If you have been on social media during the month of November, you may have come across the term ‘No Nut November’ every now and then. In case you were wondering what this is, it has nothing to do with whether or not you collect chestnuts or other nuts. No, this has everything to do with a challenge for men not to masturbate for the entire month of November. And that challenge makes no sense at all.
What is No Nut November?
A few years ago, a few figures on Reddit started a ‘NoFap’ community. In this internet meme, men were challenged to abstain from sex, masturbate, and not cum at all for the entire month of November. This community grew from 16,500 members in November 2018 to 83,300 members in November 2020. In 2020 there will even be a special ‘Quarantine Edition’.
The name ‘No Nut November’ refers to the ‘nuts’ of a man, and not masturbating would cause them to burst. The word ‘nut’ can also be read as a verb (to nut means to ejaculate).
The rules of ‘No Nut November’ are simple: no sex, no masturbation, no ejaculation. You can watch porn, but you can’t jerk. In other words: you can watch the game, but you cannot participate in it yourself.
Where this challenge comes from is not entirely clear. Some think it shows willpower, and builds energy, strength and testosterone. Others do it to raise awareness about prostate cancer. But the original NoFap community was more likely to dismiss porn and masturbation as sin. And then there is a group of men who do abstinence all through November in preparation for ‘Destroy Dick December’, which is sort of an advent calendar of orgasms. On December 1 you come once, on December 2 twice, and so on. And that continues until Christmas.
The cons of abstinence
The whole premise of ‘No Nut November’, namely that it would build strength and potency, is not based on anything. It is nonsense to think that you will get healthier from not orgasming. In fact, scientific research shows the opposite. There are many health benefits of masturbating and only drawbacks to abstinence.
It is an age-old misunderstanding that can be traced back to the Greeks and Romans. They believed that before a major sporting event abstinence was a prerequisite for success. Even today, there are trainers who ask their team not to have sex in the days before a game. However, there is no scientific evidence for this.
However, scientific research shows that frequent masturbation has many benefits. For example, regular ejaculation has been proven to reduce the risk of prostate cancer for men. And for women, masturbation provides relief from chronic pain.
But there are not all physical benefits. Masturbation (and sex in general) is also good for our mental health. Research has shown that more than half of heterosexual men say they masturbate to reduce stress. For them, masturbating makes them clear, relaxed and calm. Research among women provides the same picture. It also helps women to reduce stress and sleep better.
Why ‘No Nut November’ must stop
Especially in times of stress masturbation can be an important tool to significantly reduce tensions. Joining an internet meme right now to not cum for 30 days doesn’t seem like the smartest thing to do.
The video below shows the benefits of masturbating:
The video shows that there is a correlation between masturbation and (mental) health. There may be no causal link, but there is arguably no damage either.
It is therefore time to get rid of masturbation. Masturbating is not bad and even has demonstrable benefits. Instead of abstinence, everyone should be doing it right!
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