50% of woman and 70% of men masturbating on

a monthly basis.

But what would you, just, completely stopped masturbating

forever?

after a week male testosterone levels go up by 40%

or at least that is what a 2003 study found

Which caught worldwide media attention

And in part lead to the no fap community

fapping being slang for masturbating

supporters of the no fap movement

also claim improved sexual performance and high sperm quality

along with feelings of improved motivation

self-esteem and happiness

but how valid are all these claims?

what most media did not mention is that

while the study did see increased testosterone

it went back down to normal levels

on day 8 with no explanation.

other abstinence studies have found no difference

at all in testosterone levels between those who masturbated and those who abstained

suggesting that other variables like

changing diet and exercise

which also impact testosterone

may more likely be the cause for any changes found

in people who stopped masturbating

in terms of sexual performance

abstinence from masturbation

does not seem to improve premature ejaculation either

after three weeks of no masturbation

a study found that participants

had roughly the same ejaculation time as those

that did not masturbate

and as for sperm quality

it turns out that those who ejaculated more frequently

had sperm that were stronger swimmers

which improves chances of fertilization

in fact this is one theory behind why not masturbating

for extended periods of time

may lead to more nocturnal admissions

or wet dreams

as a mechanism to cycle out old sperm

83% of men and 37% of women

have experienced a wet dream at least once

but the evidence for why is still in- conclusive

as there haven't been many studies given

the awkward nature of studing

people orgasm in their sleep

apart from this for men when sperm isn't ejaculated

it can be broken down and the nutrients are recycled

back inside the body

Now masturbation addiction is a real thing

and curbing the habit can potentially

impact your motivation, self-esteem and happiness

masturbation can increase dopamine and serotonin

neurotransmitter release which stimulates the reward

pathway in the brain

the only issue is that constant masturbation

leads to constant release of serotonin and dopamine

which leads to our brain becoming desensitized

to these specific neurotransmitters

our brain would then require a higher level of

dopamine and serotonin

to obtain normal levels of happiness and motivation

so if you stop masturbation you then

allow the brain to become sensitive to

dopamine and serotonin again

but the science behind masturbation

shows that it can improve sleep

reduce stress & pain and improve your immune system

along with sleuth of other health benefits

which we covered in another video on masturbation here

in men it can even reduce prostate cancer risk

of course these studies investigated primarily the

experiences of men and currently there is a lack of

evidence to suggest that polishing the pearl

is anything but beneficial to women

so if you wantto stop masturbating for personal reasons

Go for it

some say it helped their lives

but for most, in moderation

masturbation is a healthy activity with some genuine

scientific benefits

if you want know even more masturbation's healthy effects

we just uploaded the newest episode of our

podcast sidenote to youtube for the first time

where we have a scientific debate about masturbation

you can click here to list and subscribe to the new channel

we also tell very candid and personal stories about this

touchy subject and then debate both sides of the issue

including a discussion on porn addiction

things get pretty heated so be sure to check it out