This is an article about the online communities of people who abstain from masturbation. It discusses the reasons people join these communities and the potential harms and benefits. Some people find these communities helpful in overcoming pornography addiction. However, there is concern that these communities spread inaccurate information and may overlap with extremist groups.

  • Neato@ttrpg.networkEnglish
    423·
    8 months ago

    “I have seen claims on social media saying that semen retention can boost your testosterone levels, cure erectile dysfunction, make you more manly, make you stronger, cure depression, make you more successful, clear your skin,” says Ashley Winter, a urologist who has been publicly critical of nofap ideas.

    “And there is no medical evidence that it does any of those things,” she says, adding that in many male adults, abstaining from ejaculation will merely result in “nocturnal emissions,” or wet dreams.

    Why would your body respond to a perceived glut of mating (your body cannot tell the difference between intercourse and masturbation) with erectile disfunction? That would be a negative response spiral that would ensure extinction. It’s actually the other way around: if functions of your body aren’t getting used, they get cannibalized to save energy. This is why people with penises get erections at night: your body is ensuring it still works. Same reason why nocturnal emissions happen. Your body will ensure you can successfully mate even if you aren’t mating on a regular basis.

  • lennybird@lemmy.worldEnglish
    381·
    8 months ago

    A national poll conducted in late 2022 found that 4 out of 10 Americans believe society has become too “soft and feminine.” Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson did a special for Fox in 2022 called The End of Men, drawing attention to “the decline of manhood, of virility, of physical health, all of which together threaten to doom our civilization.”

    Well that’s fucking depressing but lines up with the MAGA banner comprised of the insecure and ignorant.

    Wonder what society of manliness they want to go back to… Lynchings? The dark ages?

    • AbidanYre@lemmy.worldEnglish
      7·
      8 months ago

      Tucker is one of the last people I would take advice from on, well anything, but masculinity in this case.

    • Tremble@sh.itjust.works
      86·
      8 months ago

      You can actually be a manly man without being complete arse. I understand some of the backlash against feminism. Boys are struggling in our school systems. Title 9 is actually used to admit more young men to colleges now, for decades now actually.

      I can even understand the popularity of some of the pick up artists who are popular among men who are not quite the “ladies man”. Better yourself, find things that help make you a better person. Get a hobby, work out. Make yourself interesting.

      But these right wing pundits are fucking crazy.

      I don’t like the term toxic masculinity (edit: if you are trying to better yourself and you say I don’t want to espouse toxic masculinity, I see that as useful (What i mean is that trying to apply it to anyone who offends or upsets you can be problematic.) other than as an idea discussed among academia, but god damn these asshats.

      • OpenStars@startrek.websiteEnglish
        52·
        8 months ago

        If it helps, there’s a noticeable trend recently - except it’s not just recently and probably hearkens all the way back prior to the dawn of the human species - where people do not mean what they say. I mean… I am being genuine here!:-)

        It highly correlates, though is not exclusive to, people being as dumb as a bag of rocks.

        e.g. Jesus commands “Love everyone - especially those you do not agree with”, and thousands of years prior the Old Testament said things like “the worker deserves their wages” (as well as tiny little details about tassels and the hems of robes and shit like that), hence Karens (male & female alike) ignore all the stuff they want to, while twisting the meaning of whatever they can get their hands on of that to kill people with (taking a handful of words in isolation, discarding the context, often not even finishing the entire fucking sentence - e.g. “there is now therefore no condemnation, for those that walk according to his path” an important if highly inconvenient, for them, part!). For goodness’ sake, the Old Testament literally prescribes a formula for “bitter herbs” to cause an abortion!

        And the people that showed up on January 6? Hint, they weren’t “patriots”.

        So if we use the definitions of an idiot, we are going to come away with a ah … “skewed perspective” of said thing - often 180 degrees in opposition to what it was supposed to mean. Hence, I am totally okay with the term “toxic masculinity”, defined in the Oxford Dictionary as:

        a set of attitudes and ways of behaving stereotypically associated with or expected of men, regarded as having a negative impact on men and on society as a whole.

        And if asshats are misusing it, even abusing it lately? Well, they suck, so why would I give one second’s thought to what they want? :-D

        I hope that perspective helps, or at least is interesting.

  • Xavier@lemmy.ca
    251·
    8 months ago

    I am not sufficiently qualified to comment on this particular sociocultural trends nor can I give medical recommendations. However, some may want to inform themselves by evaluating the current status of relevant research. A number of studies have found that greater ejaculation frequency is associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer.

    One such research in question :

    Ejaculation Frequency and Risk of Prostate Cancer: Updated Results with an Additional Decade of Follow-up | doi:10.1016/j.eururo.2016.03.027

    • Hardeehar@lemmy.world
      18·
      8 months ago

      I think it’s more the psychology of the nofap group themselves that’s hurtful. I’ve seen many/most discussions that are fine, but others are just wildly toxic with a cult-like “discipline”.

      You’re either with us or against us.

      Us vs. the system/females/people in power.

      You’re better than others. Or, if you trip up, you’re garbage.

      There’s no in-between and no room for mistakes.

      That’s not good for you in the long run and it’ll hurt more than it helps.

      • APassenger@lemmy.world
        13·
        8 months ago

        I was referred to a Huberman YT about sleep. What immediately happened to my feed was astounding and an obvious onramp to toxic masculinity. Jordan Peterson, Joe Rogan, DISCIPLINE, Optimize this and that, Alphas do this, sigmas fail because… And it’s still sorting itself out months later;×I use down votes, not interested and all of that.

        YT makes it easy for people to end up in places they shouldn’t. But I’m sure there are a lot of views along the way.

        That said, balance, discretion and never turning I to a creep who can’t not objectify… Those are traits we should all maintain.

        • LarmyOfLone@lemm.ee
          4·
          8 months ago

          It’s profitable. The AI algorithm knows that many people will comment angrily or start looking for more info. It probably even tracks if you clicked the “not interested” button angrily or truly just disinterested :D

    • Agent641@lemmy.world
      13·
      8 months ago

      You do not maturbate because you want to boost your tostersone.

      I do not masturbate because I am clinically depressed and can’t stay awake long enough.

      straightens tie

      We are not the same

    • IndustryStandard@lemmy.world
      412·
      8 months ago

      Not ejaculating is also linked to higher testosterone. Many fighters do intentionally not have sex or masyurbate masturbate a few days before their fights.

      • astral_avocado@lemm.ee
        131·
        8 months ago

        I think I’ve read that’s only a very temporary decrease immediately after ejaculation, it’s a tough thing to measure over time since you have to draw blood each time. Sports are full of psuedo science and myths.

  • Hyperreality@kbin.social
    815·
    8 months ago

    People like to complain about boomers, but let’s be real here: are the zoomers that much better?

  • jpreston2005@lemmy.world
    412·
    8 months ago

    “Spokespeople of online forums like NoFap, for example, have been very concerned with distancing themselves from anything having to do with extremism,” says Burke. “Alt-right, neo-Nazi, white supremacist, antisemitic — they are very clear to say we are not that. But they’re not willing to recognize what I think is just an empirical reality, which is that some people who buy into porn addiction rhetoric also buy into these more extremist beliefs.”

    dumbest fucking thing I’ve ever read. What? Guys are trying to masturbate less? It’s probably because they’re NAZIS

    • EatATaco@lemm.eeEnglish
      64·
      8 months ago

      . What? Guys are trying to masturbate less? It’s probably because they’re NAZIS

      Holy shit, this isn’t even remote close to what you just quoted actually said.

      • systemglitch@lemmy.world
        45·
        8 months ago

        It does if you read between the lines, because it came off exactly like that to me as well while reading it.

        • EatATaco@lemm.eeEnglish
          53·
          8 months ago

          You’re not “reading between the lines” you’re just making shit up to confirm what you want to believe is true. It doesn’t even remotely say this, they’re saying that they think it’s being co-opted by these right wing groups, and they don’t want that to happen.