Despite sex positivity movements and increased education about sex, masturbation is still a divisive topic – and one that leaves a trail of misinformation in its wake.
Since masturbation is considered to be a sin, there have been many long-standing beliefs perpetuated by the church or just spread through playground chit-chat, that are a little shaky on the science.
As such, for years, rumors have swirled that masturbation can be the cause of all sorts of mishaps, ranging from literal blindness and damaged sensitivity to just straight-up going to hell.
So we thought it was about time we did some digging, to find out the truth behind the most common masturbation myths – and put them to bed for good.
Adolescents undergoing puberty experience a drastic change in hormone levels, including increased testosterone, which means “your body’s making more sebum, an oily substance secreted from the sebaceous glands”, according to a medically-reviewed piece by Healthline. “Sebum protects your skin, but if there’s too much of it, your pores can clog and acne may develop.”
As such, “Masturbation doesn’t cause acne – at all”. There is no link between masturbation and sebum production, and you can develop acne whether you masturbate or not.
In fact, a 10-year-long study by the Royal Edinburgh Hospital shows that orgasms can actually make your skin better, but increasing blood flow.
Consider this myth officially busted.
The pseudo-science stems from a Swiss physician called Samuel-Auguste Tissot, who said zinc was lost through masturbation, which is required for vision.
This is entirely untrue and entirely unfounded.
Friendly folklore often sees people swapping stories around distant connections who have burst blood vessels in their eyes from a particularly vigorous orgasm.
But when it comes to real medical proof? Nada.
Obviously, if you hold your breath for long periods of time anyone could burst a capillary from the pressure build up.
But that has no correlation with sex – and if you do that when you masturbate, that’s a different issue.
Dr. Justine Marie Shuey, a board-certified sexologist in Philadelphia tells everydayhealth.com that “Many myths about masturbation, such as this one, come from back when people believed sex was only meant for procreation.”
Thus any acts that sought to generate pleasure alone were considered sinful.
“People also believed masturbation could lead to insanity, tuberculosis, hairy palms, and death,” she says. “Obviously, none of these things are true.”
One such belief that’s been a longstanding fear amongst women is that masturbating too much, particularly with a vibrator, can make you less sensitive – thus making it harder to have sex with a partner in the future.
So let it be known once and for all: this is untrue.
Even if you blitz your clit off with a bullet vibe twice a day for the next 10 years – you will still be able to enjoy sex with another person and achieve orgasm (other conditions, withstanding).
The myth comes from the quite logical thought that too much friction will kill the nerve endings, meaning you need more intense vibrations or maneuvers to achieve the same level of pleasure – meaning a regular hand just won’t do the trick.
Technically this is true in the sense that if you fell off a motorbike and got a severe gravel burn, your nerve endings in that area may be less sensitive after you heal.
But there is no chance that you could achieve that with a mere vibrator, nor with a hand.
The good news is, that masturbation has been repeatedly linked with making sex better, never worse.
It forces you to become intimately familiar with your body and your genitals, meaning you’ll be better equipped to know what works for you and what doesn’t.
It is a fair assumption that if you’re unsatisfied with your sexual experiences you may rely on masturbation more heavily – and those who are sexually dissatisfied may prefer the comfort of a vibrator over a penis.
But masturbating doesn’t mean you’re unhappy in your relationship, nor does it mean your sexual appetite isn’t being met.
Exploring your body is an undeniably good thing, and as mentioned above, getting to know what you do and don’t like makes sex better, not worse.
In fact, in a recent study conducted by professors at the University of Southampton, 268 volunteers were asked to share their thoughts on mutual masturbation – that is getting yourself off together.
Since masturbation is considered to be a sin, there have been many long-standing beliefs perpetuated by the church or just spread through playground chit-chat, that are a little shaky on the science.
As such, for years, rumors have swirled that masturbation can be the cause of all sorts of mishaps, ranging from literal blindness and damaged sensitivity to just straight-up going to hell.
So we thought it was about time we did some digging, to find out the truth behind the most common masturbation myths – and put them to bed for good.
MYTH: Masturbation causes acne
Masturbation being the cause of acne is a common myth, one that typically arises during teenage years – which is exactly where the misconception stems from.Adolescents undergoing puberty experience a drastic change in hormone levels, including increased testosterone, which means “your body’s making more sebum, an oily substance secreted from the sebaceous glands”, according to a medically-reviewed piece by Healthline. “Sebum protects your skin, but if there’s too much of it, your pores can clog and acne may develop.”
As such, “Masturbation doesn’t cause acne – at all”. There is no link between masturbation and sebum production, and you can develop acne whether you masturbate or not.
In fact, a 10-year-long study by the Royal Edinburgh Hospital shows that orgasms can actually make your skin better, but increasing blood flow.
Consider this myth officially busted.
MYTH: Masturbation can make you go blind
Certified sex therapist Dr. Jenni Skyler tells PsychCentral+ that this myth was “made to control the masses with a fear that sexual arousal would cause out-of-control behaviors and the collapse of society.”The pseudo-science stems from a Swiss physician called Samuel-Auguste Tissot, who said zinc was lost through masturbation, which is required for vision.
This is entirely untrue and entirely unfounded.
Friendly folklore often sees people swapping stories around distant connections who have burst blood vessels in their eyes from a particularly vigorous orgasm.
But when it comes to real medical proof? Nada.
Obviously, if you hold your breath for long periods of time anyone could burst a capillary from the pressure build up.
But that has no correlation with sex – and if you do that when you masturbate, that’s a different issue.
Dr. Justine Marie Shuey, a board-certified sexologist in Philadelphia tells everydayhealth.com that “Many myths about masturbation, such as this one, come from back when people believed sex was only meant for procreation.”
Thus any acts that sought to generate pleasure alone were considered sinful.
“People also believed masturbation could lead to insanity, tuberculosis, hairy palms, and death,” she says. “Obviously, none of these things are true.”
MYTH: Masturbation decreases sensitivity
Masturbation fear-mongering is often targeted at women who, since the dawn of time and the birth of patriarchy, have been forced to occupy an innocent, sexless, and naive minimization of a person.One such belief that’s been a longstanding fear amongst women is that masturbating too much, particularly with a vibrator, can make you less sensitive – thus making it harder to have sex with a partner in the future.
So let it be known once and for all: this is untrue.
Even if you blitz your clit off with a bullet vibe twice a day for the next 10 years – you will still be able to enjoy sex with another person and achieve orgasm (other conditions, withstanding).
The myth comes from the quite logical thought that too much friction will kill the nerve endings, meaning you need more intense vibrations or maneuvers to achieve the same level of pleasure – meaning a regular hand just won’t do the trick.
Technically this is true in the sense that if you fell off a motorbike and got a severe gravel burn, your nerve endings in that area may be less sensitive after you heal.
But there is no chance that you could achieve that with a mere vibrator, nor with a hand.
The good news is, that masturbation has been repeatedly linked with making sex better, never worse.
It forces you to become intimately familiar with your body and your genitals, meaning you’ll be better equipped to know what works for you and what doesn’t.
MYTH: Those in happy relationships don’t masturbate
Again, this one kind of makes sense if you squint, but is still indisputably untrue.It is a fair assumption that if you’re unsatisfied with your sexual experiences you may rely on masturbation more heavily – and those who are sexually dissatisfied may prefer the comfort of a vibrator over a penis.
But masturbating doesn’t mean you’re unhappy in your relationship, nor does it mean your sexual appetite isn’t being met.
Exploring your body is an undeniably good thing, and as mentioned above, getting to know what you do and don’t like makes sex better, not worse.
In fact, in a recent study conducted by professors at the University of Southampton, 268 volunteers were asked to share their thoughts on mutual masturbation – that is getting yourself off together.
