In 1760 the Swiss doctor Samuel-Auguste Tissot published the book L'Onanisme, a treatise on diseases caused by masturbation. At the beginning of the 20th century, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (yes, the cereal guy) created a breakfast based on wheat flakes for a healthy lifestyle in which, among other things, masturbation had to be especially avoided. In the second half of the 20th century, it was easy to hear that self-indulgence could cause vision problems, stunt growth, or lead to pimples on the face. And now, already in 2024, with as much information as there is, we find ideas such as that pleasuring oneself consumes energy, destroys happiness and reduces testosterone levels. This can be read, for example, in a Instagram post that accumulates thousands of I like and although more likes It does not mean greater quality of information, it is a measure of the popularity of the ideas shown there. So the years go by and masturbation is still in the spotlight.
There is no evidence to confirm any of the supposed negative effects associated with this pleasure practice. Not even that popular myth that relates sexual activity to lower athletic performance. “Masturbation has many physical, psychological and social benefits. The increase in dopamine and oxytocin levels, with the consequent decrease in cortisol, is probably the main one on a physical level,” he explains. Sergio Julve, educator and sex therapist. And he adds: “Without a doubt, knowledge of our own body is very important to take advantage of pleasure beyond orgasm and, in addition, to be able to share such knowledge with sexual partners. Exercises the pelvic floor, which reduces erection difficulties and urinary incontinence. Strengthens our immune system. And it improves relationships, contrary to what you might think.”
That being the case, why do voices continue to arise against this practice? Perhaps we can look for the answer in the origins of myths, which have more to do with morality than with science. In ancient civilizations, male masturbation was considered a normal sexual activity. So much so that, for example, for the Egyptians one of the myths of the creation of the universe is through the ejaculation of the god Atum. Considering that he was initially alone, it doesn't take much speculation to imagine how he got the semen.
With the uniquely limiting association of sexual activity with reproduction, everything that was left out was first considered sin and, later, disease. From here on, various ailments begin to be associated, from physical (upset stomach, vomiting, weakness…) to mental (loss of memory, attacks of anger, epilepsy…), to masturbation. And from those dusts come these sludges. Julve adds a capitalist component: “In a consumer society with strong religious customs and traditions, in addition to terrible educational deficiencies on issues of sexuality, it makes a lot of sense that a method of pleasure, and also free, suffers from a bad reputation.”
NoFap Movement
A simple search on social networks such as TikTok or Instagram for the term NoFap returns many results highlighting the benefits of stopping masturbation: from having greater self-esteem and muscles will grow more easily to stopping being a failure. fap is the onomatopoeia used in manga comics to describe the sound of male masturbation and putting the No designates a movement, also considered a challenge, that emerged in 2011 in order to stop masturbation.
It all started with a study who associated not ejaculating with increased testosterone. In that study, carried out with a total of 28 people, a high peak of this hormone was observed after the seventh day without ejaculating, but after that, the levels did not fluctuate again. And although there is several studies who associate sexual activity with an increase in testosterone or simply say that there is no relationship between one thing and the other, that other piece of information was enough to create an entire movement against masturbation. “The greatest power that these groups exercise is suggestion, which is why education plays a fundamental role in this matter,” says Sergio Julve. “There are mainly two profiles among NoFap fans: egomaniacs acting as leaders and people with very low self-esteem, feelings of guilt and emotional deficiencies.”
Although men are the main recipients of this movement, you can also find some videos of women commenting on their experience giving up masturbation. The evidence in them regarding the benefits of not practicing self-pleasure is the same as in their case: none.
Can masturbation have any negative effects?
Masturbation could be negative if it is associated with obsessive behavior, but in that case the negative is not the practice itself, but the addiction. This is not a question of quantity (it is not a question of much or little), but of the attitude that is adopted. If masturbation is done out of a need rather than a desire, it begins to dissociate from the pleasure of orgasm and becomes a method to reduce anxiety. If not being able to indulge in self-pleasure at a certain moment makes the person more nervous or irritable, if it disrupts daily life… they could be signs of possible problematic behavior.
In any case, there is no clear data on how many people are addicted to masturbation, which suggests that it is not such a widespread problem. It is associated with the consumption of porn and it is also not easy to find a percentage of how many people would have a conflictive use of this sexually explicit content.
It must also be taken into account that what may be beneficial for some people may be harmful to others. “Every person has a different sexuality and wanting to generalize is giving up diversity. In the case of addictions, perhaps a gradual reduction or an adjustment in time and space may be enough, but in these cases, it is best to go to a duly qualified professional before it can get out of hand. Sexologists are no longer so difficult to find,” says Sergio Julve.
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