Sometimes it feels like the fastest way to happiness is a laptop and a tissue. And that's the problem with our society. It has become so ensconced in sex that even the lewdest, crudest visual stimuli is virtually everywhere. But is that a good thing? Arguably, it isn't. Especially if you've taken to extreme masturbation as a way to cope, there are a few reasons why it may be in your best interest to ease off.
Making eye contact becomes increasingly difficult.
So say numerous testimonies from the infamous Reddit page NoFap (yes, there's an entire community dedicated to people who have quit masturbating and document their progress for everyone to see). Science also suggests that "over-masturbation," as it's dubbed in the empirical world, puts the body in a stressed state. This causes your system to go into overdrive to produce sperm. Anxiety, in public and private, may be an unwanted result.
Your significant other begins to look piggish.
It's no coincidence that the increasing popularity of porn and movies such as "50 Shades of Grey" put pressure on couples to measure up. Psychosexual therapist Cate Campbell says, "Noticing what is going well, rather than dwelling on problems, is quite difficult when we're bombarded with messages of how sex ought to be." In other words, if you're used to the nastiest shit the Internet has to offer, you might end up thinking your significant other is vanilla in the sack. And that's bad news for everyone.
In your brain, you're inseminating thousands of hot women, but you're really just lonely.
As someone a lot more intelligent than me once said, you see more hot naked women in one minute online than your great-grandfather did in his entire life. So when in comes to masturbation and porn, common sense dictates that your brain tricks itself into thinking you're a sexual god, which may inhibit your social life (i.e. going out and finding girls).
With every dopamine release post-orgasm, you're telling your subconscious that you just had sex with an ultra-hottie. This may cause your willpower to erode. Consider, as well, that with each dopamine release, your addiction only grows stronger.
Your grandpappy was right about it making you blind -- almost.
To an extent, the old adage rings true. Chronic masturbation is linked to worsened vision. For many men who can't keep their hand off themselves, blurred vision and eye floaters are a common problem. Health professionals say "excessive sexual activity or masturbation causes oxidative stress," which can damage the inner layer of the eye. Deficiencies in neurochemicals that produce healthy eyes are an occasional result.
It makes your arm tired (and other parts of your body, as well).
"Are we the first generation to masturbate left-handed?" Gary Wilson, a porn researcher and physiologist, cheekily inquired at a TED Talk. Humor aside, adrenal fatigue is a real result of heavy self-petting. The stress hormone cortisol is overproduced when you masturbate a ton, and this causes a type of chronic fatigue, differing from that caused by poor diet or lack of sleep. So, if you're wondering how to automatically gain a dose of energy that'll last throughout the day, take the abuse down a notch.
Your noodle gets limp.
If there's anything that'll motivate a frequent fapper to stop, it's the fear of erectile dysfunction. Head of the Italian Society of Andrology and Sexual Medicine. Dr. Carlo Foresta says, "It starts with lower reactions to porn sites. Then there is a general drop in libido, and in the end it becomes impossible to get an erection."
In other words, over time you begin to send weaker and weaker signals to your member. Eventually, that brain-to-phallus communication becomes so muddled that your penis struggles to erect itself. How's that for incentive?
Your other head may go bald.
Chronic beatin' alters your testosterone levels, and more precisely, your DHT (an androgen whose imbalance can effect hair follicles and their roots). After many sessions, chemicals that are necessary for a healthy scalp deteriorate. It's simply fact. Of course, this is not to say that every bald person on the street is secretly a YouPorn addict.
You get leaky.
Seminal leakage is sometimes a result of extreme masturbation. Not to be confused with premature ejaculation, these leaks happen because your sperm doors won't close. As one men's health expert said, "This is a sign that the nerve keeping the ejaculation valve shut is weakening because of excessive use or over-stimulation." Got a leak? Now you know how to fix it.
Your testosterone levels fall to that of an eight-year-old girl.
Well, maybe not quite that bad, but still pretty bad. A study at Hangzhou Normal University in China found that testosterone levels in healthy males peak "after seven days without ejaculation." The more you ejaculate, the less testosterone you have. Another way of saying this would be that the more you climax, the less of a manly man you are.
The bathroom at work becomes harder to turn down.
Chronic masturbation is like any addiction. Whether it's gambling, alcohol dependency or something else, spanking it like it's going out of style may spill into your professional life. Best to keep an eye on your habits, because you never know what they're saying about you at the water cooler.
You lose your mind.
Slapping the ham to excess increases the chance of altering your brain chemistry. Studies show that prolific masturbators showcase lower levels of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter used to send signals to other cells. The hippocampus has also proven to become slightly impaired. If you'd like increased memory and concentration, try not to sin so much. It may save your life.