masturbation addiction, the ideal is to talk to their doctor or a sexologist, as these are the professionals capable of identifying the root cause of the addiction and guiding the patient to the best treatment.

Does masturbation reduce sensitivity to sex?

The answer is no. Men and women who have had complaints of sexual dysfunction also benefit from increased sexual arousal. This was proven in two studies carried out in 2009. According to the first study, men and women who masturbated noticed significant improvements in their sexual desire, arousal and sexual behavior in general. According to the other study, masturbation increased vaginal lubrication in women, while men improved erectile function and sexual dysfunction.

However, the techniques adopted for masturbation can affect men's sensitivity during sex. According to research, if men hold their penis tightly during practice, it can reduce penis sensation. To this end, sexual health experts recommend that changing your technique during masturbation is a simple solution.

To conclude

Masturbation is an easy and safe way to obtain sexual satisfaction, improve health and get to know yourself better, as well as bringing many benefits to the body and mind.

Even today, there are many misconceptions in society about this subject. But, these taboos no longer have a place in the scientific and modern era. Men and women can enjoy masturbation without any shame or hesitation.

References:

  1. Aboul-Enein, Basil H., Joshua Bernstein, and Michael W. Ross. "Evidence for Masturbation and Prostate Cancer Risk: Do We Have a Verdict?." Sexual medicine reviews 4.3 (2016): 229-234.
  2. Argiolas, Antonio, and M. R. Melis. "The neurophysiology of the sexual cycle." Journal of endocrinological investigation 26.3 Suppl (2003): 20-22.
  3. Masturbation. pamf.org/teen/sex/masturbation/
  4. Giles, Graham G., et al. "Sexual factors and prostate cancer." BJU international 92.3 (2003): 211-216.
  5. Herbenick, Debra, et al. "Prevalence and characteristics of vibrator use by women in the United States: Results from a nationally representative study." The journal of sexual medicine 6.7 (2009): 1857-1866.
  6. Indian University. (2009). IU researchers find vibrator use to be common, linked to sexual healthy. https://newsinfo.iu.edu/news-archive/10877.html
  7. Jern, Patrick. "Evaluation of a behavioral treatment intervention for premature ejaculation using a handheld stimulating device." Journal of sex & marital therapy 40.5 (2014): 358-366.
  8. Masturbation. (2017). youngmenshealthsite.org/guides/masturbation/
  9. Melis, Maria Rosaria, et al. "Oxytocin injected into the ventral subiculum or the posteromedial cortical nucleus of the amygdala induces penile erection and increases extracellular dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens of male rats." European journal of neuroscience 30.7 (2009): 1349-1357.
  10. Morality of masturbation. (2014). goaskalice.columbia.edu/answered-questions/morality-masturbation
  11. Reece, Michael, et al. "Prevalence and characteristics of vibrator use by men in the United States." The journal of sexual medicine 6.7 (2009): 1867-1874.
  12. Regnerus, Mark, Joseph Price, and David Gordon. "Masturbation and partnered sex: Substitutes or complements?." Archives of Sexual Behavior 46.7 (2017): 2111-2121.
  13. Rider, Jennifer R., et al. "Ejaculation frequency and risk of prostate cancer: updated results with an additional decade of follow-up." European urology 70.6 (2016): 974-982.
  14. Sexual dysfunction in females. (2017). my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/sexual-dysfunction-in-females