You've heard of No Nut November, the challenge not to masturbate or have sex during the month of November, but have you heard of its sequel? It's called Destroy Dick December (DDD). Without going into much detail, know that it involves masturbating one more time for every day spent in December. Basically, the challenge starts with masturbating once on 1 December and..., you guessed it, 31 times on 31 December!
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Is this challenge straight out of the Internet dangerous? We take a look.
Abstinence VS excessive masturbation
Originally, No Nut November was just a prank. A challenge thrown down by a few forumers in obscure corners of the Internet. Nowadays, No Nut November has become the talk of the town, and TikTok is no innocent party. Arcwave, a brand of male sex toys, spoke to sexologist Céline Vendé.
According to her, masturbation has many benefits, but there's a world of difference between No Nut November and Destroy Dick December... While abstinence may have some advantages, the sexologist explains:
Of course, if you have an increased level of [pornography] consumption, it won't hurt to abstain, but after that, you're usually back to your old patterns.
She adds:
Studies have shown that not masturbating for a week can slightly increase testosterone levels. But no further than that.
Clearly, the sexologist is not against No Nut November, in the sense that it has, at worst, only minor consequences (nocturnal ejaculation). She stresses that solitary pleasure is a matter of personal preference. In other words, there's no ideal masturbation frequency; it depends on one's own libido and a bunch of other factors.
Similarly, there's nothing wrong with never masturbating, unless the lack of desire is due to a health problem. Compulsive flute playing, every day, all year round, on the other hand...
Destroy Dick December, 'unfeasible, even risky'
So we're back to the famous DDD and his 31 orgasms of the day. And here, the sexologist has a much clearer opinion. She even says:
It puts too much pressure on me and it's quite unrealistic, unachievable and even risky.
While abstinence has little or no effect on the body, excessive masturbation (and even more so, sex) is not without risk. Céline Vendé notes that :
Although masturbation is generally safe, excessive or aggressive practice can lead to pain, irritation or damage to the genitals. (...)
Excessive masturbation, especially with high pornography consumption, can sometimes lead to psychological erectile dysfunction, where they may have difficulty maintaining an erection during actual sexual intercourse."
In addition to these pains, masturbation can become a kind of addiction:
As with any activity, it's possible to develop a psychological dependence on masturbation, especially if it's used chronically to escape negative emotions, stress or anxiety. In these cases, it can become an unhealthy coping mechanism.
As you can see, masturbation, like alcohol, fast food and a whole lot of other things... is not unhealthy as long as it's done in moderation. It can even help you get to know your body and your desires better. Its subject shouldn't be taboo, and its practice shouldn't be shameful.
Finally, rather than indulging in DDD, Céline Vendé encourages the general population, and more specifically men - historically less inclined towards sex toys - to 'vary pleasures, be curious about your body and its sensations, discover new masturbatory gestures rather than counting the number of masturbations per day'.
This article has been translated from Gentside France
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