Physical and psychological benefits of masturbation

The pursuit of pleasure is one of the main objectives of the human being. Men and women live not only from reflection and hard work. Pleasure, in its many facets, is associated with happiness and is (or at least should be) something we should all be looking for.

There are many ways to feel pleasure, including sex, either with other people or with yourself. We will talk about this last possibility today, delving into masturbation and its many positive effects on our physical, psychological and physiological health.

Related article: "Smart People Masturbate More, Study Finds"

Masturbation: Pleasing yourself has its advantages

Masturbation is a sexual behavior that can be defined as any form of sexual self-pleasure obtained through any type of direct physical stimulation. This sexual behavior is widely practiced, since 95% of men and 63% of women have ever masturbated.

Masturbation as a regular practice usually begins during the adolescence, with boys starting before girls as a trend, with an average starting age of 14 and 16, respectively. A curious fact is that women tend to masturbate more frequently when they are in a stable relationship, on the other hand, men tend to masturbate more when they lose a romantic relationship and stay again singles.

This sexual behavior is not specifically human, since it is also seen in other animals, especially among mammals.

Historical view of masturbation: religion and taboo

Masturbation has been condemned throughout history, giving it a negative connotation and causing or attributing various physical and mental problems to the people who have practiced it.

Thus, for example, the Christian religion has historically persecuted it, considering it even a worse sin than incest or rape in times past. Culturally, masturbation was considered the cause of health problems such as vision loss or infertility, which science strongly denies. Despite this, in times when information and access to scientific sources was a utopia, people firmly believed that masturbation would lead to severe problems, and thus repressed their instinct to practice it.

But not only religion has transmitted negativity and generated a cultural taboo towards this sexual behavior: several scientists and Health professionals have written extensively on the negative effects of masturbation on the health of people who they practice. For example, Tissot, in 1758, considered masturbation as a cause of brain softening.

It was also theorized that this practice was one of the causes of the homosexuality, Y Kraepelin explained that masturbation was a symptom of various mental illnesses. Sigmund Freud He also wrote about this sexual behavior, and had theorized that masturbation was normal in the childhood, but a symptom of immaturity in adulthood, especially in the case of female masturbation.

Physical and psychological benefits of masturbation

Clinical research has been able to show that masturbation is beneficial both physically and psychologically, and in fact, it is widely used as a technique in sexual and couples therapy

These are some of the benefits of this practice.

Physical benefits

• Causes an analgesic effect and it can help with menstrual cramps, as it causes a reduction in inflammation of the genital area.
• Maintains a healthy state of the genitals: Helps maintain good lubrication in the case of women, and a good reflection of erection and ejaculation in the case of men.
• Some studies indicate that masturbating helps strengthen the immune system and it prevents infections, due to the higher levels of immunoglobin A that can be seen in people who have more orgasms.

Psychological benefits

• Helps improve sleep, especially in the case of men, due to the release of serotonin and opioids.
• Has a relaxing effect and a feeling of well-being, helping to release both sexual, physiological and psychological tensions.
• Helps to explore and learn about one's sexuality, promoting positive attitudes towards sex and genitalia, and being able, in turn, to improve sexual functioning in the couple.

Bibliographic references:

• Cabello, F (2010). Manual of sexology and sexual therapy. Madrid: Editorial synthesis.