Have you heard of the ‘NoFap’ movement currently sweeping the nation? If you haven’t, prepare yourself for the adult theme of this new trend within younger generations and read on.
Lifestyle :
Let’s cut right to the chase. Among younger males, the slang word ‘fap’ means to masturbate. So, naturally, ‘NoFap’ means to not masturbate. The term ‘NoFap’ (which is now a trademarked name and business) first appeared around 2006 on the popular online message board Bodybuilding.com. Interestingly, the very first NoFappers believed that if they could avoid masturbation, they could somehow increase the testosterone in their bodies and ultimately create more muscle “gainz.” As the movement expanded, the concept of semen retention adopted an additional viewpoint: watching pornography was evil, but skipping masturbation could increase stamina, critical thinking, and overall mental health.
From this mentality, NoFap.com — an online/social media organization that calls itself a “comprehensive community-based porn recovery site” — was born. Members are instructed to abstain from pornography, masturbation, and even sex altogether in order to “reboot” their brains to heal from an alleged “porn addiction“ and other sexual dysfunction. For these males, NoFap has become a secular goal that’s considered as simple as adding creatine to a protein shake. However, medical professionals don’t necessarily agree.
Interestingly, both the American Psychiatric Association and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders have never recognized porn addiction as an official diagnosis. The American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists also does not believe there is sufficient scientific evidence to support the existence of sex or porn addictions. Additionally, some doctors warn that because the male body continuously produces semen, not expelling it (via masturbation or sex) might be harmful to some males.
Rick, a 20-year-old resident of Oakland, joined the NoFap movement but began feeling an imbalance in his groin area sometime thereafter. When he went to see a doctor, the physician’s prescription was surprisingly simple: “Go home and masturbate. Let it out!”
The doctor added that since masturbation is extremely common in civilizations around the world (including the animal kingdom), any cultural or religious feelings Rick may have had against “fapping” should be ignored.
Additional medical data backed up the doctor’s recommendation.
According to a 2015 case study, some evidence suggested that masturbation is actually a healthy behavior that improves mood. An additional 2016 study found that regular ejaculation has the ability to lower the risk of prostate cancer in certain males. In fact, the study found that ejaculating more than 21 times per month offered the most benefits, compared to those who ejaculated less frequently.
Still, despite data to the contrary, some males believe they have an addiction to masturbation and/or sex and that it can be cured by denying themselves ejaculation of any kind. These are the young men who join the NoFap movement, abstain from masturbation for weeks or months, fall off the wagon and succumb to the desire to pleasure themselves either alone or with a partner, then feel guilty as if they’ve done something wrong — until they restart the cycle all over again.
“It felt like everything was coming together to produce this environment of shame,” Derrick said after failing the NoFap rules. “And that was the worst that I had ever gotten. I just felt an immense amount of shame. That was my lowest point, feeling I just failed everyone by masturbating.”
At the same time, Derrick coped by hyper-focusing on not failing, which only made him think about porn more. He’d give in and watch it again, and the guilt cycle would continue.
“It was just a really, really weird time in my life,” he said.
Granted, pornography or masturbation could become a compulsion similar to a desire to eat chocolate every day. Still, that doesn’t make it an addiction that requires feelings of guilt and total abstinence, as the NoFap movement suggests.
Nicole Prause, a neuroscientist who researches human sexual behavior at the University of California and is the co-author of a recent study on NoFap, believes the so-called “relapses” among males aren’t exactly real to begin with. Why? Because NoFappers (and people who masturbate to porn) aren’t actually “addicted” to it at all.
“A real therapist would not treat fantasy as a relapse (as NoFappers do),” Prause said. “And we don’t even think about it as relapsing, because, you know, it’s not an addiction.”
“If the model is wrong, the treatment will be wrong … they’re (the NoFap movement) offering the wrong treatment because they have the wrong diagnosis. And that’s harmful.”
OK WASSUP! discusses Lifestyle News:
The ‘NoFap’ movement is harming young males.
(Blank stare) ….
Gentlemen I will yield to you. 🙂