We’ve all heard about the benefits of masturbating, its great for you sex life and your prostate. But what about the benefits of not masturbating? Is there even such a thing? Well, yes, at least according to reddit forum called r/nofap. r/Nofap is a community of people that refrain from watching porn, masturbating and orgasms, or as the community calls it PMO.
Nofap is a community of a whopping 340 000 people who have monthly challenges to help its members stay ‘fap’ free and encourages them to stay PMO-free for as long as they can. Some members proudly display the number of days they’ve been ‘clean’ next to their name—the subreddit’s head moderator of the page has a record of 840 days!
READ MORE: 11 Shocking Facts You Never Knew About Masturbation
Members of this community or ‘fapstronauts’ as they call themselves, attribute some major life changes, or “superpowers” (as they call it) to abstaining from masturbating. We’re talking increased confidence, motivation, stamina, concentration and libido.
Those are some serious benefits—and bold claims—but is there any truth to the advertised perks of a fap-free lifestyle. MH investigates.
Will You Really Get Superpowers (or Just Super Sexually Frustrated)?
In 2011, the National Institute of Health conducted a study that basically concluded that if men refrained from masturbating for one week, their testosterone (T) levels increased by 145,7%.
Another study found that abstaining from orgasms for three weeks could cause a mild increase of T. But both of these studies show that after ejaculation, T levels return back to normal, so the hormonal effects are pretty short term and changes are minor. So, while not masturbating would increase your T levels for a short while, it’s not enough to give you super human strength or build muscles overnight. It is worthy to note that a study done on rats found that frequent masturbation lowered androgen receptors in their brains. Meaning, that overtime, frequent masturbation can affect how the androgen receptor utilises T.
What’s the T?
Having low T levels can affect many aspects of your life and the following symptoms are signs that you should have your hormone levels checked:
- Decreased or lack of sex drive
- Trouble getting or keeping an erection
- Hair loss
- Mood swings
- Decrease in muscle mass with an increase in fat
It’s important to note that having unhealthy habits such as smoking and excessive drinking can influence your T levels. Health conditions such as diabetes, hight blood pressure and thyroid conditions can be an impact too.
READ MORE: Everything You Need to Know About Your Testosterone Levels
But, What’s Really Going On?
Okay, so there is no scientific evidence that masturbation is biologically bad for you, in fact, there’s more benefits than we can count. However, feeling guilty about masturbating, having an addiction to porn or masturbating, is an entirely different issue. Feeling guilty about masturbation often links to your religious, cultural or spiritual beliefs. If you are experiencing guilt over masturbating, it would be best to talk through it with a professional or someone you trust, that way you can work through underlying issues of why you feel that way.
READ MORE: 6 Signs That You’re Probably Masturbating Way Too Much
If you are someone who find yourself masturbating or watching porn at all hours of the day, if you avoid social interaction because you are spending time masturbating, or can’t get through your day without it, then seeking professional help is advisable. Talking to a doctor or therapist will help you find other ways to occupy your time and cope with the addiction.
Conclusion: Masturbation Yay or Nay?
Other than addiction, there really is no biological reason as to why you shouldn’t masturbate if you want to. And while abstaining for a few days would temporarily increase your T levels, it will not give you superpowers. It would appear, that because a lot of the men abstaining from masturbation have taken a step back from porn and masturbating, they can now put their time into more productive things like working out, practising their social skills and living healthier lives.
There’s no denying that the reddit forum may have helped many people, you just have to go through the posts to see it. It may have even helped them become better versions of themselves but scientifically, the act of not masturbating cannot clear up your skin, make you more confident, or give you the power of a thousand men.
