What Are The Effects Of Chronic Masturbation On The Body?

[JDreamer]

There are a bunch of health issues that can be discussed, but I want to add some stuff in about other parts.

Watching porn lowers conscientiousness, which roughly speaking is being vigilant, careful, and wanting to do a task well. It's like the opposite of being easy going. It's responsibility.

Growing up with an alcoholic and a crazy family means nothing gets done well, no attention is given to detail, you are not well cared for.

I would put money on you being a very conscientious person, and the porn/masterbation was a way of lowering that urge in you when it was very painful to have in your childhood.

Now that you have grown up and have more control over your life, you don't need to lower that trait anymore, plus in general you just have less energy to deal with compared to your youth. But sometimes that conscientious trait rises and makes your life feel BAD. You can't stand it...it's some type of energy, like depression or anxiety or whatever, and the pron makes it go away.

The solution is to channel your inner vigilance. No more porn, not more wanking, only real girls. When you get the urge, build something, improve something, clean your car, just bring order to something. The more you embrace the order of masculinity the less you'll have to worry about this stuff.

Anyways, that's my take on it, hope it was accurate.

I think you understood the picture I was painting as I was growing up.

While I don't think it's a problem anymore - I do think there is merit to your recommendations. Ultimately, I'm still trying to figure out what impact this had on my body/mind long term.

 

[Constatine]

Well I wasn't attributing that fear to you, but rather pointing out the anxiety and fear that religious groups along with the NoFap community has caused many men (it seems).

I have seen the Nofap community positively influence the lives of many people. I have never noticed any overwhelming fears or anxieties plaguing that community. There are some people in deep despair in the community, but due to the current state of their lives, not due to the avoidance of masturbation.

 

[encerent]

Not nearly as harmful as the standard american diet.

 

[ecstatichamster]

men who begin masturbation early, especially to porn (even printed porn) tend to have a lot more problems with erections and sexual "performance" in general...

 

[JDreamer]

Depletion of kidney qi... It TCM this doesn't mean the same symptoms for every person, but an accumulated underlying weakness.

Explain a little more if you don't mind ....

 

[JDreamer]

Wow, that's courageous of you to be so transparent and authentic about yourself.

I had a nearly identical experience growing up, with the exact same consequences (ie. bald, excessive body hair, low energy, detachedness).

I would add that I had a low self-image and felt a pervasive sense of helplessness, given that my escape for all of life's problems was porn. Now, I live on my own, my life is going much better. I did lots of self-development work for myself. In fact, I found the Ray Peat forum to solve those very same physical issues.

As far as my personal experience, my thyroid is back to it's youthful pre-horny-adolescence state, but I do have to work on it by following Ray Peat's recommendations.

I believe the orgasm has multiple effects:
1. large release of prolactin after orgasm (causing fibrosis of the scalp, also increases estrogen)

2. losing nutrients in your ejaculation (most animals and plants give their best when it comes to procreating)

3. practicing an unproductive for of self-soothing

For me, I have almost completely ceased watching porn. I will watch it (and regret it) when I'm very tired. That tells me two things: I should get to bed and use the computer less (I'll write, draw or just go to sleep).

I've worked in the addictions field for a number of years and I can share some effective methods that work for many people.

Currently, I'm hoping, but not holding my breath that with the right nutrients and lifestyle, I can reverse the damage done by excessive porn. I don't imagine my body hair will just suddenly fall out, but perhaps I can regrow my hair.

Always interesting to hear when someone else has experienced the same kind of thing.

Porn/masturbation were definitely a release in my younger years. Truthfully I've developed so much guilt and paranoia over those years that I'm disgusted with myself anytime I do masturbate. On one hand it helps me keep it under control, but on the other hand that's probably not the healthiest of perspectives either.

 

[solaire_of_astora]

For me, porn and masturbation were/are a form of self-medication. Lethargy and lack of focus lead me to watch porn to try and recapture some sort of lust for life; I mostly just wanted to escape the dull feeling in my head.

Men who abstain from porn and masturbation usually experience a improvement in mood and energy after about a week or so. As study was done, which I can't be bothered to look up, but they found that after about 7 to 10 days, there was a significant increase in testosterone levels. Compare the benefits of NoFap with those that are on TRT and you begin to see a connection. Obviously, other hormones are at play besides just testosterone, but you can't ignore all the accounts of men who's quality of life significantly improves when they take endogenous testosterone.

My question is: which is causing which? Is chronic masturbation causing you to feel like crap? Or is feeling like crap causing you to masturbate as way of self-medicating? The tricky part is that they both reinforce each other into a death-spiral. So if things are bad, you really need to address both aspects. Personally, I think that addressing the hormones and energy are the way to go over behavior modification (if I had to choose just one route).

I tried NoFap and felt amazing for the first couple of weeks and then I hit the so-called "flat-line". When I eventually came out of that flat-line, my libido was insanely high, but none of the positive feelings came with it; it was just a very intense need for relief. The catch-22 for me is that the longer I go without porn or masturbation, the better my mood and libido. But then I'm horny all the time and need a release. And so I blow loads until I reach a point where I'm not horny for weeks. Perhaps if I was in a relationship, things might be different, but as a single man, it's just me, myself and I.

 

[Fractality]

I equate chronic masturbation to excessive exercise. If you are already unhealthy, it will just make your recovery more difficult. I find that masturbating about once a week provides a good balance. I am married and have sex regularly as well so perhaps that factors in. I'm not sure I believe in the entire premise of the NoFap movement. I think it's the old "correlation does not imply causation" issue. Unhealthy, dopamine-starved, hypothyroid people are drawn to masturbation/porn. I share a similar perspective/experience as @solaire_of_astora.

 

[JDreamer]

Unhealthy, dopamine-starved, hypothyroid people are drawn to masturbation/porn.

Why do you think that is?

 

[Fractality]

Why do you think that is?

Because masturbation/porn/social media and all the other forms of instant media provide a short-lived dopamine release.

 

[lvysaur]

I've always preferred nude solo pics of amateurs over the kind of soulless commercialized porn you describe. It's much more sensual and arousing to mentally transfer a hot everyday woman from a still picture into your room and fantasies than passively masturbate at two people having sex without you.

stress metabolism = low spatial intelligence = more need for porn

 

[Wagner83]

But boy it is difficult as heck resisting the urge to hop on Pornhub and just fapfapfap away. To be honest I have thrown in the towel many times,

Wow that is no joke, a tiny handkerchief is enough for me.

Men who abstain from porn and masturbation usually experience a improvement in mood and energy after about a week or so. As study was done, which I can't be bothered to look up, but they found that after about 7 to 10 days, there was a significant increase in testosterone levels.

I'm pretty sure T decreased after reaching a peak on the 7 th day, quite a few people have reported lowered sex drive on no fap, an initial boost and then more issues. For others it has been the opposite. I did 80 days and experienced no benefits whatsoever, I was doing really ***t though, in any case it did not help, diet did.

 

[Constatine]

Not nearly as harmful as the standard american diet.

Yeah not even close. Diet is definitely a, if not the primary factor in well being

 

[DaveFoster]

I would put money on you being a very conscientious person, and the porn/masterbation was a way of lowering that urge in you when it was very painful to have in your childhood.

Now that you have grown up and have more control over your life, you don't need to lower that trait anymore, plus in general you just have less energy to deal with compared to your youth. But sometimes that conscientious trait rises and makes your life feel BAD. You can't stand it...it's some type of energy, like depression or anxiety or whatever, and the pron makes it go away.

The solution is to channel your inner vigilance. No more porn, not more wanking, only real girls. When you get the urge, build something, improve something, clean your car, just bring order to something. The more you embrace the order of masculinity the less you'll have to worry about this stuff.

Tarmander's right on the money. Stress triggers addictive/compulsive behaviors, and learning to respond to stress in a constructive, adaptive way rather than through a maladaptive coping strategy has potential to overcome the addiction.

The libido is like this: A stressful event occurs; the male recognizes the stressor, there's an initial response (fight-or-flight) until exhaustion. At the point of exhaustion, the male gets the urge to procreate; the urge has been overcome so as to guarantee survival and immediate relief from danger, but the initiation of the stressor has signaled a need in the environment, but in the context of energy abundance (an energy replete physiological state); therefore, the male seeks to create a solution (or procreate). Both actions of creation and procreation stem from the same impulse, or response of a living being to an environmental need.

 

[encerent]

It's not that harmful. No-fap is just the latest cure-all fad.

 

[Dessert_All_Day]

It's not that harmful. No-fap is just the latest cure-all fad.

+1

Also, as I can't seem to find this anywhere on the Q & A wiki or YouTube, does anyone know which specific porn sites Dr. Peat has recommended in the past? I'm assuming PornHub, but any others?

 

[JDreamer]

It's not that harmful. No-fap is just the latest cure-all fad.

Logically I find your statement incorrect. Considering the ramifications on minerals/vitamins in the body as well as the effect on dopamine - if it's excessive then there is a potential for problems. This is clearly evidenced by actual porn/masturbation addictions.

 

[encerent]

No-fap is just another discipline fad like intermittent fasting. If you have ueber discipline and suppress your body's urges (to eat or masturbate), then all your physical and mental issues will be resolved.

Young high metabolism human beings masturbate the most.

 

[encerent]

The other problem is a lot of young people aren't attracted to each other anymore. Health is declining, and it affects tongue posture and facial development. People are getting uglier. Primitive humans had the right life style to support facial development naturally. Everyone was a 10/10 and people were banging each other all the time.

 

[Such_Saturation]

Everyone was a 10/10 and people were banging each other all the time.

When all this was fields?