Masturbation Month: Why masturbating is (seriously) good for you

If you didn’t know already, May is masturbation month! If you’re only finding out now then you’ve got to make up for the first 7 days that you missed, but before you get down to business, let us remind you (with the aid of a few studies) why masturbation is an inherent part of a healthy lifestyle.

In fact  most people don’t need encouragement, with 92% of men and 76% of women admitting they masturbate regularly. So as Woody Allen put it “don’t knock masturbation, it’s sex with someone I love.” Here’s why:

Stress release

Innumerable studies, including this recent one, have shown that masturbating is a great way to relieve anxiety and  stress. It’s known to be a great way to quickly (or not, depending on your preference) release endorphins into your system which help fight built-up cortisol caused by stress. Orgasms have been shown to engage the whole of the brain, in fact 80 different regions of the brain, and it’s literally the only activity that does so! The research comes from Rutgers University where an orgasm imaging scanner was used to monitor people’s brains during orgasm.

Menstrual pain relief

As mentioned, orgasms releases dopamine and oxytocin which not only are good for relieving stress, but actually work to relieve pain too and for women it can help improve period cramps.

More self-confidence

If you love yourself ‘that way’ it’s likelier that you’ll love yourself generally! Innumerable studies have shown that masturbating improves body confidence. Particularly among women, masturbating has been shown to increase self-esteem according to studies.

Better sex for all!

TENGA, whose sexual wellness study looks at practices and trends in masturbating, last year revealed that among 2,000 men, those who masturbated weekly were shown to have greater confidence in bed and and be overall more sexually satisfied in their personal lives. Among women too, an Icelandic study found that women who masturbated regularly had a greater awareness of what gave them pleasure and had better sex!