10 things every man should know about Masturbation

Here are ten things that will help every man understand masturbation, including the risks and the benefits.

Masturbation is one act that a lot of men perform, but might not be too inclined to talk about. But there are a few things you might not know about it. Let's break down 10 things you should know about masturbation.

1. Not that long ago, masturbation was thought to cause a wide variety of diseases and medical conditions, including mental illness, blindness, gout, and even cancer, but today we know that's not true.
 2.  In the early 20th century, medical experts believed that masturbation was extremely unhealthy and even sinful behaviour.

3. Masturbation is still considered morally reprehensible in many denominations of Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

4.  Reverend Sylvester Graham created the graham cracker, a bland cookie similar to Digestives, as a means to curtail sex drive and masturbation. Dr. John Harvey Kellogg prescribed a diet of bland food for the same reason – which included his famous invention, Corn Flakes.

5. Dr. Kellogg also recommended more extreme approaches to reduce male masturbation, such as circumcision, suturing of the foreskin to prevent erections, and cages placed over the genitals that would deliver electric shocks.

6.  Masturbation is now seen as an expected, healthy and even beneficial behaviour, a typical part of child and adolescent development.

7. Even back then when people were much more socially and sexually conservative, 92% of men and 62% of women reported that they had masturbated. The numbers haven’t changed much since. For example, in a recent study, 95% of men and 71% of women said that they masturbated.

8. Based on new data, it’s safe to say that almost all men masturbate. The majority of women also masturbate, or perhaps even most, given that women tend to underreport their sexual experiences due to fear of being judged.

9. Habitually masturbating to avoid something that you’re not dealing with, or to the extent that it’s starting to intrude negatively on your life, is a concern. Some guys masturbate to deal with stress, anxiety, sadness, loneliness, or relationship problems. In the moment, masturbation can provide relief. But as an ongoing strategy, it doesn’t make things any better; if anything, it makes things worse.

10. Excessive masturbation can lead to decreased sexual performance or interest, as men only have so much mojo to go around.