Study Debunks "no Nut November" Claims: Abstinence Shows No Health Benefits Or Harms

It whitethorn not beryllium astir boosting testosterone aliases self-control; caller investigation suggests nan determination to participate successful nan viral situation says much astir your characteristic than its imaginable wellness benefits.

Study: No Nut November, impermanent abstinence, and intersexual wellbeing: a study of nan short-term abstinence-based net trend. Image Credit: NeelRong / Shuttertock

In a caller study successful The Journal of Sexual Medicine, researchers investigated nan psychological and intersexual wellbeing impacts of “No Nut November” (NNN). NNN is simply a situation that involves a period of abstinence from masturbation and/or ejaculation, and is gaining mainstream net popularity, yet its effects connected intersexual wellbeing stay unknown. The coming study makes a nonstop comparison of intersexual pleasure, desire, aliases usability metrics betwixt NNN participants and non-participants earlier and aft nan challenge.

Study findings revealed nary important differences betwixt participants and non-participants crossed each measured metrics, revealing nary technological grounds backing up nan net hype surrounding NNN. However, nan study observed that individuals who had antecedently participated successful nan NNN situation reported higher levels of intersexual flexibility, suggesting a imaginable predisposing facet that whitethorn tie them to specified trends.

Background

Several net trends, including nan “ice bucket challenge” and “planking,” person periodically captured world attraction and witnessed astounding participation, pinch small information fixed to their psychological aliases wellness impacts.

One of nan astir celebrated net trends that, dissimilar astir of its peers, has withstood nan trial of clip is “No Nut November” (NNN). In this yearly challenge, participants (predominantly but not exclusively men) effort to abstain from masturbation and ejaculation for nan full month. However, nan study recovered participants defined nan rules variably: 44.5% arsenic "no ejaculation" (allowing intersexual activity without orgasm), while 33.3% banned each intersexual activity. Born from nan acheronian depths of online forums, NNN is now a mainstream phenomenon, pinch immoderate of its increasing subordinate cohort claiming benefits ranging from improved self-control and intersexual pleasance to accrued testosterone and reduced fatigue. The existent investigation did not measure physiological claims, specified arsenic changes successful testosterone levels.

Interestingly, while these claims person ne'er been scientifically verified, utmost variants of nan situation (like nan NoFap organization promoting lifelong abstinence) person been recovered to consequence successful mostly adverse outcomes, specified arsenic accrued subordinate worry and moreover erectile dysfunction. The study authors stress that NNN is chopped from NoFap arsenic a short-term, societal situation alternatively than a lifelong commitment. These confounding lines of evidence, alongside NNN’s ever-growing participation, make methodologically robust investigations of nan trend’s psychological and intersexual wellness impacts essential.

About nan study

As nan first systematic and empirical information of NNN’s impacts connected intersexual health, nan existent study aimed to reside gaps successful technological knowing of a quickly increasing world inclination pinch perchance wide consequences. It comprised an online study designed to qualify NNN participants and measurement nan trend’s effects connected intersexual wellbeing. Study participants were recruited via online platforms (subreddits, Facebook advertisements, Instagram/Twitter/X posts, etc.) successful October 2023.

Based connected their NNN information history (previous aliases prospective NNN participants versus NNN non-participants), volunteers were categorized into ‘cases’ and ‘controls’. The study collected information astatine 2 clip points: Time 1 (T1) successful October 2023, earlier NNN, and Time 2 (T2) successful December 2023/January 2024, pursuing nan challenge’s conclusion. Study information comprised participants’ demographic and aesculapian histories, NNN information information, and a civilization questionnaire evaluating different aspects of intersexual wellbeing.

Specifically, nan questionnaire included: 1. Sexual Pleasure Scale (SPS) – pleasance from intersexual activities, 2. Sexual Desire Inventory-Solitary (SDI-SD) – desire for solo intersexual activity, 3. Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX) – wide intersexual functioning and dysfunction, 4. SexFlex Scale (SFS) – psychological elasticity regarding intersexual matters, and 5. Sexual Excitation Scale-Short Form (SES-SF) – a measurement of arousal and intersexual excitation astatine baseline only (T1).

Statistical analyses included Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) to comparison intersexual wellbeing astatine T1 betwixt those who had antecedently participated successful NNN and those who hadn’t. Repeated-measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) models were besides utilized to way changes from T1 to T2 betwixt a group actively participating successful NNN 2023 versus nan controls.

Study findings

The last study dataset comprised 435 individuals who completed nan T1 survey, and only 114 who completed nan T2 follow-up. Demographic information revealed that NNN participants were predominantly achromatic (62.9%), heterosexual (54.0%), and antheral (66.7%), but besides included women (20.6%) and gender-diverse individuals (10.6%). An eye-opening and perchance alarming uncovering was that 57.1% of participants reported first participating successful NNN earlier adulthood (18 years), suggesting nan inclination has a important scope among adolescents and whitethorn person implications for intersexual development.

Analysis revealed:

• No statistically important differences successful intersexual wellbeing betwixt participants and non-participants crossed T1 and T2
• Higher baseline intersexual elasticity successful NNN participants (adjusted mean = 18.07 vs. 16.14, ηp² = .030, p = .008)
• At T1, men reported importantly higher solitary desire (p = .011), little intersexual dysfunction (p < .001), and higher intersexual excitation (p < .001) than women/gender-diverse individuals

Conclusions

This pioneering study provides nan first technological grounds evaluating nan psychological and intersexual wellbeing impacts of nan “No Nut November” phenomenon, uncovering that nan month-long play of abstinence from ejaculation has nary costs aliases use to participants’ intersexual wellbeing. These findings antagonistic beardown yet unfounded claims made by some proponents and critics online, and while constricted by their reliance connected self-report information and a 74% attrition complaint betwixt timepoints, they laic important groundwork for early research.

Perhaps nan study’s astir intriguing result was nan relation betwixt NNN information and intersexual flexibility. Rather than abstinence causing a change, it appears that a pre-existing characteristic (being much sexually unfastened and flexible) whitethorn alternatively predispose individuals to participate successful specified challenges.