How Does Masturbation Affect the Brain?

Despite growing awareness, mental health is still a huge issue for many adults in the United States. And this doesn’t only refer to 'major' conditions like depression. Anxiety, poor sleep, and pent-up stress are real issues that anyone can feel. Now, is there any way to alleviate these conditions? Absolutely. Meditation, exercise, and a healthy diet are just some of the ways to reduce stress. However, there may be a surprising way: masturbation. Yes, it’s true. Masturbation isn’t just something that makes you feel good. Those sensations can also help your brain and possibly support mental well-being. Here are some of the ways that masturbation affects the brain.

Brain Chemicals Released During Masturbation

Alright, time to talk about brain chemistry, everyone’s favorite topic when it comes to masturbation. To keep the science lesson short, when you masturbate (or have sex), your brain releases a fun mixture of chemicals. One of the main ones is dopamine, a chemical that basically rewards you for doing survival tasks like eating, drinking, and in this case, “reproducing.” Another is oxytocin. This supports important human behaviors like trust, romantic attachment, and child-parent relationships.

We’ll talk about this later when we get into stress benefits, but masturbation can also relieve some stress, thanks to the fact that the chemicals we have mentioned so far can also counteract the effects of a hormone called cortisol. This hormone controls your body’s response to stress, which can be a good thing in certain situations. However, there are some drawbacks to having too much cortisol for too long, like weight gain and high blood pressure. Reducing cortisol through jerking off could be a good way to keep things balanced.

Mental Health Benefits

A man stressed because he has not jerked it in a while.

Now we know that masturbation can lower stress, which is a big part of maintaining good mental health. But what about anxiety? Is there a positive link between masturbation and anxiety? The honest answer is yes and no. In some cases, masturbation can lead to something called “masturbatory guilt.” Whether for religious reasons or because of a myth they believe about the act, some people may experience guilt and anxiety afterward. It’s important to be clear that this isn’t really caused by masturbation itself, but rather by the beliefs and mindsets surrounding it that create distress.

The good news is that the same brain chemicals released during masturbation can also help you relax. It was actually found that for a small group of men, reducing anxiety was one of the reasons that they masturbated in the first place.

If you are having trouble sleeping, masturbation can actually help with sleep efficiency, which is the time you are asleep while in bed. This again could be thanks to the chemicals putting you in a relaxed state.

Cognitive Effects

It’s possible that the brain benefits of sexual activity go beyond just mental health. There have been studies that also take a look at the cognitive benefits of jerking off. One study found that more frequent sexual activity had a connection to better verbal fluency. It also appears that less sexual satisfaction leads to a possible decline in memory as people get older. If you find yourself worried about your memory, getting better at sex/improving your sexual satisfaction might be a good thing to try. You don’t necessarily need a partner to do so. There are plenty of male sex toys that can help improve the pleasures of masturbation and leave you thoroughly satisfied.

Summary

There seem to be many effects of masturbation on the brain, and most research points to potential benefits such as increased dopamine and possible stress relief. Masturbation may even play a role in protecting the brain from the natural decline of aging. So, if you have ever worried that masturbation could harm your mental health, rest assured that current science does not support that concern.

Now that you know masturbation can have all sorts of benefits, why not make the experience even better? You’re in luck, because this site has plenty of great masturbators and other male sex toys like the popular TENGA SPINNER Series to get you started. Click here to check them out!