Masturbation is truly a gift. No, seriously, we mean it. Humans are by far the most evolved masturbatory mammals, though plenty of other animals get in on the action. That’s right, other creatures jack off, too.
We bet there are plenty of other self-pleasure facts you didn’t know, and there are tons of fun factoids and surprising benefits to masturbation. In this article, we’ll cover seven masturbation facts that you may not already know (but you should). Let’s get started.
What is Masturbation?
The definition of masturbation is simple. Masturbation is any act that involves solo sexual stimulation. This can include old-school practices like giving yourself a hand job or experimental acts like male masturbation with butt plugs.
You can masturbate in whatever manner feels best to you as an individual. There’s no right or wrong way to get pleasure. Don’t be afraid to experiment and discover new ways of experiencing heightened sensations.
7 Masturbating Facts You Might Not Know
In modern society, self-pleasure is still a taboo subject. Unfortunately, this means that there are many useful and interesting facts about masturbation that people are completely unaware of.
Let’s shed some light on jacking off.
May is International Masturbation Month
You read that right. May is international masturbation month, so mark your calendars and get ready to party (via self-love, of course).
This month isn’t formally celebrated by any country or federal entity. This day was chosen by a sex-positive retailer in honor of a former Surgeon General, Dr. Joycelyn Elders. And originally, masturbation month was a single day, May 7th. This pioneering Surgeon General was fired by her appointing president, Bill Clinton, primarily for her stance on youth sex education.
She favored comprehensive sex ed in public schools, including teaching that masturbation is natural and perfectly normal. This stance (and a few others, including her free disbursement of condoms) proved a little radical for the mid-90s, and she was dismissed.
However, the month of May is now regularly referred to as masturbation month in her honor. Reminding us all that jacking off is a standard and fun part of human existence.
92% of men masturbate regularly
According to the 2018 Global Self Pleasure Report, around 92 percent of American men masturbate regularly. That’s clearly the vast majority of US men, but in reality, 78 percent of adults in the world masturbate.
Self-pleasure is a common and routinely enjoyed practice of relieving sexual tension across the world. Wondering which age group masturbates the most? You may immediately think of teenagers, but the truth is a little different. Almost 60 percent of 23-29-year-olds masturbate weekly, more than any other age group.
The study was the first to admit that this age group is also much more comfortable discussing sexual self-pleasure as compared to older individuals, and data may be skewed for this reason.
Another fun factoid is that of those who masturbate, queer individuals are 20 percent more likely to masturbate every week than their heterosexual counterparts. It makes sense that masturbation month and PRIDE month are back-to-back, doesn’t it?
You may produce less semen during masturbation
Researchers love studying ejaculation and sexual function. Who can blame them? Masturbation and sexual activity are fascinating, and there are tons of real-world implications, like fertility, sexual health, and even cancer research.
Generally, studies show that men produce more “quality” spunk during sexual intercourse as compared to masturbation. There are also differences in the quality of masturbatory semen. Jacking off at home produces better semen than samples collected in a clinic.
Scientists aren’t 100% clear on why this happens, but a popular theory is that mindset and purpose greatly affect prostate activity. A calm, peaceful, and comfortable masturbation setting results in a happy, semen-pumping prostate. Your body can tell when you’re potentially procreating (or enjoying some fantastic anal) or jacking off into thin air.
Masturbation can lower your risk of prostate cancer
Every year, around 52,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer. It’s a disturbing reality that results in the deaths of thousands of men annually. Many aspects of a cancer diagnosis are uncontrollable, such as chance, exposure to radiation, and genetics.
Fortunately, there are many things you can do to lower your chances of developing this cancer:
- Avoid drugs,
- Eat a balanced diet,
- Attend your regular healthcare checkups,
- And masturbate.
That’s right. Frequent masturbation has been linked to a lowered risk of prostate cancer. It’s like sexual medicine! This isn’t a definitive conclusion, and researchers aren’t sure what causes this phenomenon, but many studies have shown that masturbation and prostate issues are connected.
So, feel extra confident next time you jack off.
Masturbation has many incredible health benefits
Besides lowering your risk of prostate cancer, masturbating has tons of positive mental and physical side effects. Here are some of the top health benefits of masturbation:
- Improves your mood.
- Give your sex life a pick-me-up.
- Increases length and quality of sleep.
- Allows for peaceful and safe sexual exploration (lower risk of STDs or STIs and no risk of unwanted pregnancy).
- Decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
- Eases the intensity of menstrual cramps and limits discharge build-up.
- Works to combat poor mental health.
There are plenty of other perks to masturbating, some of which are totally unique to you and your experience. Don't hesitate to get in the bedroom and start exploring.
Masturbation has made an appearance throughout history
Our ancestors had tons of unique ways they referenced masturbation and engaged in the act. Let’s go over some of the interesting ways masturbation has made an appearance throughout history:
- Use of the word onanism: This is an old British word that refers to two different sexual acts; masturbation and cumming outside the vagina.
- Kellogg's Corn Flakes anti-jack off origins: The inventor of the classic corn flakes, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, worked at a sanatorium where he commonly experimented with new food products in an effort to curb masturbation. Back in his day, it was commonly believed that a bland, plain diet would result in less masturbation and better health. The joke’s on Dr. Kellogg; now we get to enjoy his crunchy cereal and wank.
- Cave art depicted masturbation: Self-pleasure goes way back. Archaeologists have found examples of masturbatory drawings, etchings, and statues worldwide.
These interesting facts show that modern people aren’t so different from our ancestors, and self-stimulation has always been a normal part of sexual behavior/sexual development. Researchers have even discovered ancient sex toys, proving that Fleshlight would have been just as popular back in the day.
Performance during masturbation can indicate health problems
It’s normal to lose an erection every once in a while, just like it’s perfectly normal to randomly cum early. However, persistent erection complications can be a sign of a bigger issue.
You can actually discover health problems through your performance during masturbation. A study in Italy showed that men who lost their erection during masturbation had a higher risk of heart disease!
Don’t just ignore symptoms of erectile dysfunction. Seek the advice of a medical professional right away, as you may be looking at a bigger medical complication.
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