Hundreds of thousands of years of evolution have programmed males with the urge to have sex with as many partners as possible as often as possible to propagate the species. Thus, males are procreative creatures preoccupied with and driven to release ejaculate making the male orgasm linked inextricably with the procreative act.
It’s not that men consciously have sex because they want children, yet the result of the sex act is the emission of a fluid that is only good for that singular purpose.
Unlike males, women can orgasm purely for pleasure that has nothing to do with procreation. Still, it’s virtually impossible for men to orgasm without ejaculating semen, the bodily fluid useful only for procreation.
Something interesting about this is how humans differ from other primates when it comes to masturbation. Scientists tell us that humans aren’t the only animal species that masturbates. There have even been a handful of studies that tracked the masturbatory behaviors of nonhuman primates. The scientific studies show that masturbation to completion is an exceedingly rare phenomenon in other species with capable hands very much like our own.
Male Masturbation
As anyone who has ever been to a zoo probably knows, there’s no question that other primates play with their genitalia. But these diddling episodes seldom lead to an intentional orgasm. With human males, it is quite a different story. Masturbation is nearly always continued until orgasm and ejaculation of semen. Perhaps that’s because, as males, we are slaves to the evolutionary prime directive to release semen. One thing is certain. Among other animal species, humans are unique. We masturbate a lot, and nearly always, it leads to intentional orgasm.
Some guys masturbate more than others. There is no “normal” frequency. Some do it daily, some weekly, and some rarely. Several studies show that many men have difficulty abstaining from masturbation for more than seventy-two hours, even those who have partner sex available regularly.
To be clear, masturbation is healthy, and it has lots of positive health benefits, including stress relief, help to get to sleep, reduced tension, boosted immunity, and more. But as with any of the true pleasures in life, moderation is key. If you’re masturbating to an excessive degree, you run the risk of it not only interfering with your daily routine but your overall perception of life and fulfillment, too. You might even become obsessive about it.
The male sex drive can become dependent on your pattern of masturbation and sexual release (orgasm) frequency. If you masturbate and orgasm every day, your body gets used to that pattern. It’s not unlike a drug addiction, where you need to continually increase your dosage of the substance to experience the same pleasurable effects. Most guys would agree, the more often you masturbate, the less intense and satisfying the orgasms you experience. That’s largely due to the levels of two hormones—prolactin and dopamine.
Male Orgasm and the roles of Prolactin and Dopamine
Research indicates that prolactin levels increase following orgasm and are involved in a feedback loop that decreases arousal through inhibitory central dopaminergic and probably peripheral processes. “Orgasm can cause a significant spike in prolactin levels (approximately 10 to 15ng/ml) immediately after and upwards to 10-60 minutes later.” [1] This spike is dependent on ejaculation and does not occur under non-orgasmic arousal. This prolactin spike serves to suppress further sexual desires. As prolactin rises, dopamine is reduced as the two hormones can be seen as antagonistic to each other.
Dopamine is a hormone produced by the hypothalamus, a particularly well-publicized player in the brain’s reward pathway. It is released when we do things that feel good to us. During sex and masturbation, while we are receiving erectile stimulation, dopamine levels are high and motivate us to desire continued stimulation because it feels good. As long as dopamine remains high, sexual desire remains high.
Marnia Robinson, the author of Cupid’s Poison Arrow, refers to prolactin as the “I don’t love you anymore hormone” because an increase in prolactin usually makes a man less interested in having sex with a partner. Interestingly, orgasm and ejaculation from masturbation cause less of a spike in prolactin than intercourse with a partner. That may explain why a guy may not feel the desire to have sex with a partner but then stays up watching porn and masturbating after their partner goes to bed.
Are You Masturbating Too Much?
While there is no “normal” masturbation frequency, it’s clear that masturbation frequency becomes excessive at some point. That is particularly true when you are neglecting other areas of your life to spend time masturbating. Here are some of the most common indicators of excessive masturbation.
Modifying your daily life to engage in masturbation even when there are negative outcomes (missing work, school, family, and community responsibilities).
- Choosing masturbation over work, school, spending time with your family, sex with your partner, and other responsibilities regularly.
- Feeling deregulated, irritable, frustrated, and angry when masturbation is not an option because you’re unable to regulate your mood in the absence of sexual activity.
- The frequency of your need to masturbate continues to increase.
- Trouble concentrating because you’re losing sleep due to masturbating or watching internet pornography.
- Engaging in risky behaviors while masturbating to fulfill sexual desires (voyeurism, masturbating in public places).
Excessive masturbation is often marked by a constant need to expand your sexual activities. For example, you might feel compelled to incorporate more elements of danger into your sex life for more of a thrill or need to seek increasingly hard-core pornography to reach an orgasm.
Masturbation and sex are two different practices, and so are porn and real-life sex. Porn is not a representation of how most people have sex in real life. Excessive masturbation and porn watching can make it difficult for you to maintain realistic expectations about what you see in porn vs. what you expect from partners in real life. That can harm your relationships and sex life.
Benefits of Curbing Masturbation and Frequent Ejaculation
Masturbation can be a surprising source of procrastination. Reducing that distraction can allow you to get more done on more worthwhile activities.
Reducing masturbation frequency can help you connect more physically and emotionally with your partner, improving your relationship.
Less masturbation can lead to less porn consumption, which we all know can be a real time suck.
How Male Chastity Can Help
Nothing is harder when trying to break a habit than going cold turkey. That’s why when I decided to give up smoking, I turned to vaping. Sure, vaping may not be a healthy choice either, but it seems better than smoking. Plus, since I started vaping, I don’t feel the urge to vape nearly as much as I did to smoke. You can similarly use chastity to help you break out of an overly frequent masturbation cycle. While wearing a chastity cage, there is no way to stimulate yourself, and you will probably avoid porn like the plague.
The first few days are a challenge, but after five to seven days, you actually start to enjoy the buzz of constant arousal as your brain marinates in dopamine. Also, with your penis no longer an option for a quick pleasure fix, you may very well discover stimulating other neglected parts of your body feels pleasurable.
Spending a day at work locked in a chastity device can be a great way of getting in the mood for an evening in, providing a constant, unforgettable reminder of who you will be going home to. It’s a sexy secret you’ll share with your partner, however far apart you might be. If you prefer, you can prolong the chastity further—a few days at a time works well as a means of getting all hot and bothered in anticipation of a weekend with your partner. Male chastity is fantastic as an occasional way for spicing up your sex life, or you can make it a regular part of your erotic repertoire. It’s all up to you and your partner.
Alternatively, you may wish to consider longer-term chastity. Once your body adjusts to a chastity device, there’s no reason why you can’t wear one all the time aside from the occasional break for hygiene purposes.
A desire to curb excessive masturbation and reduce porn consumption is one of the top reasons men turn to chastity. If that’s a concern for you, perhaps you should consider giving chastity a try.
Cut to the Chaste is here to help. You’ll find tips and best practices on the site like this post that outlines a chastity device wearing schedule that will help your body quickly and safely adjust to wearing a chastity cage.