Masturbation and porn research
I get these questions ALL THE TIME:
Is masturbation bad for me?
How much masturbating is too much?
Is it bad if I watch porn?
Because I’m a doctor I try to answer your questions with as much evidence behind them as possible. My straightforward answers to these questions are:
No, it’s not BAD for you. In fact, many health benefits have been identified around masturbation. However, like most things in life, what’s good for one person is not good for everyone.
You might be masturbating too much if it interferes with your daily activities (if you put off hanging out with friends to masturbate), if it causes problems with intimacy (if you have trouble with arousal when with a partner) or if you have a skin condition from excess masturbation but can’t stop (like chafing, rashes, etc).
Using porn for arousal is a personal decision — that’s just a fact. My input as a doctor won’t change any evidence behind that. However, I can say that there’s a variety of porn out there. Some forms are real and body-positive. Others are derogative toward certain groups or genders. So when asked about porn I encourage folks to view it as what it is: adult entertainment. This means that much of it is not founded in reality, so try to avoid letting that influence your own expectations when it comes to real-life intimacy. Many people can achieve this successfully. However, it’s also possible to become addicted to porn, and this shouldn’t be disregarded. Same rules as excessive masturbation apply: if it’s interfering with your daily activities and intimacy it might be unhealthy. But remember, when it comes to our bodies, most things are considered healthy in moderation. So be honest with yourself and keep your expectations in check.
However, saying I’ve trained for over a decade to provide evidence-based recommendations isn’t enough for some — and that’s your right! So I’ve created this page to show you where the evidence behind my statements comes from. I hope this helps.
Survey of Sexual Function and Pornography
Conclusions: Pornography and sexual dysfunction are common among young people. No clear relationship exists between extent of addiction to pornography and sexual dysfunction in either gender. However, men who prefer masturbation with pornography to partnered sex have a significantly increased risk of sexual dysfunction. Given sexual dysfunction may be associated with mental health concerns, further evaluation of its causes and impact on military operational readiness are warranted.
Cite: Berger JH, Kehoe JE, Doan AP, Crain DS, Klam WP, Marshall MT, Christman MS. Survey of Sexual Function and Pornography. Mil Med. 2019 Dec 1;184(11-12):731-737. doi: 10.1093/milmed/usz079. PMID: 31132108.
Masturbation among young women and associations with sexual health: an exploratory study
Conclusions: The article concludes by drawing attention to the apparent relation between positive early childhood communication, young women's positive views of their sexual self, and their subsequent sexual activity.
Cite: Hogarth H, Ingham R. Masturbation among young women and associations with sexual health: an exploratory study. J Sex Res. 2009 Nov-Dec;46(6):558-67. doi: 10.1080/00224490902878993. PMID: 19350442./
Adolescents and web porn: a new era of sexuality
Conclusion: It is necessary to educate web users, especially young users, to a safe and responsible use of the Internet and of its contents. Moreover, public education campaigns should be increased in number and frequency to help improve knowledge of Internet-related sexual issues both by adolescents and by parents.
Cite: Pizzol D, Bertoldo A, Foresta C. Adolescents and web porn: a new era of sexuality. Int J Adolesc Med Health. 2016 May 1;28(2):169-73. doi: 10.1515/ijamh-2015-0003. PMID: 26251980.
Effects of Pornography Use and Demographic Parameters on Sexual Response during Masturbation and Partnered Sex in Women
Conclusion: Overall, more frequent pornography use was generally associated with more favorable sexual response outcomes during masturbation, while not affecting most partnered sex parameters. Several demographic and relationship covariates appear to more consistently and strongly predict orgasmic problems during partnered sexual activity than pornography use.
Cite: McNabney SM, Hevesi K, Rowland DL. Effects of Pornography Use and Demographic Parameters on Sexual Response during Masturbation and Partnered Sex in Women. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Apr 30;17(9):3130. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17093130. PMID: 32365874; PMCID: PMC7246896.
Masturbation among women: associated factors and sexual response in a Portuguese community sample
Conclusion: Masturbation behavior appears to be related to a greater sexual repertoire, more sexual fantasies, and greater reported ease in reaching sexual arousal and orgasm. Women reported many reasons for masturbation and a variety of direct and indirect techniques. A minority of women reported feeling shame and guilt associated with masturbation. Early masturbation experience might be beneficial to sexual arousal and orgasm in adulthood. Further, this study demonstrates that masturbation is a positive component in the structuring of female sexuality.
Cite: Carvalheira A, Leal I. Masturbation among women: associated factors and sexual response in a Portuguese community sample. J Sex Marital Ther. 2013;39(4):347-67. doi: 10.1080/0092623X.2011.628440. Epub 2013 Feb 19. PMID: 23421789.
Can Pornography be Addictive? An fMRI Study of Men Seeking Treatment for Problematic Pornography Use
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that, similar to what is observed in substance and gambling addictions, the neural and behavioral mechanisms associated with the anticipatory processing of cues specifically predicting erotic rewards relate importantly to clinically relevant features of PPU. These findings suggest that PPU may represent a behavioral addiction and that interventions helpful in targeting behavioral and substance addictions warrant consideration for adaptation and use in helping men with PPU.
Cite: Gola M, Wordecha M, Sescousse G, Lew-Starowicz M, Kossowski B, Wypych M, Makeig S, Potenza MN, Marchewka A. Can Pornography be Addictive? An fMRI Study of Men Seeking Treatment for Problematic Pornography Use. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2017 Sep;42(10):2021-2031. doi: 10.1038/npp.2017.78. Epub 2017 Apr 14. PMID: 28409565; PMCID: PMC5561346.
A research on the relationship between ejaculation and serum testosterone level in men
Conclusion: The measurements revealed that there was a special pattern of periodic change in the serum testosterone levels of all subjects (n=28). In the first phase of measurements, a clear peak of serum testosterone level was observed on the 7th day of abstinence to all subjects. The average peak value was 145.7%. After the peak on the 7th day, the level declined significantly on the 8th day. The values of day 0 reflect the testosterone concentrations of the subjects who had been abstinent for more than 8 days prior to day 1.
Cite: Jiang M, Xin J, Zou Q, Shen JW. A research on the relationship between ejaculation and serum testosterone level in men. J Zhejiang Univ Sci. 2003 Mar-Apr;4(2):236-40. doi: 10.1631/jzus.2003.0236. PMID: 12659241.