Masturbation Myths & Mysteries

By Melissa BEE

Autism, Asperger's Syndrome and General Sexuality

HSAB Affiliation: Visiting Expert

Whatever your perspective on masturbation, humans and mammals masturbate because it feels good. Only humans torture themselves over moral, ethical and religious taboos surrounding any sexual practice aimed at gratification.

To enjoy your own body, to rejoice in the touch and feel of your own self and the sensations of pleasure by self-masturbating (sometimes called solo sex) or mutual masturbation (shared with a partner of the same or opposite gender) is nothing to be ashamed of. It is a thrill that is normal and healthy, not a sign of weakness, abnormality or madness as authorities in the past would have you believe.

One of the first myths surrounding masturbation was the claim that masturbation was wrong/bad/evil. This belief carried over from religious ideology that looked upon lust and the fulfillment of lust to be bad. Masturbation sated lust and therefore was evil. Many sermons were given on this topic and bizarre rituals to resist the temptation were carried out. Girls were made wear steel mesh gloves or chastity belts and padlocked devices. Boys may have had to use a powder that made the genitals painful to touch, or a chastity device that made any erection painful. The overall result was that people were ashamed of their bodies, their sexual drives and felt immense guilt. This emphasis on guilt is still sometimes seen today, on a more subconscious level, and is a remnant of a more prudish generation. While it is unlikely people will ever masturbate openly and publicly like chimps, dogs, horses and possibly dolphins do, we are still working on the guilt aspect, the insistence of our forebears that anything that felt this good had to be wrong.

The second myth, springing from the first, was that it had to be harmful to health. The religious perspective incorporated guilt and evil; the potential damage to marriage along with the wastage of sperm and the anatomical purpose of the organs, simply to reproduce. We now know that masturbation is normal and healthy, irrespective of age. It does not reduce the capability to reproduce, nor does it affect one's sexual potency after marriage.

People who don't masturbate are more likely to have sexual problems when they marry. Masturbation can be a substitute for the partner when the partner isn't available and masturbation can also aid or enhance a relationship, like a tool. If you don't know your own body, how can you teach and show your partner what feels good for you?

Some men or women use fantasy along with masturbation, for example fantasizing about homosexual activity while masturbating alone. For men with premature ejaculation, masturbation techniques and exercises can help delay ejaculation and orgasm with their partner. Mutual masturbation can be used as forms of foreplay and watching your partner masturbate him/herself can teach you a great deal about their pleasure zones, the right amount of touch, pressure, temperature and sensitivity - simply by observing their masturbating technique.

Another myth that has swung in two opposite extremes in the last hundred years was that 'nobody masturbates' to 'everybody masturbates.' Kinsey's early work in the 1940s established that 95% of men masturbated. In the 60's Masters and Johnson raised that figure to 99%. Kinsey Institute data in the 80's, showed 92% of men and 62% of women reported masturbating. Kinsey data in 1990 revealed 94% of men and 70% of women masturbate to orgasm.

Almost everyone has or will masturbate at some point in their life. Recent data shows that about 92% of all men report masturbating at some stage in their life. Many adult men continue to masturbate occasionally after they marry. A recent survey found that 97% of men and 90% of women have masturbated by the time they reach 21 years of age.

About 60% of women masturbate to orgasm at some time in their adult lives, with about 17% of all women doing so weekly. Women who have had a masturbatory experience are more likely to have orgasms during intercourse. Have you heard the myth that people over 50 don't masturbate? Well it is untrue. While an interest in having or thinking about sex may wane over time, it doesn't disappear. If people are relatively healthy and maintain active sex lives, they are able to perform well into their older years. While long breaks from sexual activity in the middle years can lead to vaginal atrophy or erectile dysfunction, older people report that as passions wane, sexual satisfaction and intensity of orgasm can actually increase. A 2001 survey showed that 66% of men and 47% of women in their fifties masturbated on a regular basis. Hormone replacement therapy also extends a woman's active sex life, thus increasing desire, so older women masturbate more now than in the past.

When you were a child (particularly if you are a boy) you may have been told that if you masturbate lots of dreadful things may occur, such as going blind, stunted growth, permanent erections, hairy palms, warts on your fingers, diseases, impotency, penis shrinkage, never being able to have intercourse or father children, going insane or becoming a sex pervert. Today, most men are sane and of normal health, height and sanity. Have hair-free palms and are married fathers of children. Clearly the myths are false. But it doesn't stop a teen worrying, after being told such nonsense.

Is there such a thing as too much masturbation? Logically anything in excess can have the potential for harm. Excessive masturbation may make you sore and/or disinterested in sex in the short term, but is not generally something with irreversible long term consequences.

Many men masturbate quickly, standing up, using one hand and condition their body to this response. It works well for immediate release of sexual tension or to aid sleep. However, in the long term, it can cause some problems. For men with little sexual contact, frequent masturbation may make it more difficult to sustain an erection, contribute to rapid or premature ejaculation when with a partner, delay orgasm or have the effect of an inability to ejaculate during intercourse. Less masturbation and allowing sexual tension to build with a longer, more drawn-out release can help reverse some of these trends. The body is an amazing thing and can unlearn and relearn new ways of responding to pleasurable stimuli. Sometimes it just takes time.

So that covers most of the common myths about masturbation. There are others dealing with foodstuffs such as cornflakes that research has shown has no bearing on the sex drive.

Masturbation no longer has the taboo it once had. Films in the last few years such as 'Angela's Ashes' where the main character and his friends confess to masturbation, only to run out of the Church into the meadow to indulge again. 'There's Something About Mary' and 'American Pie' focused strongly on masturbation. Well known comedian Jerry Seinfeld dedicated an entire episode of 'Seinfeld' to the topic. Called "The Contest," its catch phrase was "master of your own domain." It was one of the show's most popular and funniest episodes.

Whatever you call it, masturbating is a normal part of exploring your sexuality. It's not something you need to be ashamed of and it's one of the safest forms of sex.