Home Culture Masturbation Science, the Kinsey Institute, Pornography, and Mental Health

Masturbation Science, the Kinsey Institute, Pornography, and Mental Health

By
James Herer
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Just earlier this month, before Valentine’s Day, I came across an article from Big Think tackling a topic about masturbation. Although the article claims several benefits citing references, the benefits mentioned are simply temporary which mostly about the biochemicals related to the cause of addiction such as dopamine, oxytocin, etc. which are triggered and released by the brain during arousal and ejaculation. Dopamine is the “feel-good” neurotransmitter and oxytocin is associated with bonding; hence, so-called “cuddle hormone”. These neurochemicals are the ones triggered by activities that cause instant gratifications that’s why masturbation is very addictive.

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These two hormones are not bad in itself, though. It is the addiction to get the rush that comes with different negative implications. And also, it is important to note that there is no research that clearly ties ejaculation to any specific benefits other than to feel good and to the desire for conception/pregnancy or “releasing the sexual energy” which is a subjective and a different issue. Though the article also mentions the benefit of sleep, this is because you get tired after releasing energy during ejaculation. Even though, you can still have a good sleep even without masturbating or ejaculating.   

The promotion of masturbation and Alfred Kinsey 

Let us first talk about the source of the study that the article has cited. Big Think cited The Kinsey Institute on its claim. But what is the issue with the Kinsey Institute? Well the Kinsey Institute has been facing many troubles and scandals for decades. This is because this organization was founded under the legacy of Alfred Kinsey. Alfred Kinsey died on August 25, 1956 and many people regarded him somehow as a “hero” of the so-called sexual revolution that catapulted with the help of his two books, “Sexual Behavior in the Human Male,” published in 1948, and “Sexual Behavior in the Human Female,” published in 1952.

Alfred Kinsey was highly exposed by the works of Dr. Judith Reisman and through a documentary film called “Secret History: Kinsey’s Pedophiles” (1998). Through these, the public learned that Kinsey was a sadomasochistic homosexual who believed “pornography was harmless, that adultery can enhance a marriage, and that children are sexual from birth”. However, these facts about Kinsey have been kept from the public knowledge with the help of his followers and supporters which are believed to be the ones behind the porn industry and the abortion industry which are both a multimillion-dollar business.   

The connection between American sex education industry, the porn, abortion and contraception industries

According to Susan Brinkmann, the co-author of “The Kinsey Corruption: An Exposé on the Most Influential ‘Scientist’ of Our Time” which was written with Judith Reisman, “Most people are completely unaware of the connection between American sex-ed and the porn, abortion and contraception industries. For instance, Planned Parenthood’s former medical director, Dr. Mary Calderone, was also a director of the Sex Information and Education Council of the United States, the sex-ed provider launched by the Kinsey Institute in 1964 with seed money provided by Playboy. And we wonder why our sex-ed classes are so graphic. The sexual education industry is the spawn of Kinsey’s so-called New Biology. With the exception of programs that are strictly abstinence-only, all other sex-ed programs used in the United States are based on Kinsey’s flawed research”.

Brinkmann also continued, “There is also a documentary called “Kinsey’s Pedophiles” that details Kinsey’s involvement with pedophiles and other sexual miscreants from whom he gathered the data that supposedly supports his hypothesis that children are sexual from birth. He was a pederast who enjoyed public nudity, made explicit sex films and eventually developed such an extreme sadomasochistic form of autoeroticism that some believe it caused his untimely death in 1956”. 

Explaining Alfred Kinsey’s study, she stated, “Kinsey classified 1,400 criminals and sex offenders as “normal” on the grounds that such miscreants were essentially the same as other men — except that these had gotten caught. The “human males” category could then include incarcerated pedophiles, pederasts, homosexual males, boy prostitutes and miscellaneous sexual predators. His studies concerning child sexuality are the most outrageous — and some say criminal — of all. Kinsey relied on pedophiles who sent him data from their crimes. He used this data to claim that children as young as 4 months are capable of sexual arousal”.

Now there is no strong reason to suggest that the point that the article by the Big Think is presenting cannot be trusted. It is up to you to judge about the matter. Perhaps, all that was presented clearly to you is the connection between the study cited (which is from the Kinsey Institute) and the obvious crimes engineered by Alfred Kinsey. It was said (and proven) by his accusers that his so-called study was conducted through molestation and torture of hundreds of children, including babies by the pedophiles and criminals that helped him. And perhaps, it is self-evident that masturbation is really addictive which was clearly backed by the so-called study cited by the article. Perhaps, in my own opinion, it is a deliberate promotion of pornography culture through masturbation. As what I’ve observed, there’s a strong connection between this two. Because if you are addicted to masturbation, chances are, you will also be addicted to watching porn. That we will discuss more below.      

The “masturbation prevents prostate cancer” claim

So let us first talk about other most cited study of the supposed benefits of masturbation. Many advocates of masturbation claim that it prevents prostate cancer. But the study they cited itself is obviously flawed and misunderstood. One of the most famous articles using this claim is by the Daily Mail in 2017. According to the website Health Line, “The article details the results of a study of 31,925 men published in the December 2016 issue of European Urology. It went on to say – Although the study’s findings do suggest that there’s a direct relationship between ejaculation frequency and prostate cancer risk, additional research is needed to fully explore this possibility -. The study in question relied on self-reported answers — once in 1992 and once in 2010 — about how often they ejaculated each month and whether they developed prostate cancer. This means that the results could be skewed by the subject’s memories or awareness of their habits”.

So Health Line proved that the study is not conclusive. It also added that the study did not clearly stipulated if ejaculation was really by masturbation or through sex with a partner. They also added that “the study relies on data from self-reported surveys — rather than controlled laboratory data — to assess participants’ number of ejaculations and overall physical health. This means that the results may not be entirely accurate” and that “the 2004 study has found no statistical significance between ejaculation and prostate cancer risk”.

Masturbation, testosterone levels, and physical health

It was proven by a 2003 study that serum testosterone in men rises after 7 days of abstinence from masturbation or ejaculation (145.7% of baseline). Many studies also proved that low testosterone levels correlates to weakness and fatigue, abdominal obesity, flagging libido, weakening of muscles, and erectile dysfunction. So it’s clear that avoiding masturbation or ejaculation preserves and increases testosterone and body strengths. And also, masturbation, especially too much of it, leads to other negative health effects such as testicular pain, penile injury, vision changes, hair loss, and lower back pain. This is because you will lose so much vitamins and minerals from your body. It is important to keep these energies to be absorbed back by your body or to be diverted to other productive matters/activities.           

Other people who observed the benefits of their abstinence from masturbation claims that it increases their motivation, confidence, mental clarity, hormonal balance, and sense of self-esteem. Some also claimed benefits to their emotional health, concentrations, and well-being in general. One person claimed, “I don’t wake up in the morning and hate my self for what I did the day or the night before. I don’t go to school stressed, awkward or worried about what others think. For the first time in six years I’m confident in my self, how I look and the person I’ve become”. Some also claimed they have more time to focus on self-productive activities and that they have more control over their body in contrast to addiction (regulating dopamine, etc.).

Mental health and the connection between porn industry and Alfred Kinsey

The first biggest porn company is Playboy which had its first publication in 1953, featuring Marilyn Monroe on the cover. This was also the same year when Alfred Kinsey’s first book was published. Playboy is owned by Hugh Hefner (1926-2017) who is a known huge supporter of Alfred Kinsey’s false claims and so-called research. In fact, he’s been named as “Kinsey’s publicist” and “Kinsey’s pamphleteer.” Fast forward to today, due to Hefner’s influence, porn has become an epidemic; widely accessible to society. Of course it is utterly ridiculous to deny the connection between porn and masturbation. If you watch porn, you will also masturbate. And if you want to masturbate, you would probably be tempted to think that it’s better to use porn to aid you with masturbation especially if you are addicted to it. But some studies found that many people who watch porn often are more depressed compared to those who watch less and to those do not watch at all. It also shows that the more you view porn, the more isolated you feel, therefore, the more depressed you get. It will make you “become less motivated to go out and have genuine connections with others”.

In a statistics presented by Fight The New Drug, an organization dedicated to stopping pornography and it’s negative social impacts, it claims that huge percentage of the internet is dedicated to pornography sites. Using Porn Hub as an example, it shows that in 2019 alone, there were 42 billion visits to this site during the whole year and there were 115 million visits per day. That’s from Porn Hub alone! So it means that many people currently are addicted to porn and masturbation. This may cause serious epidemic health issues. In India (Chennai, Tamil Nadu) for example, masturbation addiction has caused major health problems to some portion of its population, specifically to adolescent girls. And with this, porn has played a major role. But what is more disturbing is that many of the videos from this site (Porn Hub) involve underage teens and women that are victims of human trafficking. One reason is that most people cannot distinguish minors from non-minors in the video. Many of them have been abused, forced, and even drugged to perform the acts. Not to mention the “child pornography” (child rape video) and the damage it brings to them. Therefore, society really has to do something to stop this kind of exploitation caused by a billion-dollar industry.

Shame, Guilt, and the Conclusion

Based on my previous experiences and based on many people’s experiences, addiction to masturbation and watching porn really harms us psychologically and physically. It also has many proven disadvantages to a person’s social life. And whether you accept it or not, watching porn means you support the exploitation and corruption of women and men by the porn industry. It might also cause you to disrespect and objectify women/men. It might make you addicted to sex in general. Most people feel guilty after watching porn and after masturbation. We also feel shameful and disgusted to ourselves for so many reasons. This is very difficult to accept because of shame. And sometimes, it is shame that strengthens addiction.  

Porn and masturbation habits are sometimes caused by boredom; and when you’re bored it means you’re lacking meaning and motivation in life that’s why you choose and succumb to cheap pleasure and instant gratification. It is always better to divert one’s self to other important matters; especially those that help you and others become better. According to Josh Hudson, founder of Pinnacle of Man, a group promoting self-development for men, “When you’re able to fully love your self and get to a place where you don’t need that cheap gratification (watching porn and masturbation), you’ll have more self-discipline and more self-respect”. It’s OK to masturbate or release that energy sometimes (without supporting the porn industry), but making this a habit and getting addicted is surely not healthy and not something you can be proud of. However, it is a difficult battle and the decision is always up to you.    

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