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People who are more engaged with communities that push abstinence from masturbation tend to feel more suicidal after a perceived “relapse,” according to new research published in the journal Sexualities.
The authors of the new study sought to investigate potential harms associated with the so-called “Reboot” community, who believe they can reset their body to a healthier state by abstaining from pornography and masturbation. Members of this mostly online community think that masturbation has harmful effects and that abstaining from it can help alleviate conditions such as erectile dysfunction and mental health conditions.
The biggest group making these claims and selling treatments is called NoFap. The community provides resources and support for those looking to abstain from these behaviors and offers various challenges and goals to help people track their progress.
“As a clinical scientist, we are tasked to test treatment claims; Reboot coaches have long made claims of being able to cure erectile dysfunction, pornography addiction, and even suicidality. Many qualitative studies suggested these claims were not true, but these had not been tested quantitatively yet,” said study author Nicole Prause of Liberos.
The researchers used online advertisements to recruit a sample of 417 men who had heard of Reboot. Of the entire sample, 257 men indicated that they had personally tried to “Reboot.” The participants completed assessments of religiosity, depressive symptoms, anxiety, narcissism, belief in conspiracy theories, erectile functioning, pornography use, and openness to casual sex.
The authors of the new study sought to investigate potential harms associated with the so-called “Reboot” community, who believe they can reset their body to a healthier state by abstaining from pornography and masturbation. Members of this mostly online community think that masturbation has harmful effects and that abstaining from it can help alleviate conditions such as erectile dysfunction and mental health conditions.
The biggest group making these claims and selling treatments is called NoFap. The community provides resources and support for those looking to abstain from these behaviors and offers various challenges and goals to help people track their progress.
“As a clinical scientist, we are tasked to test treatment claims; Reboot coaches have long made claims of being able to cure erectile dysfunction, pornography addiction, and even suicidality. Many qualitative studies suggested these claims were not true, but these had not been tested quantitatively yet,” said study author Nicole Prause of Liberos.
The researchers used online advertisements to recruit a sample of 417 men who had heard of Reboot. Of the entire sample, 257 men indicated that they had personally tried to “Reboot.” The participants completed assessments of religiosity, depressive symptoms, anxiety, narcissism, belief in conspiracy theories, erectile functioning, pornography use, and openness to casual sex.
Greater engagement with anti-masturbation groups linked to higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal feelings
People who are more engaged with communities that push abstinence from masturbation tend to feel more suicidal after a perceived "relapse," according to new research published in the journal Sexualities. ...
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