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{{Redirect|Onanism|the Biblical origin of the term "onanism"|Onan}}
[[Image:Klimt Mulher sentada.jpg|thumb|[[Gustav Klimt]]'s ''Woman seated with thighs apart'' (1916).]]
{{Masturbation}}
'''Masturbation''' refers to [[sexual stimulation]] of a person's own [[sex organ|genitals]], usually to the point of [[orgasm]].<ref name="webmd">{{cite web|url=http://www.webmd.com/sex-relationships/guide/masturbation-guide |title=Masturbation - Is Masturbation Normal or Harmful? Who Masturbates? Why Do People Masturbate? |publisher=Webmd.com |date=2010-03-04 |accessdate=2011-08-17}}</ref> The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods.<ref>Based on "masturbation" in ''Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition'', Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003</ref> Masturbation is a common form of [[autoeroticism]]. Masturbation with a partner, called '''mutual masturbation''', is also common more common than that is self masturbation in the form of you and your partner masturbate together.
Men and women have techniques and characteristics in common, but also have specific preferences in the ways they like to masturbate. Studies have found that masturbation is frequent in humans of both sexes and all ages, although there is variation. Various medical and psychological benefits have been attributed to a healthy attitude to sex in general and to masturbation in particular, and no causal relationship is known between masturbation and any form of mental or physical disorder. Acts of masturbation have been celebrated in art worldwide since prehistory. While there was a period (from the late 18th to the early 20th century) when it was subject to medical censure and social conservatism, it is considered a normal part of healthy life today. There have been [[Masturbate-a-thon|masturbation marathons]] and [[National Health Service (England)|health service]] slogans such as "an orgasm a day keeps the doctor away". It is commonly mentioned in popular music as well as on television, in films and in literature.
[[Non-human animal sexual behavior#Autoeroticism (masturbation)|Animal masturbation]] has been observed in many species, both in the wild and in captivity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.petplace.com/horses/breeding-soundness-examination-of-the-stallion/page2.aspx |title=Breeding Soundness Examination of the Stallion |publisher=Petplace.com |date= |accessdate=2011-05-29}}</ref><ref name="Bagemihl,1999">{{cite book |author=Bagemihl, Bruce |title=Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity |publisher=St. Martin's Press |year=1999 |isbn=0-312-19239-8 }}</ref><ref>For further references, see also the main article [[Animal sexuality#Autoeroticism (masturbation)]].</ref>
==Etymology==
{{wiktionary|masturbation}}
{{wiktionary|onanism}}
The English word ''masturbation'' was introduced in the 18th century, based on the Latin verb ''masturbari'', alongside the more technical and slightly earlier ''onanism''.
The [[Latin]] verb ''masturbari'' is of uncertain origin. Suggested derivations include an unattested word for "penis", ''*mazdo'', cognate with [[Ancient Greek|Greek]] ''mézea'' ''μέζεα'', "genitals", or alternatively a corruption of an unattested ''*manustuprare'' ("to defile with the hand"), by association with ''turbare'' "to disturb".<ref>{{cite book |last = Dally |first = Peter |title = The Fantasy Factor |year = 1975 |page = 135 |publisher = George Weidenfeld and Nicolson Limited |isbn = 0-297-76945-6}}</ref><ref>''OED'', s.v. ''[http://oed.com/view/Entry/114847 masturbation]''</ref>
There is a wide array of more recent slang synonyms, among the most notable being ''to [[:wikt:jerk off|jerk off]]'' (1896) and ''[[:wikt:wank|wank]] (1948).
==Techniques==
[[Image:Masturbating hand.jpg|thumb|right|A woman masturbating.]]
Ways of masturbating common to members of both sexes include pressing or rubbing the [[genital]] area, either with the fingers or against an object such as a [[pillow]]; inserting fingers or an object into the [[anus]] (see [[anal masturbation]]); and stimulating the penis or vulva with electric [[Vibrator (sensual)|vibrator]]s, which may also be inserted into the vagina or anus. Members of both sexes may also enjoy touching, rubbing, or pinching the [[nipple]]s or other [[erogenous zones]] while masturbating. Both sexes sometimes apply [[personal lubricant|lubricating]] substances to intensify sensation.
Reading or viewing [[pornography]], or [[sexual fantasy]], are often common adjuncts to masturbation. Often people will call upon memories during masturbation. Masturbation activities can be [[ritualization|ritualised]] and various [[sexual fetishism|fetishes]] and [[paraphilia]]s may play a part. Some potentially harmful or fatal activities include [[autoerotic asphyxiation]] and [[self-bondage]].
Some people get [[sexual pleasure]] by inserting objects, such as [[Urethral sounding|urethral sounds]], into the [[urethra]] (the tube through which urine and, in men, semen, flows),<ref name="Alice05">{{cite web |first = "Alice" |title = Go ask Alice!: Cock-stuffing |publisher = Columbia University, New York |date = 2005-02-18 |url = http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/3516.html |accessdate = 2006-07-29}}</ref> a practice known as [[urethral play]] or "sounding".<ref name="BME06">{{cite web |last = Various authors |title = Urethral Sound |publisher = Body Modification Ezine |date = 2006-04-21 |url = http://wiki.bmezine.com/index.php/Urethral_Sound |accessdate = 2006-07-29}}</ref> Other objects such as ball point pens and thermometers are sometimes used, although this practice can lead to injury and/or infection.<ref name="JAAPA06">{{cite web |last = McPartlin |first = Daniel |coauthors = Adam P. Klausner, MD; Tristan T. Berry, MD |title = Case report: A foreign body in the urethra |publisher = Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants |date = 2005-09-09 |url = http://jaapa.com/issues/j20050901/articles/urethral0905.htm |accessdate = 2006-07-29 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20060701223330/http://jaapa.com/issues/j20050901/articles/urethral0905.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2006-07-01}}</ref> Some people masturbate by using [[Fucking machine|machine]]s that simulate intercourse.
Men and women may masturbate until they are [[Orgasm control|close to orgasm]], stop for a while to reduce excitement, and then resume masturbating. They may repeat this cycle multiple times. This "stop and go" build-up, known as "edging," can achieve even stronger orgasms.<ref name="SXED1">{{cite web | title = Sex Editorials | date = 2004-03-16 | url = http://sexeditorials.com/ |accessdate = 2009-07-11}} "The Stop-And-Go Masturbation Technique for Men and Women"</ref> Rarely, people quit stimulation just before orgasm to retain the heightened energy that normally comes down after orgasm.<ref>[http://www.csis.hku.hk/~bruce/masturb1.html Masturbation, Tantra and Self-love<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
===Female===
[[Image:Masturbating with a vibrator.jpg|thumb|right|Masturbating using a [[dildo]].]]
Female masturbation techniques include a woman stroking or rubbing her [[vulva]], especially her [[clitoris]], with her [[index finger|index]] and/or [[middle finger]]s. Sometimes one or more fingers may be inserted into the vagina to repeatedly stroke its frontal wall where the [[G-spot]] is located.<ref name="Keesling99">{{cite web |last = Keesling |first = Barbara |title = Beyond Orgasmatron |publisher = Psychology Today |date = November/December 99 (Last Reviewed: 30 August 2004) |url = http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/index.php?term=pto-19991101-000038&page=2 |accessdate = 2006-07-29}}</ref> Masturbation aids such as a [[Vibrator (sensual)|vibrator]], [[dildo]] or [[Ben Wa balls]] can also be used to stimulate the vagina and clitoris. Many women caress their breasts or stimulate a [[nipple]] with the free hand, if these are receptive areas for sexual stimulation. Anal stimulation is also enjoyed by some. [[Personal lubricant|Lubrication]] is sometimes used during masturbation, especially when [[Sexual penetration|penetration]] is involved, but this is not universal and many women find their [[Vaginal lubrication|natural lubrication]] sufficient.
[[File:Fingering close-up.jpg|thumb|Masturbating with fingers]]
Common positions include lying on back or face down, sitting, squatting, kneeling or standing. In a bath or shower a female may direct tap water at her [[clitoris]] and [[vulva]]. Lying face down one may use the hands, one may straddle a pillow, the corner or edge of the bed, a partner's leg or some scrunched-up clothing and "[[dry hump|hump]]" the vulva and clitoris against it. Standing up a chair, the corner of an item of furniture or even a washing machine can be used to stimulate the clitoris through the labia and clothing. Some masturbate using only pressure applied to the clitoris without direct contact, for example by pressing the palm or ball of the hand against [[underwear]] or other clothing. In the 1920s, [[Havelock Ellis]] reported that turn-of-the-century seamstresses using treadle-operated sewing machines could achieve orgasm by sitting near the edge of their chairs.<ref>Ellis, Havelock (1927), Studies in the Psychology of Sex (3rd edition), Volume I,; Auto-Erotism: A Study of the Spontaneous Manifestations of the Sexual Impulse; section I; "The Sewing-machine and the Bicycle:" quotes one Pouillet as saying "it is a well-recognized fact that to work a sewing-machine with the body in a certain position produces sexual excitement leading to the orgasm. The occurrence of the orgasm is indicated to the observer by the machine being worked for a few seconds with uncontrollable rapidity. This sound is said to be frequently heard in large French workrooms, and it is part of the duty of the superintendents of the rooms to make the girls sit properly." {{gutenberg|no=13610|name=Studies in the Psychology of Sex, v. I, by Havelock Ellis}}</ref>
Women can sexually stimulate themselves by crossing their legs tightly and clenching the muscles in their legs, creating pressure on the genitals. This can potentially be done in public without observers noticing. Thoughts, fantasies, and memories of previous instances of arousal and orgasm can produce sexual excitation. Some women can orgasm spontaneously by force of will alone, although this may not strictly qualify as masturbation as no physical stimulus is involved.<ref name="Koedt70">{{cite web |last = Koedt |first = Anne |title = The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm |publisher = Chicago Women's Liberation Union |year = 1970 |url = http://www.cwluherstory.org/myth-of-the-vaginal-orgasm.html |accessdate = 2010-11-18}}</ref><ref name=kins>The Kinsey Institute [http://www.kinseyinstitute.org/research/ak-data.html#masturbation Data from Alfred Kinsey's studies]. Published online.</ref>
Sex therapists will sometimes recommend that female patients take time to masturbate to orgasm, especially if they have not done so before.<ref name="Shuman06">{{cite web |last = Shuman |first = Tracy |title = Your Guide to Masturbation |publisher = WebMD, Inc./The Cleveland Clinic Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology |date = 2006-02 |url = http://www.webmd.com/content/article/45/2953_487.htm |accessdate = 2006-07-29}}</ref><ref name="Knowles02">{{cite web |last = Knowles |first = Jon |title = Masturbation — From Stigma to Sexual Health |publisher = Katharine Dexter McCormick Library/Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. |date = 2002-11 |url = http://www.plannedparenthood.org/news-articles-press/politics-policy-issues/medical-sexual-health/masturbation-6360.htm |accessdate = 2006-07-29}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
===Male===
[[Image:Masturbating man2.JPG|thumb|right|Masturbating by gripping and sliding the [[foreskin]] back and forth.]]
Male masturbation techniques are influenced by a number of factors and personal preferences. Techniques may also differ between males who have been [[circumcision|circumcised]] and those who have not. Some techniques which may work for one individual can be difficult or uncomfortable for another.
The most common male masturbation technique is simply to hold the penis with a loose fist and then to move the hand up and down the shaft. This type of stimulation is typically all that is required to achieve [[orgasm]] and [[ejaculation]]. The speed of the hand motion will vary from person to person, although it is not uncommon for the speed to increase as ejaculation nears and for it to decrease during the ejaculation itself.<ref name="ADVMAS1">{{cite web | title = Advanced Masturbation | date = 2004-10-22 | url = http://advancedmasturbation.com/ |accessdate = 2009-07-11}} "The Full Fist Masturbation Technique" and "The Thumb-Forefinger Masturbation Technique"</ref> For males who have not been circumcised, stimulation of the penis in this way comes from the "pumping" of the [[foreskin]], in which the foreskin is held and slid up and down over the [[glans penis|glans]], which depending on foreskin length, is completely or partially covered and then uncovered in a rapid motion. The glans itself may widen and lengthen as the stimulation continues, becoming slightly darker in colour, while the [[Foreskin#Functions|sliding motion]] of the foreskin reduces friction. For circumcised males, on whom the glans is mostly or completely uncovered, this technique creates more direct contact between the hand and the glans. To avoid soreness from this resulting friction, some may prefer to use a [[personal lubricant]] during masturbation.
The shaft skin can also be slid back and forth with just the index finger and thumb wrapped around the penis. A variation on this is to place the fingers and thumb on the penis as if playing a flute, and then shuttle them back and forth.<ref name="ADVMAS1" /> Lying face down on a comfortable surface such as a mattress or pillow, the penis can be rubbed against it. This technique may include the use of a [[simulacrum]], or [[artificial vagina]].
There are many other variations on male masturbation techniques. Men may also rub or massage the glans, the rim of the glans, and the [[frenular delta]]. Some men place both hands directly on their penis during masturbation, while others may use their free hand to [[fondle]] their [[testicles]], [[nipples]], or other parts of their body. The [[nipples]] are [[erogenous zones]], and vigorous stimulation of them during masturbation usually causes the penis to become erect more quickly than it would otherwise. Some may keep their hand stationary while pumping into it with pelvic thrusts in order to simulate the motions of [[sexual intercourse]]. Others may also use vibrators and other sexual devices more commonly associated with female masturbation. A few extremely flexible males can reach and stimulate their penis with their tongue or lips, and so perform [[autofellatio]].
The [[prostate]] gland is one of the organs that contributes fluid to [[semen]]. As the prostate is touch-sensitive, some directly stimulate it using a well-lubricated finger or [[dildo]] inserted through the [[anus]] into the [[rectum]]. Stimulating the prostate from outside, via pressure on the [[perineum]], can be pleasurable as well. Some men also enjoy [[anal sex|anal]] stimulation, with fingers or otherwise, without any prostate stimulation.
A somewhat controversial ejaculation control technique is to put pressure on the perineum, about halfway between the [[scrotum]] and the anus, just before ejaculating. This can, however, redirect semen into the bladder (referred to as [[retrograde ejaculation]]).
==Mutual masturbation==
[[Image:Geiger-masturbation-mutuelle.jpg|thumb|right|[[Johann Nepomuk Geiger]], [[watercolor]], 1840.]]
{{See also|Non-penetrative sex}}
'''Mutual masturbation''' is a [[sexual act]] where two or more people stimulate themselves or one another sexually, usually with the hands.
It can be part of a full repertoire of sexual intercourse. It may be used as an interlude, [[foreplay]], or as an alternative to penetration. For some people, [[non-penetrative sex]] or frottage is the primary sexual activity of choice above all others. Participants who do not want full sexual intercourse thus still enjoy mutual masturbation.
Mutual masturbation is practiced by people of all [[sexual orientation]]s. When used as an alternative to penile-vaginal penetration, the goal may be to preserve [[virgin]]ity or to prevent pregnancy. Some people choose it as an alternative to [[casual sex]] because it results in sexual satisfaction without actual sex. For some people, masturbating with friends helps lift the stigma they feel surrounding the act. This helps them develop their orgasm, increase its pleasure, and inspires them to masturbate on a more frequent basis.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.caitlainscorner.com/content/view/163/55/|title=Mutual Masturbation|work=Caitlain's Corner|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080603002414/http://www.caitlainscorner.com/content/view/163/55/|archivedate=Jun 03 2008}}</ref>
Mutual masturbation can be practiced by males or females in pairs or groups with or without actually touching another person as indicated by the following examples of contact versus non-contact scenarios:
* '''Non-Contact Mutual Masturbation''' — Two people masturbating in the presence of each other but not touching.
* '''Contact Mutual Masturbation''' — One person touching another person to masturbate. The other person may do the same during or after.
* '''Non-Contact Group''' — More than two people masturbating in the presence of each other in a group but not touching each other.
* '''Contact Group''' — More than two people physically touching each other to masturbate as a group.
* '''Mutual Masturbation Foreplay''' — The manual stimulation of each other's genitals where the session eventually leads to sex.<ref name="MUTUAL">{{cite web | title = Mutual Masturbation | date = 2006-06-12 |accessdate = 2010-08-07|url=http://advancedmasturbation.com/mutual}} — A biographical collection of data for a sociological repository on the topic of mutual masturbating to study changes on the activity over time.</ref>
==Frequency, age, and sex==
Frequency of masturbation is determined by many factors, e.g., one's resistance to [[sexual tension]], [[hormone]] levels influencing [[sexual arousal]], sexual habits, peer influences, health and one's attitude to masturbation formed by culture; E. Heiby and J. Becker examined the latter.<ref name=Heiby80>{{cite journal|doi=10.1007/BF01542263|last=Heiby|first=E,|coauthors=Becker JD|date=April 1980|title=Effect of filmed modeling on the self-reported frequency of masturbation|journal=Arch Sex Behav.|volume=9|issue=2|pages=115–21|pmid=7396686}}</ref> Medical causes have also been associated with masturbation.<ref>{{cite journal |author=De Alwis AC, Senaratne AM, De Silva SM, Rodrigo VS |title=Bladder calculus presenting as excessive masturbation |journal=Ceylon Med J |volume=51 |issue=3 |pages=121–2 |year=2006 |month=September |pmid=17315592 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.yebeh.2003.10.009 |author=Ozmen M, Erdogan A, Duvenci S, Ozyurt E, Ozkara C |title=Excessive masturbation after epilepsy surgery |journal=Epilepsy Behav |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=133–6 |year=2004 |month=February |pmid=14751219 |url=http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1525505003002981}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Lopez-Meza E, Corona-Vazquez T, Ruano-Calderon LA, Ramirez-Bermudez J |title=Severe impulsiveness as the primary manifestation of multiple sclerosis in a young female |journal=Psychiatry Clin. Neurosci. |volume=59 |issue=6 |pages=739–42 |year=2005 |month=December |pmid=16401253 |doi=10.1111/j.1440-1819.2005.01446.x }}</ref>
Different studies have found that masturbation is frequent in humans. [[Alfred Kinsey|Alfred Kinsey's]] 1950s studies on US population <!--what age, location--> have shown that 92% of men and 62% of women have masturbated during their lifespan.<ref name=kins/> Similar results have been found in a 2007 British national probability survey. It was found that, between individuals aged 16 to 44, 95% of men and 71% of women masturbated at some point in their lives. 73% of men and 37% of women reported masturbating in the four weeks before their interview, while 53% of men and 18% of women reported masturbating in the previous seven days.<ref name=gerr>{{cite journal |author=Gerressu M, Mercer CH, Graham CA, Wellings K, Johnson AM |title=Prevalence of masturbation and associated factors in a British national probability survey |journal=Arch Sex Behav |volume=37 |issue=2 |pages=266–78 |year=2008 |month=April |pmid=17333329 |doi=10.1007/s10508-006-9123-6}}</ref>
<!-- online survey. A 2008 UK study "The Gossard Big M Survey" revealed that masturbation is on the rise between women aged 18 to 30 year olds and that 92% of women who were in the study masturbated. Further, 2/3 masturbated at least 3 times a week and those in London reported at least 4 times a week. [http://www.britainnews.net/story/440746]. In it, marital status and frequency of sex with a partner had little relationship with the frequency of masturbation. That is, the women who masturbated were just as likely to also enjoy sex with a partner during the week as those who did not. Masturbation was used to augment regular sex and is often used in sex therapy to treat sexual performance problems, not substitute for sex.-->
In 2009, the UK Government joined the Netherlands and other European nations in encouraging teens to masturbate at least daily. An orgasm was defined as a right in its health pamphlet. This was done in response to data and experience from the other EU member states to reduce teen pregnancy and STIs (STDs), and to promote healthy habits.<ref>{{cite web|author=Treptow, C.|date=14 July 2009|title=U.K. Government Encourages Teen Masturbation?|publisher=ABC News|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/story?id=8072314&page=1}}</ref>
<!-- old, small, irrelevant study -- "Forty-eight female college students were asked to complete a sexual attitudes questionnaire in which a frequency of masturbation scale was embedded. Twenty-four of the women (the experimental group) then individually viewed an explicit modeling film involving female masturbation. One month later, all subjects again completed the same questionnaire. Subjects in the experimental group also completed a questionnaire evaluating aspects of the film. Results indicated that the experimental group reported a significant increase in the average monthly frequency of masturbation, as compared to the control group. This same group, however, reported that the film had no effect on sexual attitudes or behavior."<ref name=Heiby80/>-->
In the book ''Human Sexuality: Diversity in Contemporary America'', by Strong, Devault and Sayad, the authors point out, "A baby boy may laugh in his crib while playing with his erect penis". "Baby girls sometimes move their bodies rhythmically, almost violently, appearing to experience [[orgasm]]." Italian gynecologists Giorgio Giorgi and Marco Siccardi observed via ultrasound a female fetus possibly masturbating and having what appeared to be an orgasm.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Giorgi G, Siccardi M |title=Ultrasonographic observation of a female fetus' sexual behavior in utero |journal=Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. |volume=175 |issue=3 Pt 1 |page=753 |year=1996 |month=September |pmid=8828451 |url=http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0002-9378(96)00526-1}}</ref>
It appears that females are less likely to masturbate while in an active [[heterosexual]] relationship than men. Popular belief asserts that individuals of either sex who are not in sexually active relationships tend to masturbate more frequently than those who are; however, much of the time this is not true as masturbation alone or with a partner is often a feature of a relationship. Contrary to conventional wisdom, several studies actually reveal a positive correlation between the frequency of masturbation and the frequency of intercourse. One study reported a significantly higher rate of masturbation in gay men and women who were in a relationship.<ref name=gerr/><ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1590/S0102-311X2006000700011 |author=Heilborn, M.L., Cabral, C.S. |title=Sexual practices in youth: analysis of lifetime sexual trajectory and last sexual intercourse |journal=Cad Saude Publica |volume=22 |issue=7 |pages=1471–81 |year=2006 |url=http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-311X2006000700011&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en |pmid=16791346}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | doi = 10.1177/0269881106059732 | author = Menon A., McAllister R.H., Watson W., Watson S. | year = 2006 | title = Increased libido associated with quetiapine | url = http://jop.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/20/1/125 | journal = Journal of Psychopharmacology | volume = 20 | issue = 1| pages = 125–7 | pmid = 16354735 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/S0306-4530(01)00066-X |author=Burleson MH, Trevathan WR, Gregory WL |title=Sexual behavior in lesbian and heterosexual women: relations with menstrual cycle phase and partner availability |journal=Psychoneuroendocrinology |volume=27 |issue=4 |pages=489–503 |year=2002 |month=May |pmid=11912001 |url=http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S030645300100066X}}</ref>
==Evolutionary utility==
Masturbation may increase fertility during intercourse. A 2009 Australian study found daily ejaculation to be an important factor in sperm health and motility.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090705/Daily-sex-good-for-sperm!.aspx |title=Daily sex good for sperm! |publisher=News-medical.net |date= |accessdate=2011-08-17}}</ref>
Female masturbation alters conditions in the vagina, cervix and uterus, in ways that can alter the chances of conception from intercourse, depending on the timing of the masturbation. A woman's orgasm between one minute before and up to 45 minutes after insemination favors the chances of that sperm reaching her egg. If, for example, she has had intercourse with more than one male, such an orgasm can increase the likelihood of a pregnancy by one of them.<ref>{{cite book |last = Baker |first = Robin |title = Sperm Wars: The Science of Sex |publisher = Diane Books Publishing Company |month=June | year=1996 |isbn = 978-0788160042}}</ref><ref name=Ejaculate_manipulation_by_females>{{cite journal |last = Baker |first = Robin R. |coauthors = Bellis, Mark A. |year = 1993 |month = November |title = Human sperm competition: Ejaculate manipulation by females and a function for the female orgasm. |journal = Animal Behaviour |volume = 46 |issue = 5 |pages = 87, 23p |doi = 10.1006/anbe.1993.1272}}</ref> Female masturbation can also provide protection against cervical infections by increasing the acidity of the cervical mucus and by moving debris out of the cervix.<ref name=Ejaculate_manipulation_by_females/>
In males, masturbation flushes out old sperm with low [[motility]] from the male's genital tract. The next ejaculate then contains more fresh sperm, which have higher chances of achieving conception during intercourse. If more than one male has intercourse with a female, the sperm with the highest motility will [[Sperm competition|compete]] more effectively.<ref>{{cite paper |author = Thomsen, Ruth |title = Sperm Competition and the Function of Masturbation in Japanese Macaques |publisher = Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München |date=October 2000 |url = http://edoc.ub.uni-muenchen.de/archive/00000105/}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last = Baker |first = Robin R. |coauthors = Bellis, Mark A. |year = 1993 |month = November |title = Human sperm competition: Ejaculate adjustment by males and the function of masturbation. |journal = Animal Behaviour |volume = 46 |issue = 5 |pages = 861, 25p |doi = 10.1006/anbe.1993.1271}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last = Shackelford |first = Todd K. |coauthors = Goetz, Aaron T. |year = 2007 |month = February |title = Adaptation to Sperm Competition in Humans. |journal = Current Directions in Psychological Science |volume = 16 |issue = 1 |pages = 47–50 |url = http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-8721.2007.00473.x |doi = 10.1111/j.1467-8721.2007.00473.x}}</ref>
==Health and psychological effects==
[[File:Egon Schiele 073.jpg|thumb|[[Self-portrait]] of [[Egon Schiele]] 1911, depicting masturbation.]]
===Benefits===
It is held in many mental health circles that masturbation can relieve [[major depressive disorder|depression]] and lead to a higher sense of [[self-esteem]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.healthline.com/galecontent/masturbation-1 |title=Masturbation Information on Healthline |publisher=Healthline.com |date= |accessdate=2011-08-17}}</ref> Masturbation can also be particularly useful in relationships where one partner wants more sex than the other – in which case masturbation provides a balancing effect and thus a more harmonious relationship.<ref name="BadgerHerald">{{cite web |title = Masturbation key to healthy, functional sexual relationships |date = April 19, 2007 |url = http://badgerherald.com/oped/2007/04/19/masturbation_key_to_.php | work=The Badger Herald, Daily campus newspaper | location=Madison, Wisconsin, USA |publisher=Badger Herald, Inc. |accessdate = July 2007}}</ref>
Mutual masturbation, the act by which two or more partners stimulate themselves in the presence of each other, allows a couple to reveal the "map to [their] pleasure centers". By watching a partner masturbate, one finds out the methods they use to please him- or herself, allowing each partner to learn exactly how the other enjoys being touched. Intercourse, by itself, is often inconvenient or impractical at times to provide sufficient sexual release for many people. Mutual masturbation allows couples to enjoy each other and obtain sexual release as often as they need but without the inconveniences and risks associated with sex.<ref name="BadgerHerald"/>
In 2003, an Australian research team led by Graham Giles of [[The Cancer Council Australia]]<ref>{{cite paper | last=Giles | first=G.G. | coauthors= G. Severi, D.R. English, M.R.E. McCredie, R. Borland, P. Boyle and J.L. Hopper | title=Sexual factors and prostate cancer | publisher=BJU International | year=2003 | doi=10.1046/j.1464-410X.2003.04319.x | url=http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118853726/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0 | accessdate=2009-01-09 }}</ref> found that males masturbating frequently had a lower probability to develop [[prostate cancer]]. Men who averaged five or more ejaculations weekly in their 20s had significantly lower risk. However they could not show a direct causation. The study also indicated that increased ejaculation through masturbation rather than intercourse would be more helpful as intercourse is associated with diseases (STDs) that may increase the [[Cervical cancer#Causes|risk of cancer]] instead. However, this benefit may be age related. A 2008 study concluded that frequent ejaculation between the ages of 20 and 40 may be correlated with higher risk of developing prostate cancer. On the other hand, frequent ejaculation in one's 50s was found to be correlated with a lower such risk in this same study.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Dimitropoulou|first=Polyxeni|coauthors= Artitaya Lophatananon, Douglas Easton, Richard Pocock, David P. Dearnaley, Michelle Guy, Steven Edwards, Lynne O'Brien, Amanda Hall, Rosemary Wilkinson, Rosalind Eeles, Kenneth R. Muir|date=November 11, 2008 |title=Sexual activity and prostate cancer risk in men diagnosed at a younger age|journal=BJU International|volume=103|issue=2|pages=178–185|oclc=10.1111/j.1464-410X.2008.08030.x|doi=10.1111/j.1464-410X.2008.08030.x|pmid=19016689}}</ref>
[[File:Félicien Rops - Sainte-Thérèse.png|thumb|left|[[Teresa of Ávila|Saint Teresa]]'s ecstasy illustrated as masturbation by [[Félicien Rops]] (1833-1898).]]
A study published in 1997 found an inverse association between death from coronary heart disease and frequency of orgasm even given the risk that myocardial ischaemia and myocardial infarction can be triggered by sexual activity. {{cquote|The association between frequency of orgasm and all cause mortality was also examined using the midpoint of each response category recorded as number of orgasms per year. The age adjusted odds ratio for an increase of 100 orgasms per year was 0.64 (0.44 to 0.95).}}
That is, a difference in mortality appeared between any two subjects when one subject ejaculated at around two times per week more than the other. Assuming a broad range average of between 3 to 5 ejaculations per week for healthy males, this would mean 5 to 7 ejaculations per week. This is consistent with a 2003 Australia article on the benefits against prostate cancer. The strength of these correlations increased with increasing frequency of ejaculation.<ref>{{Cite journal
| title = Sex and death: are they related? Findings from the Caerphilly cohort study
| date = December 20, 1997
| url = http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/315/7123/1641
| accessdate = July 2007
| pmid = 9448525
| journal = BMJ
| volume = 315
| issue = 7123
| page = 1641
| author = Smith, George Davey
| author2 = F
| author3 = Y
| pmc=2128033}}</ref>
A 2008 study at [[Tabriz University of Medical Sciences|Tabriz Medical University]] found ejaculation reduces swollen nasal blood vessels, freeing the airway for normal breathing. The mechanism is through stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system and is long lasting. The study author suggests "It can be done [from] time-to-time to alleviate the congestion and the patient can adjust the number of intercourses or masturbations depending on the severity of the symptoms."<ref>{{cite web
| title = Masturbation could bring hay fever relief for men
| date = April 2008
| url = http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16872-masturbation-could-bring-hay-fever-relief-for-men.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news
| accessdate = August 2009 }}</ref>
Masturbation is also seen as a sexual technique that protects individuals from the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases. Support for such a view, and for making it part of the American sex education curriculum, led to the dismissal of US Surgeon General [[Joycelyn Elders]] during the Clinton administration. EU Nations include masturbation in their sex education and promote the practice. (see above)
Sexual climax, from masturbation or otherwise, leaves one in a relaxed and contented state. This is frequently followed closely by drowsiness and sleep – particularly when one masturbates in bed.
Some professionals consider masturbation to function as a cardiovascular workout.<ref>{{cite journal | coauthors = Benjamin Graber, Scott Balogh, Denis Fitzpatrick and Shelton Hendricks
| title = Cardiovascular changes associated with sexual arousal and orgasm in men
| journal = Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment
| volume = 4
| issue = 2
| pages = 151–165
| publisher = Springer Netherlands
| month = June | year = 1991
| url = http://www.springerlink.com/content/m28k5475630n5872/
| doi = 10.1007/BF00851611
| id = 1079-0632 (Print) 1573-286X (Online)
| accessdate = 2004-12-28 | author = Graber, Benjamin }}</ref> Though research is still as yet scant, those suffering from cardiovascular disorders (particularly those recovering from myocardial infarction, or heart attacks) should resume physical activity (including sexual intercourse and masturbation) gradually and with the frequency and rigor which their physical status will allow. This limitation can serve as encouragement to follow through with physical therapy sessions to help improve endurance.
===Risks===
Those who insert objects as aid to masturbation risk them becoming stuck (e.g. as [[Rectal foreign body|Rectal foreign bodies]]). Men and women can fall prey to this problem. A woman presented at a German hospital with two pencils in her bladder. She had inserted them into her urethra during masturbation.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Wegner|first=HE|coauthors=Franke M, Schick V.|date=May 1997|title=Endoscopic removal of intravesical pencils using percutaneous nephrolithotomy sheath and forceps.|journal=[[The Journal of Urology|J Urol.]]|issue=5|volume=157|page=1842|pmid=9112540|url=http://www.masturbationhorror.com/women.shtml<!-- more direct link needed -->}}</ref>
===Blood pressure===
Both sex and masturbation lower blood pressure. A small study has shown that in one test group, recent full intercourse resulted in the lowest average blood pressure in stressful situations. Masturbation then led to lower blood pressure than did no recent sexual activity.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Brody S |title=Blood pressure reactivity to stress is better for people who recently had penile-vaginal intercourse than for people who had other or no sexual activity |journal=Biol Psychol |volume=71 |issue=2 |pages=214–22 |year=2006 |month=February |pmid=15961213 |doi=10.1016/j.biopsycho.2005.03.005 |url=http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0301-0511(05)00073-6}}</ref>
===Pregnancy===
Masturbation involving both a man and a woman (see ''[[Non-penetrative sex#Mutual masturbation as a form of non-penetrative sex|mutual masturbation]]'') can result in pregnancy only if [[semen]] contacts the [[vulva]]. Masturbation with a partner can also theoretically result in transmission of sexually transmitted diseases by contact with bodily fluids.
Male masturbation may be used as a method to obtain semen for third party reproductive procedures such as [[artificial insemination]] and [[In vitro fertilisation|IVF]] which may involve the use of either partner or donor sperm.
At a [[sperm bank]] or fertility clinic, a special room or cabin may be set aside so that semen may be produced by male masturbation for use in fertility treatments such as artificial insemination. Most semen used for [[sperm donation]], and all semen donated through a sperm bank by sperm donors, is produced in this way. The facility at a sperm bank used for this purpose is known as a masturbatorium (US) or men's production room (UK). A bed or couch is usually provided for the man, and pornographic films or other material may be made available.
===Problems for males===
A man whose penis has suffered a blunt trauma, severe bend or other injury during intercourse or masturbation may, rarely, sustain a [[penile fracture]]<ref>{{EMedicine|med|3415|Penile Fracture and Trauma}}</ref><ref>{{cite pmid|18188109}}</ref><ref>{{cite doi|10.1016/j.urology.2007.06.119}}</ref> or suffer from [[Peyronie's disease]].<ref>{{cite journal |author=Fitkin J, Ho GT |title=Peyronie's disease: current management |journal=Am Fam Physician |volume=60 |issue=2 |pages=549–52, 554 |year=1999 |month=August |pmid=10465229 |url=http://www.aafp.org/afp/990800ap/549.html}}</ref> [[Phimosis]] is "a contracted foreskin (that) may cause trouble by hurting when an attempt is made to pull the foreskin back".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/phimosis.htm |title=article on Foreskin contraction (phimosis) |publisher=Netdoctor.co.uk |date= |accessdate=2011-05-29}}</ref> In these cases, any energetic manipulation of the penis can be problematic.
===Compulsive masturbation===
{{See also|Hypersexuality}}
There is no scientific evidence of a causative relationship between masturbation and any form of mental disorder. Excessive or compulsive sexual behavior is generally understood to be a symptom rather than a cause.<ref>{{cite journal | doi = 10.1080/00224498809551467 | author = Levine M. P., Troiden R. R. | year = 1988 | title = The myth of sexual compulsivity | journal = Journal of Sex Research | volume = 25 | issue = 3 | pages = 347–363 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | doi = 10.1007/s10508-006-9098-3 | author = Giles J | year = 2006 | title = No such thing as excessive levels of sexual behavior | journal = Archives of Sexual Behavior | volume = 35 | issue = 6| pages = 641–2 | pmid = 17109229 }}</ref>
While masturbation among adolescents contributes to them developing a sense of mastery over sexual impulses, and it has a role in the physical and emotional development of prepubescents and pubescents,<ref name=Datta>
{{cite book|author=Parul Datta|title=Pediatric Nursing|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Um1_7gM-E1wC&lpg=PA189&pg=PA189#v=onepage&q&f=false|publisher=Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers|year=2007|accessdate=27 August 2011}}
</ref> babies and toddlers will play with their genitals in much the same way as they play with their ears or toes. If such play becomes all-consuming, it may be necessary to look for an underlying cause, such as the child being tense and in need of comfort, or that others may be overreacting and thus reinforcing the habit. It could be caused by a low-grade urinary tract or yeast infection, or the child may be overstimulated and in need of soothing, or indeed understimulated and bored. In each case, dealing with the cause will bring the behavior back to a level of enthusiasm that does not take away from other interests. Such a habit can also be addressed by distraction and providing other activities for the child to engage with.<ref>{{cite web|last=Greene|first=Alan|title=Masturbation in Young Children|url=http://www.drgreene.com/qa/masturbation-young-children?pagination=1|publisher=Greene Ink|accessdate=13 September 2011|year=1998}}</ref> Alongside many other factors, such as medical evidence, age-inappropriate sexual knowledge, play, or aggression, and precocious or seductive behavior, excessive masturbation may be an indicator of [[sexual abuse]].<ref name=Myers>
{{cite book|author=John E. B. Myers|title=Myers on Evidence in Child, Domestic and Elder Abuse Cases, Volume 1|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=-krZZF9dl-sC&pg=PA385&dq=excessive+masturbation&hl=en&ei=pXNYTt3UKOe00AGEo5mvDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CE8Q6AEwBzgK#v=onepage&q=excessive%20masturbation&f=false|quote=Jon Conte and his colleagues were interested to learn what factors are important to mental health professionals who regularly evaluate children for sexual abuse. The evaluators were asked to rank the imporatance of forty-one indicators of sexual abuse. The following indicators were thought important by more than ninety percent of evaluators: medical evidence of abuse, age-inappropriate sexual knowledge, sexualized play during the interview, precocious or seductive behavior, excessive masturbation, child's description is consistent over time, child's description reveals pressure or coercion.|publisher=Aspen Publishers|year=2005|accessdate=27 August 2011}}</ref><ref name=Faller>
{{cite book|author=Kathleen Coulborn Faller|title=Understanding and Assessing Child Sexual Maltreatment|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=FkT2wTGTUAoC&pg=PA39&dq=%22excessive+masturbation%22&hl=en&ei=t3VYTuDDE-XL0QG8nbmkDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAjgK#v=onepage&q=%22excessive%20masturbation%22&f=false|quote=Six different types of sexual behavior that signal possible sexual abuse will be described in this section: (a) excessive masturbation, (b) sexual interaction with peers, (c) sexual aggression toward younger or more naive children, (d) sexual accosting of older people or adults, (e) seductive behavior, and (f) promiscuity.|publisher=[[Sage Publications]]|year=2003|accessdate=27 August 2011}}</ref>
Compulsive masturbation and other compulsive behaviors can be signs of an emotional problem. As such, that may need to be addressed by a mental health specialist.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/ohe/library/Sexhealth/articles/masturbating.htm |title=University of Pennsylvania Office of Health Education article on masturbation |publisher=Vpul.upenn.edu |date= |accessdate=2011-05-29}}</ref> As with any "nervous habit", it is more helpful to consider the causes of compulsive behavior, rather than try to repress masturbation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chmed.com/mod.php?mod=userpage&menu=1907&page_id=142&PHPSESSID=a76dc0f6fb1882506f5666b63fb98062 |title=Childrens Medical Office of North Andover, P.C. article on Masturbation in Early Childhood |publisher=Chmed.com |date= |accessdate=2011-05-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sexualhealth.com/question/read/love-relationships/sexual-addiction-compulsion/11608/ |title=Sexual health
|publisher=The Sexual Health Network|author= Patricia Fawver Ph.D|date=01/10/2006}}</ref> For example, [[avoidant personality disorder]] is sometimes associated with a preference for excessive masturbation over sexual relationships, as well as with the ability of the sufferer to orgasm more readily via masturbation than via sexual intercourse. It is not considered to be a cause of the disorder,<ref name=Kantor>{{cite book|author=Martin Kantor|title=Distancing: Avoidant Personality Disorder|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=r8OaELnHG6UC&pg=PA16&dq=excessive+masturbation&hl=en&ei=HnJYTtOfJ6Gw0AH31YSGDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CD8Q6AEwBDgK#v=onepage&q=excessive%20masturbation&f=false|publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]]|year=2003|accessdate=27 August 2011}}</ref> and effective treatment of the disorder will often involve challenging the sufferer's exaggerated negative beliefs about themselves.<ref>{{cite web | author=Eckleberry, Sharon C. | title=Dual Diagnosis and the Avoidant Personality Disorder | date=2000-03-25 | work=The Dual Diagnosis Pages: From Our Desk | url=http://www.toad.net/~arcturus/dd/avoid.htm | accessdate=2007-02-06|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20061216233724/http://www.toad.net/~arcturus/dd/avoid.htm|archivedate=2006-12-16}}</ref>
There is discussion between professionals and other interested parties as to whether such a thing as [[sexual addiction]] really exists. Compulsive masturbation is regarded as one of the symptoms of sexual addiction by proponents of that concept.<ref>{{cite doi|10.1080/10720160701310450}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/relationships/sex_and_sexual_health/probs_sexaddiction.shtml |title=BBC Relationships: Addicted to sex |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date= |accessdate=2011-05-29}}</ref>
==In history and society==
{{Main|History of masturbation}}
[[Image:Kunisada surimono.jpg|thumb|Masturbation was depicted in 19th century [[Shunga]] prints, such as this piece by [[Kunisada]].]]
[[File:Crátera ática de columnas (M.A.N. 1999-99-65) 02.jpg|thumb|A [[satyr]] masturbating. [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] [[krater]] from 6th century BC.]]
There are depictions of male masturbation in prehistoric [[rock painting]]s around the world. Most early people seem to have connected human sexuality with abundance in nature. A clay figurine of the 4th millennium BC from a temple site on the island of [[Malta]], depicts a woman masturbating.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Taylor, Timothy |title=Uncovering the prehistory of sex |journal=British Archaeology |issue=15 |date=June 1996 |url=http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba15/ba15feat.html |quote=The [[Ħaġar Qim]] woman is... masturbating, with one hand languidly supporting her head.}}</ref> However, in the ancient world depictions of male masturbation are far more common.
From the earliest records, ancient [[Sumer]] had a relaxed attitude toward sex, and masturbation was a popular technique for enhancing potency, either alone or with a partner.<ref>{{cite book |author=Dening, Sarah |chapter=Chapter 3 |chapterurl=http://www.ishtartemple.org/myth.htm |title=The Mythology of Sex |publisher=Macmillian |year=1996 |isbn=9780028612072 }}</ref>
Male masturbation became an even more important image in [[ancient Egypt]]. When performed by a god it could be considered a creative or magical act: the god [[Atum]] was believed to have created the universe by masturbating to ejaculation, and the ebb and flow of the [[Nile]] was attributed to the frequency of his ejaculations. Egyptian [[Pharaoh]]s, in response to this, were at one time required to masturbate ceremonially into the Nile.<ref>{{cite book |author=Margolis, Johnathan |title=O: The intimate history of the orgasm |year=2003 |page=134 }}</ref>
The [[History of India|ancient Indian]] [[Hindu]] text [[Kama Sutra]] explains in detail the best procedure to masturbate; ''"Churn your instrument with a lion's pounce: sit with legs stretched out at right angles to one another, propping yourself up with two hands planted on the ground between in them, and it between your arms"''.<ref>{{cite book |author=Thicke, Alan |title=How to Raise Kids Who Won't Hate You |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=cTx11dAXV3AC&pg=PA125 |date=April 2006 |publisher=iUniverse |isbn=9781583488409 |page=125}}</ref>
The ancient [[Greeks]] had a more relaxed attitude toward masturbation than the Egyptians did, regarding the act as a normal and healthy substitute for other forms of sexual pleasure. They considered it a safety valve against destructive sexual frustration. The Greeks also dealt with female masturbation in both their art and writings. One common term used for it was ''anaphlan,'' which roughly translates as "up-fire".
[[Diogenes of Sinope|Diogenes]], speaking in jest, credited the god [[Hermes]] with its invention: he allegedly took pity on his son [[Pan (mythology)|Pan]], who was pining for [[Echo (mythology)|Echo]] but unable to seduce her, and taught him the trick of masturbation in order to relieve his suffering. Pan in his turn taught the habit to young shepherds.<ref>Dio Crysostom, ''Discourses,'' iv.20</ref>
As late as the seventeenth century in Europe the practice was commonly employed by nannies to put their young male charges to sleep.<ref>''The tyranny of pleasure'', Jean Claude Guillebaud, Keith Torjoc; p.22</ref> That tolerance was soon to change. The first use of the word "onanism" to consistently and specifically refer to masturbation appears to be ''Onania'', an anonymous pamphlet first distributed in London in 1716. It drew on familiar themes of sin and vice, this time in particular against the "heinous sin" of "self-pollution". After dire warnings that those who so indulged would suffer [[impotence]], [[gonorrhea]], [[epilepsy]] and a wasting of the faculties (included were letters and testimonials supposedly from young men ill and dying from the effects of compulsive masturbation) the pamphlet then goes on to recommend as an effective remedy a "Strengthening Tincture" at 10 shillings a bottle and a "Prolific Powder" at 12 shillings a bag, available from a local shop.
[[Image:Sexpatent01-excerpt.png|thumb|left|A [[patented]] device designed to prevent masturbation by inflicting electric shocks upon the perpetrator, by ringing an alarm bell, and through spikes at the inner edge of the tube into which the penis is inserted. The entire patent document: [[Media:Sexpatent01.png|Page 1]], [[Media:Sexpatent02.png|2]], [[Media:Sexpatent03.png|3]], [[Media:Sexpatent04.png|4]].]]
One of the many horrified by the descriptions of malady in ''Onania'' was the notable Swiss physician [[Samuel-Auguste Tissot]]. In 1760, he published ''L'Onanisme'', his own comprehensive medical treatise on the purported ill-effects of masturbation. Citing case studies of young male masturbators amongst his patients in [[Lausanne]], [[Switzerland]] as basis for his reasoning, Tissot argued that semen was an "essential oil" and "stimulus" that, when lost from the body in great amounts, would cause "a perceptible reduction of strength, of memory and even of reason; blurred vision, all the nervous disorders, all types of [[gout]] and [[rheumatism]], weakening of the organs of generation, blood in the urine, disturbance of the appetite, headaches and a great number of other disorders."
Though Tissot's ideas are now considered [[hypothesis|conjectural]] at best, his treatise was presented as a scholarly, scientific work in a time when experimental physiology was practically nonexistent. The authority with which the work was subsequently treated – Tissot's arguments were even acknowledged and echoed by luminaries such as [[Kant]] and [[Voltaire]] – arguably shifted the view of masturbation in Western medicine over the next two centuries into that of a debilitating illness.
This view persisted well into the [[Victorian era]], where such medical censure of masturbation was in line with the widespread social [[conservatism]] and opposition to open sexual behavior common at the time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.noharmm.org/paige.htm |title=The Ritual of Circumcision |publisher=Noharmm.org |date=2005-09-06 |accessdate=2011-05-29}}{{dead link|date=August 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Stengers, Jean; van Neck, Anne |title=Masturbation: the history of a great terror |publisher=Palgrave |location=New York |year=2001 |isbn=0-312-22443-5 }}</ref> There were recommendations to have boys' pants constructed so that the genitals could not be touched through the pockets, for schoolchildren to be seated at special desks to prevent their crossing their legs in class and for girls to be forbidden from riding horses and bicycles because the sensations these activities produce were considered too similar to masturbation. Boys and young men who nevertheless continued to indulge in the practice were branded as "weak-minded."<ref>[[Media:Sexpatent02.png|Surgical Appliance]]</ref> Many "remedies" were devised, including eating a bland, meatless diet. This approach was promoted by [[John Harvey Kellogg|Dr. John Harvey Kellogg]] (inventor of [[corn flakes]]) and [[Sylvester Graham|Rev. Sylvester Graham]] (inventor of [[Graham cracker]]s). The medical literature of the times describes procedures for electric shock treatment, [[infibulation]], restraining devices like [[chastity belt]]s and [[straitjacket]]s, [[cauterization]] or – as a last resort – wholesale [[surgery|surgical excision]] of the genitals. Routine neonatal [[circumcision]] was widely adopted in the United States and the UK at least partly because of its believed preventive effect against masturbation (see also [[History of male circumcision#Male circumcision to prevent masturbation|History of male circumcision]]). In later decades, the more drastic of these measures were increasingly replaced with psychological techniques, such as warnings that masturbation led to blindness, hairy hands or stunted growth. Some of these persist as myths even today.
[[Image:Chastity belt Heyser 0.png|thumb|Image of a [[chastity belt]] from a patent document. For entire document, see: [[:Image:Chastity belt Heyser 1.png|Page 1]], [[:Image:Chastity belt Heyser 2.png|2]], [[:Image:Chastity belt Heyser 3.png|3]], [[:Image:Chastity belt Heyser 4.png|4]], [[:Image:Chastity belt Heyser 5.png|5]], [[:Image:Chastity belt Heyser 6.png|6]]]]
At the same time, the supposed medical condition of [[hysteria]]—from the Greek ''hystera'' or uterus—was being treated by what would now be described as medically administered or medically prescribed masturbation for women. Techniques included use of the earliest vibrators and rubbing the genitals with placebo creams.<ref name=Maines>{{cite book|isbn=0-8018-6646-4|title=The Technology of Orgasm: "Hysteria", the Vibrator, and Women's Sexual Satisfaction|author=Rachel P. Maines|publisher=The Johns Hopkins University Press | location=Baltimore|year=1999}}</ref>
Medical attitudes toward masturbation began to change at the beginning of the 20th century when [[H. Havelock Ellis]], in his seminal 1897 work ''Studies in the Psychology of Sex'', questioned Tissot's premises, cheerfully named famous men of the era who masturbated and then set out to disprove (with the work of more recent physicians) each of the claimed diseases of which masturbation was purportedly the cause. "We reach the conclusion", he wrote, "that in the case of moderate masturbation in healthy, well-born individuals, no seriously pernicious results necessarily follow."
[[Robert Baden-Powell]], the founder of [[The Scout Association]], incorporated a passage in the 1914 edition of ''[[Scouting for Boys]]'' warning against the dangers of masturbation. This passage stated that the individual should run away from the temptation by performing physical activity which was supposed to tire the individual so that masturbation could not be performed. By 1930, however, Dr. [[F. W. W. Griffin]], editor of ''The Scouter,'' had written in a book for Rover Scouts that the temptation to masturbate was "a quite natural stage of development" and, citing [[H. Havelock Ellis|Ellis]]' work, held that "the effort to achieve complete abstinence was a very serious error."
Austrian psychoanalyst [[Wilhelm Reich]] in his 1922 essay ''[[Concerning Specific Forms of Masturbation]]'' tried to identify healthy and unhealthy forms of masturbation. He tried to relate the way people masturbated to their degree of inclination towards the opposite sex and to their psycho-sexual pathologies.
The works of Sexologist [[Alfred Kinsey]] during the 1940s and 1950s said that masturbation was an instinctive behavior for both males and females, citing the results of Gallup Poll surveys indicating how common it was in the United States. Some critics of this theory held that his research was biased and that the Gallup Poll method was redundant for defining "natural behavior".
In 1994, when the [[Surgeon General of the United States]], Dr. [[Joycelyn Elders]], mentioned as an aside that it should be mentioned in school [[curriculum|curricula]] that masturbation was safe and healthy, she was forced to resign,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jackinworld.com/library/articles/elders.html |title=JackinLibrary: Joycelyn Elders |publisher=Jackinworld.com |date= |accessdate=2011-05-29}}</ref> with opponents asserting that she was promoting the teaching of ''how'' to masturbate. Many {{Who|date=April 2010}} believe this was the result of her long history of promoting controversial viewpoints and not due solely to her public mention of masturbation.
===Religious views===
[[Image:Khajurahosculpture.jpg|thumb|A [[temple]] [[relief]] at [[Khajuraho]] in [[Tourism in Madhya Pradesh|Madhya Pradesh]], [[India]] features a couple in a sexual embrace with a man and a woman masturbating to either side.]]
{{Main|Religious views on masturbation}}
:''See also [[Religion and sexuality]] and [[Sperm in vain (Judaism)]] for broader coverage''
This biblical story of [[Onan]] does not refer to masturbation, but to [[coitus interruptus]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Coogan|first=Michael|title=God and Sex. What the Bible Really Says|url=http://books.google.nl/books?id=2_gPKQEACAAJ&dq=god+and+sex&hl=nl&ei=4fbCTaPKDpGXOrq88Z0I&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CEcQ6AEwAQ|accessdate=May 5, 2011|edition=1st|year=2010|month=October|publisher=Twelve. Hachette Book Group|location=New York, Boston|isbn=978-0-446-54525-9|page=110}}</ref> The Bible does not claim that masturbation would be sinful.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Patton|first=Michael S.|author=Michael S. Patton|month=June|year=1985|title=Masturbation from Judaism to Victorianism|journal=Journal of Religion and Health|volume=24|issue=2|pages=133–146|publisher=Springer Netherlands|issn=0022-4197|doi=10.1007/BF01532257|accessdate=12 November 2011|url=http://www.springerlink.com/content/r407h39183426645/|quote=Nevertheless, there is no legislation in the Bible pertaining to masturbation.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Kwee|first=Alex W.|author=Alex W. Kwee|coauthors=David C. Hoover|year=2008|title=Theologically-Informed Education about Masturbation: A Male Sexual Health Perspective|journal=Journal of Psychology and Theology|volume=36|issue=4|pages=258–269|location=La Mirada, CA, USA|publisher=Rosemead School of Psychology. Biola University|issn=0091-6471|accessdate=12 November 2011|url=http://www.alexkwee.com/uploads/kwee_hoover08.pdf|quote=The Bible presents no clear theological ethic on masturbation, leaving many young unmarried Christians with confusion and guilt around their sexuality.}}</ref>
Religions vary broadly in their views of masturbation, from considering it completely impermissible ([[Religious views on masturbation#Roman Catholicism|as in Roman Catholicism]]<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a6.htm#2352
|title = Catechism of the Catholic Church
|accessdate = 2007-10-08
|quote = Both the Magisterium of the Church, in the course of a constant tradition, and the moral sense of the faithful have been in no doubt and have firmly maintained that masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered action."The deliberate use of the sexual faculty, for whatever reason, outside of marriage is essentially contrary to its purpose". For here sexual pleasure is sought outside of "the sexual relationship which is demanded by the moral order and in which the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love is achieved".
}}</ref>) to encouraging and refining it (see, for example [[Neotantra]] and [[Taoist sexual practices]]).
For example, [[Thomas Aquinas|St. Thomas Aquinas]], one of the most prominent [[Doctor of the Church#Catholicism|Doctors of the Roman Catholic Church]], wrote that masturbation, an "unnatural [[Vice#Roman Catholicism|vice]]" which is a species of [[Lust#Roman Catholicism|lust]] in same category as [[Bestiality#Religious perspectives|bestiality]] and [[sodomy]], "by procuring pollution [i.e., ejaculation apart from intercourse], without any copulation, for the sake of venereal pleasure [...] pertains to the sin of '[[Unclean spirit#Pneumata plana|uncleanness]]' which some call '[[effeminacy]]' [Latin: ''[http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0059%3Aentry%3Dmollio mollitiem]'', lit. 'softness, unmanliness']."<ref>''[[Summa Theologica]]'' [http://newadvent.org/summa/3154.htm#article11 IIª-IIae, q. 154 a. 11 co.] ([http://www.corpusthomisticum.org/sth3146.html#45233 in Latin])</ref>
===Philosophical arguments===
[[Immanuel Kant]] regarded masturbation as a violation of the moral law. In the ''[[Metaphysics of Morals]]'' (1797) he made the ''[[a posteriori]]'' argument that 'such an unnatural use of one's sexual attributes' strikes 'everyone upon his thinking of it' as 'a violation of one's duty to himself', and suggested that it was regarded as immoral even to give it its proper name (unlike the case of the similarly undutiful act of [[suicide]]). He went on, however, to acknowledge that 'it is not so easy to produce a rational demonstration of the inadmissibility of that unnatural use', but ultimately concluded that its immorality lay in the fact that 'a man gives up his personality ... when he uses himself merely as a means for the gratification of an animal drive'.
Subsequent critics of masturbation tended to argue against it on more physiological grounds, however.
===Law===
The legal status of masturbation throughout history has varied from virtually unlimited acceptance to complete illegality. In a 17th century law code for the [[Puritan]] colony of [[New Haven, Connecticut]] "[[blasphemy|blasphemers]], [[Homosexuality|homosexuals]] and masturbators" were eligible for the [[Capital punishment|death penalty]].<ref>{{cite book
| last = James
| first = Lawrence
| authorlink = Lawrence James
| title = The Rise and Fall of the British Empire
| publisher = St. Martin's Griffin
|date=September 15, 1997
| page = 41
| isbn = 978-0312169855 }} The context is a discussion of the social habits of the early North American colonists.</ref>
==Cultural views and practices==
===Masturbate-a-thon===
[[Image:CSC Herme Masturbate-a-Thon Logo Original for Wiki.jpg|thumb|right]]
{{Main| Masturbate-a-thon}}
Masturbation is accepted as a healthy practice and safe method for sharing pleasure without some of the dangers that can accompany intercourse. It is socially accepted and even celebrated in certain circles. Group masturbation events can be easily found online. [[Masturbate-a-thon|Masturbation marathons]] are events that are occurring across the globe. These events provide a supportive, encouraging environment where masturbation can be performed openly among young and old without embarrassment. Participants talk openly with onlookers while masturbating to share techniques and describe the pleasure and benefits.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.masturbate-a-thon.com |title=Masturbate-a-thon by The Center For Sex & Culture |publisher=Masturbate-a-thon.com |date= |accessdate=2011-05-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/masturbation-marathon-london_index.html |title=article on Masturbation Marathon London |publisher=Viewlondon.co.uk |date=2006-08-05 |accessdate=2011-05-29}}</ref> Masturbate-a-thons are often charity events that are "intended to encourage people to explore safer sex, talk about masturbation and lift the taboos that still surround the subject."<ref name="Masturbate-a-thon.co.uk">{{cite web
| title = Masturbate-a-thon website
| publisher = Masturbate-a-thon
| date = 2006-08-04
| url = http://www.masturbate-a-thon.co.uk/
| accessdate = 2006-08-06}}</ref> May is considered "Masturbation Month" by sex-positive organizations and activists, including [[Betty Dodson]], [[Joani Blank]], [[Susan Block]], and [[Carol Queen]].
===Encouraged masturbation===
In the UK in 2009, a leaflet was issued by the [[National Health Service (England)|NHS]] in [[Sheffield]] carrying the slogan, "an orgasm a day keeps the doctor away". It also says: "Health promotion experts advocate five portions of fruit and veg a day and 30 minutes' physical activity three times a week. What about sex or masturbation twice a week?" This leaflet has been circulated to parents, teachers and youth workers and is meant to update sex education by telling older school students about the benefits of enjoyable sex. Its authors have said that for too long, experts have concentrated on the need for "safe sex" and committed relationships while ignoring the principal reason that many people have sex. The leaflet is entitled ''Pleasure''. Instead of promoting teenage sex, it could encourage young people to delay losing their virginity until they are certain they will enjoy the experience, said one of its authors.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/5806691/NHS-tells-school-children-of-their-right-to-an-orgasm-a-day.html
|title=NHS tells school children of their 'right' to 'an orgasm a day'
|publisher=Telegraph Media Group
|date=12 Jul 2009
|accessdate=2009-10-06
| location=London
| first=Roya
| last=Nikkhah
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/education/article6689953.ece
|title=Pupils told: Sex every day keeps the GP away
|publisher=Times Newspapers
|date=12 Jul 2009
|accessdate=2009-10-06
| location=London
| first=Jack
| last=Grimston
}}</ref>
The Spanish region of [[Extremadura]] launched a programme in 2009 to encourage "sexual self-exploration and the discovery of self-pleasure" in people aged from 14 to 17 . The €14,000 campaign includes leaflets, flyers, a "fanzine", and workshops for the young in which they receive instruction on masturbation techniques along with advice on contraception and self-respect. The initiative, whose slogan is, "Pleasure is in your own hands" has angered local right-wing politicians and challenged traditional Roman Catholic views. Officials from the neighbouring region of [[Andalucia]] have expressed an interest in copying the programme.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/12/spain-sex-education
|title=Spanish region takes hands-on approach to sex education
|author=Giles Tremlett
|date=12 November 2009
|publisher=Guardian News and Media
|accessdate=2009-11-12
| location=London
}}</ref>
The text book ''Palliative care nursing: quality care to the end of life'' states, "Terminally ill people are likely no different from the general population regarding their masturbation habits. Palliative care practitioners should routinely ask their patients if anything interferes in their ability to masturbate and then work with the patient to correct the problem if it is identified."<ref>{{cite book|last=Matzo|first=Marianne |title=Palliative care nursing: quality care to the end of life|year=2006|publisher=Springer Publishing|isbn=978-0826157911|url=http://books.google.com/?id=rTexGiX5bqoC&pg=PA70|coauthors=Deborah Witt Sherman|accessdate=26 May 2010|page=70}}</ref>
Among some cultures, such as the [[Hopi]] in [[Arizona]], the [[Wogeno]] in [[Oceania]], and the [[Dahomeans]] and Namu of Africa, masturbation is encouraged, including regular masturbation between males. In certain [[Melanesian]] communities this is expected between older and younger boys.
===Rites of passage===
The Sambia tribe of [[New Guinea]] has rituals and rites of passage surrounding manhood which lasts several years and involves ejaculation through [[fellatio]] often several times a day. Semen is valued and masturbation is seen as a waste of semen and is therefore frowned upon even though frequent ejaculation is encouraged. The capacity and need to ejaculate is developed or nurtured for years from an early age but through fellatio so that it can be consumed rather than wasted. Semen is ingested for strength and is considered in the same line as mothers' milk.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://faculty.mdc.edu/jmcnair/Joepages/The%20Sambia.htm |title=The Sambia |publisher=Faculty.mdc.edu |date=1999-10-04 |accessdate=2011-05-29}}</ref>
Other cultures have rites of passage into manhood that culminate in the first ejaculation of a male, usually by the hands of a tribal elder. In some tribes such as the Agta, Philippines, stimulation of the genitals is encouraged from an early age.<ref>{{cite book |author=Hewlett, B.S. |chapter=Diverse contexts of human infancy |editor=Ember, C., Ember, M. |title=Cross-Cultural Research for Social Science |publisher=Prentice Hall |location=Englewood Cliffs NJ |year=1996 }}</ref> Upon puberty, the young male is then paired off with a "wise elder" or "witch doctor" who uses masturbation to build his ability to ejaculate in preparation for a ceremony. The ceremony culminates in a public ejaculation before a celebration. The ejaculate is saved in a wad of animal skin and worn later to help conceive children. In this and other tribes, the measure of manhood is actually associated more with the amount of ejaculate and his need than penis size. Frequent ejaculation through masturbation from an early age fosters frequent ejaculation well into adulthood.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Unal F |title=The clinical outcome of childhood masturbation |journal=Turk. J. Pediatr. |volume=42 |issue=4 |pages=304–7 |year=2000 |pmid=11196747 }}</ref>
==Terminology==
While ''masturbation'' is the formal word for this practice, many other expressions are in common use. Terms such as ''pleasuring oneself'' and slang such as ''wanking''<ref>{{cite journal |author=Darby, R. |title=Solitary Sex: A Cultural History of Masturbation |journal=Journal of Social History |year=2004 }}</ref> and ''jerking off''<ref>Shamans Sex Beasts and Abuse: Mother-Son Relationships in Popular and Cult Cinema. Charles Jason Lee. Film International, May 2005</ref> are common. ''Self-abuse'' and ''self-pollution''<ref name=dolphin>{{cite web|last=Dolphin|first=Lambert|title=Masturbation and the Bible|url=http://ldolphin.org/Mast.shtml}}</ref> were common in early modern times and are still found in modern dictionaries. A large variety of other [[euphemism]]s and [[dysphemism]]s exist which describe masturbation. For a list of terms, see the entry for ''[[wikt:Wikisaurus:masturbate|masturbate]]'' in [[Wiktionary|Wikisaurus]].
==In popular culture==
===Paintings and drawings===
[[File:Michael von Zichy-1911-Onanie.jpg|thumb|Masturbation, 1911, copper engraving by [[Mihály Zichy]].]]
[[File:Political Masturbation on Mass Media and Television, 2009, gold leaf & oil on canvas by Danny Sillada.JPG|thumb|right|220px|Political Masturbation on [[Mass media|Mass Media]] and [[Television]], by [[Danny Sillada]], 2009]]
There are depictions of male masturbation in prehistoric [[rock painting]]s around the world. Most early people seem to have connected human sexuality with abundance in nature. A clay figurine of the 4th millennium BC from a temple site on the island of [[Malta]] depicts a woman masturbating. However, in the ancient world depictions of male masturbation are far more common.
===Music===
In popular music, there are several notable songs that deal with the issue of masturbation. Some of the earliest examples are "[[My Ding-a-Ling]]" by [[Chuck Berry]] and "Mary Ann with the Shaky Hand" and "[[Pictures of Lily]]" by [[The Who]].<ref>{{cite paper | author=Pete Townshend | authorlink=Pete Townshend | title=Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy | version=Printed article | publisher="Rolling Stone or one of the similar magazines (Melody Maker, NME, etc.)" | year=1971 | url=http://home.roadrunner.com/~dmcguire/meatybeaty.html | accessdate=2009-01-09}} "Merely a ditty about masturbation and the importance of it to a young man. I was really diggin' at my folks who, when catching me at it, would talk in loud voices in the corridor outside my room. 'Why can't he go with girls like other boys?'"</ref>
More recent popular songs include "[[Running on Empty (album)|Rosie]]" by [[Jackson Browne]], "[[I Touch Myself]]" by the [[Divinyls]], "Very Busy People" by [[The Limousines]], "[[Dancing With Myself]]" by [[Billy Idol]], "[[Hybrid (Gary Numan album)|Everyday I Die]]" by [[Gary Numan]],"[[You're Makin' Me High]]" by [[Toni Braxton]], "[[Permission to Land|Holding My Own]]" by [[The Darkness (band)|The Darkness]], "[[Neon Nights|Vibe On]]" by [[Dannii Minogue]] "Touch of My Hand" by [[Britney Spears]], "[[Orgasm Addict]]" by the [[Buzzcocks]], "[[Captain Jack (song)|Captain Jack]]" by [[Billy Joel]], "[[Longview (song)|Longview]]" by [[Green Day]], "M+Ms" by [[Blink-182]], "[[Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too]]" by [[Say Anything (band)|Say Anything]], "Fingers" and "[[U + Ur Hand]]" by [[P!nk]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/pink-the-outspoken-pop-star-on-fame-and-growing-up-471290.html|title= Pink: The outspoken pop star on fame and growing up|last=McLean|first=Craig|date=25 March 2006|work=The Independent|accessdate=16 March 2010 | location=London}}</ref> "So Happy I Could Die" by [[Lady Gaga]], "Masturbating Jimmy" by [[The Tiger Lillies]] and "When Life Gets Boring " by [[Gob (band)|Gob]], and "[[Darling Nikki]]" by [[Prince (musician)|Prince]]. The 1983 recording "[[She Bop]]" by [[Cyndi Lauper]], was one of the first fifteen songs ever required to carry [[Parental Advisory]] sticker for sexual content.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/playing_god/treating-dandruff-by-decapitation.htm|title=Treating Dandruff by Decapitation — Playing God|last=Macdonald|first=Cameron|date=2006-01-23|work=Stylus Magazine}}</ref> In a 1993 interview on ''[[The Howard Stern Show]]'', Lauper claimed she recorded the vocal track in the nude.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/archive/peoplearchive.php/Cyndi_Lauper/biography/|title=Cyndi Lauper Biography|work=Monsters and Critics}}</ref> Some<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/1494/ |title=Meaning of Song Lyrics: The Stranger |publisher=Songmeanings.net |date= |accessdate=2011-08-17}}</ref> have argued that [[Billy Joel]]'s song [[The Stranger (song)|"The Stranger"]] is about masturbation. The 1980 number-one hit "[[Turning Japanese]]" by [[The Vapors]] has often been believed to be a euphemistic reference to the facial expression men make at orgasm,<ref>[{{Allmusic|class=song|id=t2027751|pure_url=yes}} AllMusic | Turning Japanese | The Vapors]</ref> a theory refuted by songwriter Dave Fenton.<ref name="songfacts">{{cite web
| url = http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=689
| title = Turning Japanese
| work = Songfacts.com
| accessdate = 2009-04-04
}}</ref>
The song "Masturbates" by rock group [[Mindless Self Indulgence]] also deals with the concept of auto-erotic activity in a [[punk subculture|punk]] framework.
===Literature===
In October 1972, an important censorship case was held in Australia, leading to the banning of [[Philip Roth]]'s novel ''[[Portnoy's Complaint]]'' in that country due to its masturbation references. The censorship led to public outcry at the time.<ref>{{cite web |title=Don Chipp: larrikin, censor, and party founder |date=August 2006 |publisher=Crikey |url=http://www.crikey.com.au/Politics/20060829-Censorship-and-Don-Chipp.html}}</ref>
===Television===
In the ''[[Seinfeld]]'' episode "[[The Contest]]",<ref>{{cite news |title='Seinfeld,' Four: It's Real and It's Spectacular |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/16/AR2005051600756.html |publisher=The Washington Post |date=17 May 2005 }}</ref> the show's main characters enter into a contest to see who can go the longest without masturbating. Because ''Seinfeld'''s network, [[NBC]], did not think masturbation was a suitable topic for prime time television, the word is never used. Instead, the subject is described using a series of euphemisms. "Master of my domain" became a part of the American lexicon from this episode.
Another NBC show, ''[[Late Night with Conan O'Brien]]'', had a character known as the Masturbating Bear, a costume of a bear with a diaper covering its genitals. The Masturbating Bear would touch his diaper to simulate masturbation. Prior to leaving ''Late Night'' to become host of ''[[The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien|The Tonight Show]]'', [[Conan O'Brien]] originally retired the character due to concerns about its appropriateness in an earlier time slot.<ref name="warmingglow">{{cite web |url=http://warmingglow.uproxx.com/2009/05/the-masturbating-bear-is-coming-back/ |title=The masturbating bear is coming back!!! |publisher=warmingglow.uproxx.com }}</ref> The Masturbating Bear however made his ''Tonight Show'' debut during the final days of Conan O'Brien's tenure as host of the ''Tonight Show''. It was clear by then that Conan O'Brien was being removed from the show and he spent his last shows pushing the envelope with skits that typically would not be appropriate for the ''Tonight Show'', one of which was the Masturbating Bear.<ref>{{cite web|last=Stableford |first=Dylan |url=http://www.thewrap.com/television/column-post/conan-finally-unleashes-masturbating-bear-video-13333 |title='Conan Finally Unleashes 'Masturbating Bear'' |publisher=Thewrap.com |date=2010-01-21 |accessdate=2011-05-29}}</ref> After much debate on whether or not he would be able to be used on Conan O'Brien's new [[TBS (TV channel)|TBS]] show, ''[[Conan (TV series)|Conan]]'', the Masturbating Bear made an appearance on the very first episode.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tbs.com/video/conan.jsp?oid=233816&eref=sharethisUrl |title='Conan: Masturbating Bear Gets a New Job' |publisher=Tbs.com |date= |accessdate=2011-05-29}}</ref>
In March 2007 the UK broadcaster [[Channel 4]] was to air a season of [[television]] programmes about masturbation, called [[Wank Week]]. (''Wank'' is a [[Briticism]] for ''masturbate''.) The series came under public attack from senior television figures, and was pulled amid claims of declining editorial standards and controversy over the channel's [[public broadcasting|public service broadcasting]] credentials. However, its constituent films may yet be shown by the channel at a later date.<ref>{{cite news|date=2007-02-02|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/feb/02/broadcasting.channel4|accessdate=2007-11-02| title='Wank week' postponed|author=Jason Deans|work= [[Media Guardian]] | location=London}}</ref>
==In other animal species==
{{Main| Animal sexual behaviour}}
Masturbatory behavior has been documented in a very wide range of species. Individuals of some species have been known to create tools for masturbation purposes.<ref name="Bagemihl,1999"/>
==See also==
{{Portal|Sexuality}}
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
* [[Cum shot]]
* [[Die große Nacht im Eimer]] (painting)
* [[Fingering (sexual act)]]
* [[Handjob]]
* [[Nocturnal emission]]
* [[Orgasm control]]
* [[Sex doll]]
* [[Sex magic]]
* [[Sperm donation]]
* [[Venus Butterfly]]
{{div col end}}
==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
==Further reading==
{{refbegin|30em}}
*{{cite journal |author=Brody, Stuart |title=Slimness is associated with greater intercourse and lesser masturbation frequency |journal=J Sex Marital Ther |volume=30 |issue=4 |pages=251–61 |date=July–September 2004 |pmid=15205063 |doi=10.1080/00926230490422368 |url=http://www.informaworld.com/openurl?genre=article&doi=10.1080/00926230490422368&magic=pubmed}}
*{{cite book |author=DeMartino, Manfred F. |title=Human Autoerotic Practices |publisher=Human Sciences Press |location=New York |year=1979 |isbn=0-87705-373-1 }}
*{{cite book |author=Marcus, Irwin M. |title=Masturbation: From Infancy to Senescence |publisher=International Universities Press |location=New York |year=1975 |isbn=0-8236-3150-8 }}
* {{cite journal | author = Hurlbert David Farley, Karen Elizabeth Whittaker | year = 1991 | title = The Role of Masturbation in Marital and Sexual Satisfaction: A Comparative Study of Female Masturbators and Nonmasturbators | journal = Journal of Sex Education & Therapy | volume = 17 | issue = 4| pages = 272–282 }}
{{refend}}
==External links==
{{sisterlinks|Masturbation}}
*{{cite news |title=Masturbating may protect against prostate cancer |url=http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn3942-masturbating-may-protect-against-prostate-cancer.html |work=New Scientist |date=16 July 2003 }}
*{{cite news |title=Masturbation could bring hay fever relief for men |url=http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16872-masturbation-could-bring-hay-fever-relief-for-men.html |work=New Scientist |date=April 2009 }}
* [http://www.jackinworld.com/ JackinWorld] An educational site devoted to male masturbation
* [http://www.buddhanet.net/winton_s.htm Buddhist Sexual Ethics] by Winton Higgins
{{Template group
|list =
{{Sex}}
{{Birth control methods}}
{{Reproductive physiology}}
}}
[[Category:Masturbation| ]]
[[Category:Habits]]
[[Category:Sexual acts]]
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[[zh:自慰]]' |
New page wikitext, after the edit (new_wikitext ) | '{{pp-move-indef}}
{{Redirect|Onanism|the Biblical origin of the term "onanism"|Onan}}
[[Image:Klimt Mulher sentada.jpg|thumb|[[Gustav Klimt]]'s ''Woman seated with thighs apart'' (1916).]]
{{Masturbation}}
'''Masturbation''' refers to [[sexual stimulation]] of a person's own [[sex organ|genitals]], usually to the point of [[orgasm]].<ref name="webmd">{{cite web|url=http://www.webmd.com/sex-relationships/guide/masturbation-guide |title=Masturbation - Is Masturbation Normal or Harmful? Who Masturbates? Why Do People Masturbate? |publisher=Webmd.com |date=2010-03-04 |accessdate=2011-08-17}}</ref> The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods.<ref>Based on "masturbation" in ''Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition'', Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003</ref> Masturbation is a common form of [[autoeroticism]]. Masturbation with a partner, called '''mutual masturbation''', is also common more common than that is self masturbation in the form of you and your partner masturbate together.
Men and women have techniques and characteristics in common, but also have specific preferences in the ways they like to masturbate. Studies have found that masturbation is frequent in humans of both sexes and all ages, although there is variation. Various medical and psychological benefits have been attributed to a healthy attitude to sex in general and to masturbation in particular, and no causal relationship is known between masturbation and any form of mental or physical disorder. Acts of masturbation have been celebrated in art worldwide since prehistory. While there was a period (from the late 18th to the early 20th century) when it was subject to medical censure and social conservatism, it is considered a normal part of healthy life today. There have been [[Masturbate-a-thon|masturbation marathons]] and [[National Health Service (England)|health service]] slogans such as "an orgasm a day keeps the doctor away". It is commonly mentioned in popular music as well as on television, in films and in literature.
[[Non-human animal sexual behavior#Autoeroticism (masturbation)|Animal masturbation]] has been observed in many species, both in the wild and in captivity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.petplace.com/horses/breeding-soundness-examination-of-the-stallion/page2.aspx |title=Breeding Soundness Examination of the Stallion |publisher=Petplace.com |date= |accessdate=2011-05-29}}</ref><ref name="Bagemihl,1999">{{cite book |author=Bagemihl, Bruce |title=Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity |publisher=St. Martin's Press |year=1999 |isbn=0-312-19239-8 }}</ref><ref>For further references, see also the main article [[Animal sexuality#Autoeroticism (masturbation)]].</ref>
==Etymology==
{{wiktionary|masturbation}}
{{wiktionary|onanism}}
The English word ''masturbation'' was introduced in the 18th century, based on the Latin verb ''masturbari'', its when you get a bonner and slam it in your door. and for girls its when u rub your vajj with esperagus. BOOM!!! BLACK PEOPLE
==Techniques==
[[Image:Masturbating hand.jpg|thumb|right|A woman masturbating.]]
Ways of masturbating common to members of both sexes include pressing or rubbing the [[genital]] area, either with the fingers or against an object such as a [[pillow]]; inserting fingers or an object into the [[anus]] (see [[anal masturbation]]); and stimulating the penis or vulva with electric [[Vibrator (sensual)|vibrator]]s, which may also be inserted into the vagina or anus. Members of both sexes may also enjoy touching, rubbing, or pinching the [[nipple]]s or other [[erogenous zones]] while masturbating. Both sexes sometimes apply [[personal lubricant|lubricating]] substances to intensify sensation.
Reading or viewing [[pornography]], or [[sexual fantasy]], are often common adjuncts to masturbation. Often people will call upon memories during masturbation. Masturbation activities can be [[ritualization|ritualised]] and various [[sexual fetishism|fetishes]] and [[paraphilia]]s may play a part. Some potentially harmful or fatal activities include [[autoerotic asphyxiation]] and [[self-bondage]].
Some people get [[sexual pleasure]] by inserting objects, such as [[Urethral sounding|urethral sounds]], into the [[urethra]] (the tube through which urine and, in men, semen, flows),<ref name="Alice05">{{cite web |first = "Alice" |title = Go ask Alice!: Cock-stuffing |publisher = Columbia University, New York |date = 2005-02-18 |url = http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/3516.html |accessdate = 2006-07-29}}</ref> a practice known as [[urethral play]] or "sounding".<ref name="BME06">{{cite web |last = Various authors |title = Urethral Sound |publisher = Body Modification Ezine |date = 2006-04-21 |url = http://wiki.bmezine.com/index.php/Urethral_Sound |accessdate = 2006-07-29}}</ref> Other objects such as ball point pens and thermometers are sometimes used, although this practice can lead to injury and/or infection.<ref name="JAAPA06">{{cite web |last = McPartlin |first = Daniel |coauthors = Adam P. Klausner, MD; Tristan T. Berry, MD |title = Case report: A foreign body in the urethra |publisher = Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants |date = 2005-09-09 |url = http://jaapa.com/issues/j20050901/articles/urethral0905.htm |accessdate = 2006-07-29 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20060701223330/http://jaapa.com/issues/j20050901/articles/urethral0905.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2006-07-01}}</ref> Some people masturbate by using [[Fucking machine|machine]]s that simulate intercourse.
Men and women may masturbate until they are [[Orgasm control|close to orgasm]], stop for a while to reduce excitement, and then resume masturbating. They may repeat this cycle multiple times. This "stop and go" build-up, known as "edging," can achieve even stronger orgasms.<ref name="SXED1">{{cite web | title = Sex Editorials | date = 2004-03-16 | url = http://sexeditorials.com/ |accessdate = 2009-07-11}} "The Stop-And-Go Masturbation Technique for Men and Women"</ref> Rarely, people quit stimulation just before orgasm to retain the heightened energy that normally comes down after orgasm.<ref>[http://www.csis.hku.hk/~bruce/masturb1.html Masturbation, Tantra and Self-love<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
===Female===
[[Image:Masturbating with a vibrator.jpg|thumb|right|Masturbating using a [[dildo]].]]
Female masturbation techniques include a woman stroking or rubbing her [[vulva]], especially her [[clitoris]], with her [[index finger|index]] and/or [[middle finger]]s. Sometimes one or more fingers may be inserted into the vagina to repeatedly stroke its frontal wall where the [[G-spot]] is located.<ref name="Keesling99">{{cite web |last = Keesling |first = Barbara |title = Beyond Orgasmatron |publisher = Psychology Today |date = November/December 99 (Last Reviewed: 30 August 2004) |url = http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/index.php?term=pto-19991101-000038&page=2 |accessdate = 2006-07-29}}</ref> Masturbation aids such as a [[Vibrator (sensual)|vibrator]], [[dildo]] or [[Ben Wa balls]] can also be used to stimulate the vagina and clitoris. Many women caress their breasts or stimulate a [[nipple]] with the free hand, if these are receptive areas for sexual stimulation. Anal stimulation is also enjoyed by some. [[Personal lubricant|Lubrication]] is sometimes used during masturbation, especially when [[Sexual penetration|penetration]] is involved, but this is not universal and many women find their [[Vaginal lubrication|natural lubrication]] sufficient.
[[File:Fingering close-up.jpg|thumb|Masturbating with fingers]]
Common positions include lying on back or face down, sitting, squatting, kneeling or standing. In a bath or shower a female may direct tap water at her [[clitoris]] and [[vulva]]. Lying face down one may use the hands, one may straddle a pillow, the corner or edge of the bed, a partner's leg or some scrunched-up clothing and "[[dry hump|hump]]" the vulva and clitoris against it. Standing up a chair, the corner of an item of furniture or even a washing machine can be used to stimulate the clitoris through the labia and clothing. Some masturbate using only pressure applied to the clitoris without direct contact, for example by pressing the palm or ball of the hand against [[underwear]] or other clothing. In the 1920s, [[Havelock Ellis]] reported that turn-of-the-century seamstresses using treadle-operated sewing machines could achieve orgasm by sitting near the edge of their chairs.<ref>Ellis, Havelock (1927), Studies in the Psychology of Sex (3rd edition), Volume I,; Auto-Erotism: A Study of the Spontaneous Manifestations of the Sexual Impulse; section I; "The Sewing-machine and the Bicycle:" quotes one Pouillet as saying "it is a well-recognized fact that to work a sewing-machine with the body in a certain position produces sexual excitement leading to the orgasm. The occurrence of the orgasm is indicated to the observer by the machine being worked for a few seconds with uncontrollable rapidity. This sound is said to be frequently heard in large French workrooms, and it is part of the duty of the superintendents of the rooms to make the girls sit properly." {{gutenberg|no=13610|name=Studies in the Psychology of Sex, v. I, by Havelock Ellis}}</ref>
Women can sexually stimulate themselves by crossing their legs tightly and clenching the muscles in their legs, creating pressure on the genitals. This can potentially be done in public without observers noticing. Thoughts, fantasies, and memories of previous instances of arousal and orgasm can produce sexual excitation. Some women can orgasm spontaneously by force of will alone, although this may not strictly qualify as masturbation as no physical stimulus is involved.<ref name="Koedt70">{{cite web |last = Koedt |first = Anne |title = The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm |publisher = Chicago Women's Liberation Union |year = 1970 |url = http://www.cwluherstory.org/myth-of-the-vaginal-orgasm.html |accessdate = 2010-11-18}}</ref><ref name=kins>The Kinsey Institute [http://www.kinseyinstitute.org/research/ak-data.html#masturbation Data from Alfred Kinsey's studies]. Published online.</ref>
Sex therapists will sometimes recommend that female patients take time to masturbate to orgasm, especially if they have not done so before.<ref name="Shuman06">{{cite web |last = Shuman |first = Tracy |title = Your Guide to Masturbation |publisher = WebMD, Inc./The Cleveland Clinic Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology |date = 2006-02 |url = http://www.webmd.com/content/article/45/2953_487.htm |accessdate = 2006-07-29}}</ref><ref name="Knowles02">{{cite web |last = Knowles |first = Jon |title = Masturbation — From Stigma to Sexual Health |publisher = Katharine Dexter McCormick Library/Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. |date = 2002-11 |url = http://www.plannedparenthood.org/news-articles-press/politics-policy-issues/medical-sexual-health/masturbation-6360.htm |accessdate = 2006-07-29}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
===Male===
[[Image:Masturbating man2.JPG|thumb|right|Masturbating by gripping and sliding the [[foreskin]] back and forth.]]
Male masturbation techniques are influenced by a number of factors and personal preferences. Techniques may also differ between males who have been [[circumcision|circumcised]] and those who have not. Some techniques which may work for one individual can be difficult or uncomfortable for another.
The most common male masturbation technique is simply to hold the penis with a loose fist and then to move the hand up and down the shaft. This type of stimulation is typically all that is required to achieve [[orgasm]] and [[ejaculation]]. The speed of the hand motion will vary from person to person, although it is not uncommon for the speed to increase as ejaculation nears and for it to decrease during the ejaculation itself.<ref name="ADVMAS1">{{cite web | title = Advanced Masturbation | date = 2004-10-22 | url = http://advancedmasturbation.com/ |accessdate = 2009-07-11}} "The Full Fist Masturbation Technique" and "The Thumb-Forefinger Masturbation Technique"</ref> For males who have not been circumcised, stimulation of the penis in this way comes from the "pumping" of the [[foreskin]], in which the foreskin is held and slid up and down over the [[glans penis|glans]], which depending on foreskin length, is completely or partially covered and then uncovered in a rapid motion. The glans itself may widen and lengthen as the stimulation continues, becoming slightly darker in colour, while the [[Foreskin#Functions|sliding motion]] of the foreskin reduces friction. For circumcised males, on whom the glans is mostly or completely uncovered, this technique creates more direct contact between the hand and the glans. To avoid soreness from this resulting friction, some may prefer to use a [[personal lubricant]] during masturbation.
The shaft skin can also be slid back and forth with just the index finger and thumb wrapped around the penis. A variation on this is to place the fingers and thumb on the penis as if playing a flute, and then shuttle them back and forth.<ref name="ADVMAS1" /> Lying face down on a comfortable surface such as a mattress or pillow, the penis can be rubbed against it. This technique may include the use of a [[simulacrum]], or [[artificial vagina]].
There are many other variations on male masturbation techniques. Men may also rub or massage the glans, the rim of the glans, and the [[frenular delta]]. Some men place both hands directly on their penis during masturbation, while others may use their free hand to [[fondle]] their [[testicles]], [[nipples]], or other parts of their body. The [[nipples]] are [[erogenous zones]], and vigorous stimulation of them during masturbation usually causes the penis to become erect more quickly than it would otherwise. Some may keep their hand stationary while pumping into it with pelvic thrusts in order to simulate the motions of [[sexual intercourse]]. Others may also use vibrators and other sexual devices more commonly associated with female masturbation. A few extremely flexible males can reach and stimulate their penis with their tongue or lips, and so perform [[autofellatio]].
The [[prostate]] gland is one of the organs that contributes fluid to [[semen]]. As the prostate is touch-sensitive, some directly stimulate it using a well-lubricated finger or [[dildo]] inserted through the [[anus]] into the [[rectum]]. Stimulating the prostate from outside, via pressure on the [[perineum]], can be pleasurable as well. Some men also enjoy [[anal sex|anal]] stimulation, with fingers or otherwise, without any prostate stimulation.
A somewhat controversial ejaculation control technique is to put pressure on the perineum, about halfway between the [[scrotum]] and the anus, just before ejaculating. This can, however, redirect semen into the bladder (referred to as [[retrograde ejaculation]]).
==Mutual masturbation==
[[Image:Geiger-masturbation-mutuelle.jpg|thumb|right|[[Johann Nepomuk Geiger]], [[watercolor]], 1840.]]
{{See also|Non-penetrative sex}}
'''Mutual masturbation''' is a [[sexual act]] where two or more people stimulate themselves or one another sexually, usually with the hands.
It can be part of a full repertoire of sexual intercourse. It may be used as an interlude, [[foreplay]], or as an alternative to penetration. For some people, [[non-penetrative sex]] or frottage is the primary sexual activity of choice above all others. Participants who do not want full sexual intercourse thus still enjoy mutual masturbation.
Mutual masturbation is practiced by people of all [[sexual orientation]]s. When used as an alternative to penile-vaginal penetration, the goal may be to preserve [[virgin]]ity or to prevent pregnancy. Some people choose it as an alternative to [[casual sex]] because it results in sexual satisfaction without actual sex. For some people, masturbating with friends helps lift the stigma they feel surrounding the act. This helps them develop their orgasm, increase its pleasure, and inspires them to masturbate on a more frequent basis.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.caitlainscorner.com/content/view/163/55/|title=Mutual Masturbation|work=Caitlain's Corner|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080603002414/http://www.caitlainscorner.com/content/view/163/55/|archivedate=Jun 03 2008}}</ref>
Mutual masturbation can be practiced by males or females in pairs or groups with or without actually touching another person as indicated by the following examples of contact versus non-contact scenarios:
* '''Non-Contact Mutual Masturbation''' — Two people masturbating in the presence of each other but not touching.
* '''Contact Mutual Masturbation''' — One person touching another person to masturbate. The other person may do the same during or after.
* '''Non-Contact Group''' — More than two people masturbating in the presence of each other in a group but not touching each other.
* '''Contact Group''' — More than two people physically touching each other to masturbate as a group.
* '''Mutual Masturbation Foreplay''' — The manual stimulation of each other's genitals where the session eventually leads to sex.<ref name="MUTUAL">{{cite web | title = Mutual Masturbation | date = 2006-06-12 |accessdate = 2010-08-07|url=http://advancedmasturbation.com/mutual}} — A biographical collection of data for a sociological repository on the topic of mutual masturbating to study changes on the activity over time.</ref>
==Frequency, age, and sex==
Frequency of masturbation is determined by many factors, e.g., one's resistance to [[sexual tension]], [[hormone]] levels influencing [[sexual arousal]], sexual habits, peer influences, health and one's attitude to masturbation formed by culture; E. Heiby and J. Becker examined the latter.<ref name=Heiby80>{{cite journal|doi=10.1007/BF01542263|last=Heiby|first=E,|coauthors=Becker JD|date=April 1980|title=Effect of filmed modeling on the self-reported frequency of masturbation|journal=Arch Sex Behav.|volume=9|issue=2|pages=115–21|pmid=7396686}}</ref> Medical causes have also been associated with masturbation.<ref>{{cite journal |author=De Alwis AC, Senaratne AM, De Silva SM, Rodrigo VS |title=Bladder calculus presenting as excessive masturbation |journal=Ceylon Med J |volume=51 |issue=3 |pages=121–2 |year=2006 |month=September |pmid=17315592 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.yebeh.2003.10.009 |author=Ozmen M, Erdogan A, Duvenci S, Ozyurt E, Ozkara C |title=Excessive masturbation after epilepsy surgery |journal=Epilepsy Behav |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=133–6 |year=2004 |month=February |pmid=14751219 |url=http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1525505003002981}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Lopez-Meza E, Corona-Vazquez T, Ruano-Calderon LA, Ramirez-Bermudez J |title=Severe impulsiveness as the primary manifestation of multiple sclerosis in a young female |journal=Psychiatry Clin. Neurosci. |volume=59 |issue=6 |pages=739–42 |year=2005 |month=December |pmid=16401253 |doi=10.1111/j.1440-1819.2005.01446.x }}</ref>
Different studies have found that masturbation is frequent in humans. [[Alfred Kinsey|Alfred Kinsey's]] 1950s studies on US population <!--what age, location--> have shown that 92% of men and 62% of women have masturbated during their lifespan.<ref name=kins/> Similar results have been found in a 2007 British national probability survey. It was found that, between individuals aged 16 to 44, 95% of men and 71% of women masturbated at some point in their lives. 73% of men and 37% of women reported masturbating in the four weeks before their interview, while 53% of men and 18% of women reported masturbating in the previous seven days.<ref name=gerr>{{cite journal |author=Gerressu M, Mercer CH, Graham CA, Wellings K, Johnson AM |title=Prevalence of masturbation and associated factors in a British national probability survey |journal=Arch Sex Behav |volume=37 |issue=2 |pages=266–78 |year=2008 |month=April |pmid=17333329 |doi=10.1007/s10508-006-9123-6}}</ref>
<!-- online survey. A 2008 UK study "The Gossard Big M Survey" revealed that masturbation is on the rise between women aged 18 to 30 year olds and that 92% of women who were in the study masturbated. Further, 2/3 masturbated at least 3 times a week and those in London reported at least 4 times a week. [http://www.britainnews.net/story/440746]. In it, marital status and frequency of sex with a partner had little relationship with the frequency of masturbation. That is, the women who masturbated were just as likely to also enjoy sex with a partner during the week as those who did not. Masturbation was used to augment regular sex and is often used in sex therapy to treat sexual performance problems, not substitute for sex.-->
In 2009, the UK Government joined the Netherlands and other European nations in encouraging teens to masturbate at least daily. An orgasm was defined as a right in its health pamphlet. This was done in response to data and experience from the other EU member states to reduce teen pregnancy and STIs (STDs), and to promote healthy habits.<ref>{{cite web|author=Treptow, C.|date=14 July 2009|title=U.K. Government Encourages Teen Masturbation?|publisher=ABC News|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/story?id=8072314&page=1}}</ref>
<!-- old, small, irrelevant study -- "Forty-eight female college students were asked to complete a sexual attitudes questionnaire in which a frequency of masturbation scale was embedded. Twenty-four of the women (the experimental group) then individually viewed an explicit modeling film involving female masturbation. One month later, all subjects again completed the same questionnaire. Subjects in the experimental group also completed a questionnaire evaluating aspects of the film. Results indicated that the experimental group reported a significant increase in the average monthly frequency of masturbation, as compared to the control group. This same group, however, reported that the film had no effect on sexual attitudes or behavior."<ref name=Heiby80/>-->
In the book ''Human Sexuality: Diversity in Contemporary America'', by Strong, Devault and Sayad, the authors point out, "A baby boy may laugh in his crib while playing with his erect penis". "Baby girls sometimes move their bodies rhythmically, almost violently, appearing to experience [[orgasm]]." Italian gynecologists Giorgio Giorgi and Marco Siccardi observed via ultrasound a female fetus possibly masturbating and having what appeared to be an orgasm.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Giorgi G, Siccardi M |title=Ultrasonographic observation of a female fetus' sexual behavior in utero |journal=Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. |volume=175 |issue=3 Pt 1 |page=753 |year=1996 |month=September |pmid=8828451 |url=http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0002-9378(96)00526-1}}</ref>
It appears that females are less likely to masturbate while in an active [[heterosexual]] relationship than men. Popular belief asserts that individuals of either sex who are not in sexually active relationships tend to masturbate more frequently than those who are; however, much of the time this is not true as masturbation alone or with a partner is often a feature of a relationship. Contrary to conventional wisdom, several studies actually reveal a positive correlation between the frequency of masturbation and the frequency of intercourse. One study reported a significantly higher rate of masturbation in gay men and women who were in a relationship.<ref name=gerr/><ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1590/S0102-311X2006000700011 |author=Heilborn, M.L., Cabral, C.S. |title=Sexual practices in youth: analysis of lifetime sexual trajectory and last sexual intercourse |journal=Cad Saude Publica |volume=22 |issue=7 |pages=1471–81 |year=2006 |url=http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-311X2006000700011&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en |pmid=16791346}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | doi = 10.1177/0269881106059732 | author = Menon A., McAllister R.H., Watson W., Watson S. | year = 2006 | title = Increased libido associated with quetiapine | url = http://jop.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/20/1/125 | journal = Journal of Psychopharmacology | volume = 20 | issue = 1| pages = 125–7 | pmid = 16354735 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/S0306-4530(01)00066-X |author=Burleson MH, Trevathan WR, Gregory WL |title=Sexual behavior in lesbian and heterosexual women: relations with menstrual cycle phase and partner availability |journal=Psychoneuroendocrinology |volume=27 |issue=4 |pages=489–503 |year=2002 |month=May |pmid=11912001 |url=http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S030645300100066X}}</ref>
==Evolutionary utility==
Masturbation may increase fertility during intercourse. A 2009 Australian study found daily ejaculation to be an important factor in sperm health and motility.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090705/Daily-sex-good-for-sperm!.aspx |title=Daily sex good for sperm! |publisher=News-medical.net |date= |accessdate=2011-08-17}}</ref>
Female masturbation alters conditions in the vagina, cervix and uterus, in ways that can alter the chances of conception from intercourse, depending on the timing of the masturbation. A woman's orgasm between one minute before and up to 45 minutes after insemination favors the chances of that sperm reaching her egg. If, for example, she has had intercourse with more than one male, such an orgasm can increase the likelihood of a pregnancy by one of them.<ref>{{cite book |last = Baker |first = Robin |title = Sperm Wars: The Science of Sex |publisher = Diane Books Publishing Company |month=June | year=1996 |isbn = 978-0788160042}}</ref><ref name=Ejaculate_manipulation_by_females>{{cite journal |last = Baker |first = Robin R. |coauthors = Bellis, Mark A. |year = 1993 |month = November |title = Human sperm competition: Ejaculate manipulation by females and a function for the female orgasm. |journal = Animal Behaviour |volume = 46 |issue = 5 |pages = 87, 23p |doi = 10.1006/anbe.1993.1272}}</ref> Female masturbation can also provide protection against cervical infections by increasing the acidity of the cervical mucus and by moving debris out of the cervix.<ref name=Ejaculate_manipulation_by_females/>
In males, masturbation flushes out old sperm with low [[motility]] from the male's genital tract. The next ejaculate then contains more fresh sperm, which have higher chances of achieving conception during intercourse. If more than one male has intercourse with a female, the sperm with the highest motility will [[Sperm competition|compete]] more effectively.<ref>{{cite paper |author = Thomsen, Ruth |title = Sperm Competition and the Function of Masturbation in Japanese Macaques |publisher = Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München |date=October 2000 |url = http://edoc.ub.uni-muenchen.de/archive/00000105/}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last = Baker |first = Robin R. |coauthors = Bellis, Mark A. |year = 1993 |month = November |title = Human sperm competition: Ejaculate adjustment by males and the function of masturbation. |journal = Animal Behaviour |volume = 46 |issue = 5 |pages = 861, 25p |doi = 10.1006/anbe.1993.1271}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last = Shackelford |first = Todd K. |coauthors = Goetz, Aaron T. |year = 2007 |month = February |title = Adaptation to Sperm Competition in Humans. |journal = Current Directions in Psychological Science |volume = 16 |issue = 1 |pages = 47–50 |url = http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-8721.2007.00473.x |doi = 10.1111/j.1467-8721.2007.00473.x}}</ref>
==Health and psychological effects==
[[File:Egon Schiele 073.jpg|thumb|[[Self-portrait]] of [[Egon Schiele]] 1911, depicting masturbation.]]
===Benefits===
It is held in many mental health circles that masturbation can relieve [[major depressive disorder|depression]] and lead to a higher sense of [[self-esteem]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.healthline.com/galecontent/masturbation-1 |title=Masturbation Information on Healthline |publisher=Healthline.com |date= |accessdate=2011-08-17}}</ref> Masturbation can also be particularly useful in relationships where one partner wants more sex than the other – in which case masturbation provides a balancing effect and thus a more harmonious relationship.<ref name="BadgerHerald">{{cite web |title = Masturbation key to healthy, functional sexual relationships |date = April 19, 2007 |url = http://badgerherald.com/oped/2007/04/19/masturbation_key_to_.php | work=The Badger Herald, Daily campus newspaper | location=Madison, Wisconsin, USA |publisher=Badger Herald, Inc. |accessdate = July 2007}}</ref>
Mutual masturbation, the act by which two or more partners stimulate themselves in the presence of each other, allows a couple to reveal the "map to [their] pleasure centers". By watching a partner masturbate, one finds out the methods they use to please him- or herself, allowing each partner to learn exactly how the other enjoys being touched. Intercourse, by itself, is often inconvenient or impractical at times to provide sufficient sexual release for many people. Mutual masturbation allows couples to enjoy each other and obtain sexual release as often as they need but without the inconveniences and risks associated with sex.<ref name="BadgerHerald"/>
In 2003, an Australian research team led by Graham Giles of [[The Cancer Council Australia]]<ref>{{cite paper | last=Giles | first=G.G. | coauthors= G. Severi, D.R. English, M.R.E. McCredie, R. Borland, P. Boyle and J.L. Hopper | title=Sexual factors and prostate cancer | publisher=BJU International | year=2003 | doi=10.1046/j.1464-410X.2003.04319.x | url=http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118853726/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0 | accessdate=2009-01-09 }}</ref> found that males masturbating frequently had a lower probability to develop [[prostate cancer]]. Men who averaged five or more ejaculations weekly in their 20s had significantly lower risk. However they could not show a direct causation. The study also indicated that increased ejaculation through masturbation rather than intercourse would be more helpful as intercourse is associated with diseases (STDs) that may increase the [[Cervical cancer#Causes|risk of cancer]] instead. However, this benefit may be age related. A 2008 study concluded that frequent ejaculation between the ages of 20 and 40 may be correlated with higher risk of developing prostate cancer. On the other hand, frequent ejaculation in one's 50s was found to be correlated with a lower such risk in this same study.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Dimitropoulou|first=Polyxeni|coauthors= Artitaya Lophatananon, Douglas Easton, Richard Pocock, David P. Dearnaley, Michelle Guy, Steven Edwards, Lynne O'Brien, Amanda Hall, Rosemary Wilkinson, Rosalind Eeles, Kenneth R. Muir|date=November 11, 2008 |title=Sexual activity and prostate cancer risk in men diagnosed at a younger age|journal=BJU International|volume=103|issue=2|pages=178–185|oclc=10.1111/j.1464-410X.2008.08030.x|doi=10.1111/j.1464-410X.2008.08030.x|pmid=19016689}}</ref>
[[File:Félicien Rops - Sainte-Thérèse.png|thumb|left|[[Teresa of Ávila|Saint Teresa]]'s ecstasy illustrated as masturbation by [[Félicien Rops]] (1833-1898).]]
A study published in 1997 found an inverse association between death from coronary heart disease and frequency of orgasm even given the risk that myocardial ischaemia and myocardial infarction can be triggered by sexual activity. {{cquote|The association between frequency of orgasm and all cause mortality was also examined using the midpoint of each response category recorded as number of orgasms per year. The age adjusted odds ratio for an increase of 100 orgasms per year was 0.64 (0.44 to 0.95).}}
That is, a difference in mortality appeared between any two subjects when one subject ejaculated at around two times per week more than the other. Assuming a broad range average of between 3 to 5 ejaculations per week for healthy males, this would mean 5 to 7 ejaculations per week. This is consistent with a 2003 Australia article on the benefits against prostate cancer. The strength of these correlations increased with increasing frequency of ejaculation.<ref>{{Cite journal
| title = Sex and death: are they related? Findings from the Caerphilly cohort study
| date = December 20, 1997
| url = http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/315/7123/1641
| accessdate = July 2007
| pmid = 9448525
| journal = BMJ
| volume = 315
| issue = 7123
| page = 1641
| author = Smith, George Davey
| author2 = F
| author3 = Y
| pmc=2128033}}</ref>
A 2008 study at [[Tabriz University of Medical Sciences|Tabriz Medical University]] found ejaculation reduces swollen nasal blood vessels, freeing the airway for normal breathing. The mechanism is through stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system and is long lasting. The study author suggests "It can be done [from] time-to-time to alleviate the congestion and the patient can adjust the number of intercourses or masturbations depending on the severity of the symptoms."<ref>{{cite web
| title = Masturbation could bring hay fever relief for men
| date = April 2008
| url = http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16872-masturbation-could-bring-hay-fever-relief-for-men.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news
| accessdate = August 2009 }}</ref>
Masturbation is also seen as a sexual technique that protects individuals from the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases. Support for such a view, and for making it part of the American sex education curriculum, led to the dismissal of US Surgeon General [[Joycelyn Elders]] during the Clinton administration. EU Nations include masturbation in their sex education and promote the practice. (see above)
Sexual climax, from masturbation or otherwise, leaves one in a relaxed and contented state. This is frequently followed closely by drowsiness and sleep – particularly when one masturbates in bed.
Some professionals consider masturbation to function as a cardiovascular workout.<ref>{{cite journal | coauthors = Benjamin Graber, Scott Balogh, Denis Fitzpatrick and Shelton Hendricks
| title = Cardiovascular changes associated with sexual arousal and orgasm in men
| journal = Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment
| volume = 4
| issue = 2
| pages = 151–165
| publisher = Springer Netherlands
| month = June | year = 1991
| url = http://www.springerlink.com/content/m28k5475630n5872/
| doi = 10.1007/BF00851611
| id = 1079-0632 (Print) 1573-286X (Online)
| accessdate = 2004-12-28 | author = Graber, Benjamin }}</ref> Though research is still as yet scant, those suffering from cardiovascular disorders (particularly those recovering from myocardial infarction, or heart attacks) should resume physical activity (including sexual intercourse and masturbation) gradually and with the frequency and rigor which their physical status will allow. This limitation can serve as encouragement to follow through with physical therapy sessions to help improve endurance.
===Risks===
Those who insert objects as aid to masturbation risk them becoming stuck (e.g. as [[Rectal foreign body|Rectal foreign bodies]]). Men and women can fall prey to this problem. A woman presented at a German hospital with two pencils in her bladder. She had inserted them into her urethra during masturbation.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Wegner|first=HE|coauthors=Franke M, Schick V.|date=May 1997|title=Endoscopic removal of intravesical pencils using percutaneous nephrolithotomy sheath and forceps.|journal=[[The Journal of Urology|J Urol.]]|issue=5|volume=157|page=1842|pmid=9112540|url=http://www.masturbationhorror.com/women.shtml<!-- more direct link needed -->}}</ref>
===Blood pressure===
Both sex and masturbation lower blood pressure. A small study has shown that in one test group, recent full intercourse resulted in the lowest average blood pressure in stressful situations. Masturbation then led to lower blood pressure than did no recent sexual activity.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Brody S |title=Blood pressure reactivity to stress is better for people who recently had penile-vaginal intercourse than for people who had other or no sexual activity |journal=Biol Psychol |volume=71 |issue=2 |pages=214–22 |year=2006 |month=February |pmid=15961213 |doi=10.1016/j.biopsycho.2005.03.005 |url=http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0301-0511(05)00073-6}}</ref>
===Pregnancy===
Masturbation involving both a man and a woman (see ''[[Non-penetrative sex#Mutual masturbation as a form of non-penetrative sex|mutual masturbation]]'') can result in pregnancy only if [[semen]] contacts the [[vulva]]. Masturbation with a partner can also theoretically result in transmission of sexually transmitted diseases by contact with bodily fluids.
Male masturbation may be used as a method to obtain semen for third party reproductive procedures such as [[artificial insemination]] and [[In vitro fertilisation|IVF]] which may involve the use of either partner or donor sperm.
At a [[sperm bank]] or fertility clinic, a special room or cabin may be set aside so that semen may be produced by male masturbation for use in fertility treatments such as artificial insemination. Most semen used for [[sperm donation]], and all semen donated through a sperm bank by sperm donors, is produced in this way. The facility at a sperm bank used for this purpose is known as a masturbatorium (US) or men's production room (UK). A bed or couch is usually provided for the man, and pornographic films or other material may be made available.
===Problems for males===
A man whose penis has suffered a blunt trauma, severe bend or other injury during intercourse or masturbation may, rarely, sustain a [[penile fracture]]<ref>{{EMedicine|med|3415|Penile Fracture and Trauma}}</ref><ref>{{cite pmid|18188109}}</ref><ref>{{cite doi|10.1016/j.urology.2007.06.119}}</ref> or suffer from [[Peyronie's disease]].<ref>{{cite journal |author=Fitkin J, Ho GT |title=Peyronie's disease: current management |journal=Am Fam Physician |volume=60 |issue=2 |pages=549–52, 554 |year=1999 |month=August |pmid=10465229 |url=http://www.aafp.org/afp/990800ap/549.html}}</ref> [[Phimosis]] is "a contracted foreskin (that) may cause trouble by hurting when an attempt is made to pull the foreskin back".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/phimosis.htm |title=article on Foreskin contraction (phimosis) |publisher=Netdoctor.co.uk |date= |accessdate=2011-05-29}}</ref> In these cases, any energetic manipulation of the penis can be problematic.
===Compulsive masturbation===
{{See also|Hypersexuality}}
There is no scientific evidence of a causative relationship between masturbation and any form of mental disorder. Excessive or compulsive sexual behavior is generally understood to be a symptom rather than a cause.<ref>{{cite journal | doi = 10.1080/00224498809551467 | author = Levine M. P., Troiden R. R. | year = 1988 | title = The myth of sexual compulsivity | journal = Journal of Sex Research | volume = 25 | issue = 3 | pages = 347–363 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | doi = 10.1007/s10508-006-9098-3 | author = Giles J | year = 2006 | title = No such thing as excessive levels of sexual behavior | journal = Archives of Sexual Behavior | volume = 35 | issue = 6| pages = 641–2 | pmid = 17109229 }}</ref>
While masturbation among adolescents contributes to them developing a sense of mastery over sexual impulses, and it has a role in the physical and emotional development of prepubescents and pubescents,<ref name=Datta>
{{cite book|author=Parul Datta|title=Pediatric Nursing|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Um1_7gM-E1wC&lpg=PA189&pg=PA189#v=onepage&q&f=false|publisher=Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers|year=2007|accessdate=27 August 2011}}
</ref> babies and toddlers will play with their genitals in much the same way as they play with their ears or toes. If such play becomes all-consuming, it may be necessary to look for an underlying cause, such as the child being tense and in need of comfort, or that others may be overreacting and thus reinforcing the habit. It could be caused by a low-grade urinary tract or yeast infection, or the child may be overstimulated and in need of soothing, or indeed understimulated and bored. In each case, dealing with the cause will bring the behavior back to a level of enthusiasm that does not take away from other interests. Such a habit can also be addressed by distraction and providing other activities for the child to engage with.<ref>{{cite web|last=Greene|first=Alan|title=Masturbation in Young Children|url=http://www.drgreene.com/qa/masturbation-young-children?pagination=1|publisher=Greene Ink|accessdate=13 September 2011|year=1998}}</ref> Alongside many other factors, such as medical evidence, age-inappropriate sexual knowledge, play, or aggression, and precocious or seductive behavior, excessive masturbation may be an indicator of [[sexual abuse]].<ref name=Myers>
{{cite book|author=John E. B. Myers|title=Myers on Evidence in Child, Domestic and Elder Abuse Cases, Volume 1|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=-krZZF9dl-sC&pg=PA385&dq=excessive+masturbation&hl=en&ei=pXNYTt3UKOe00AGEo5mvDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CE8Q6AEwBzgK#v=onepage&q=excessive%20masturbation&f=false|quote=Jon Conte and his colleagues were interested to learn what factors are important to mental health professionals who regularly evaluate children for sexual abuse. The evaluators were asked to rank the imporatance of forty-one indicators of sexual abuse. The following indicators were thought important by more than ninety percent of evaluators: medical evidence of abuse, age-inappropriate sexual knowledge, sexualized play during the interview, precocious or seductive behavior, excessive masturbation, child's description is consistent over time, child's description reveals pressure or coercion.|publisher=Aspen Publishers|year=2005|accessdate=27 August 2011}}</ref><ref name=Faller>
{{cite book|author=Kathleen Coulborn Faller|title=Understanding and Assessing Child Sexual Maltreatment|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=FkT2wTGTUAoC&pg=PA39&dq=%22excessive+masturbation%22&hl=en&ei=t3VYTuDDE-XL0QG8nbmkDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAjgK#v=onepage&q=%22excessive%20masturbation%22&f=false|quote=Six different types of sexual behavior that signal possible sexual abuse will be described in this section: (a) excessive masturbation, (b) sexual interaction with peers, (c) sexual aggression toward younger or more naive children, (d) sexual accosting of older people or adults, (e) seductive behavior, and (f) promiscuity.|publisher=[[Sage Publications]]|year=2003|accessdate=27 August 2011}}</ref>
Compulsive masturbation and other compulsive behaviors can be signs of an emotional problem. As such, that may need to be addressed by a mental health specialist.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/ohe/library/Sexhealth/articles/masturbating.htm |title=University of Pennsylvania Office of Health Education article on masturbation |publisher=Vpul.upenn.edu |date= |accessdate=2011-05-29}}</ref> As with any "nervous habit", it is more helpful to consider the causes of compulsive behavior, rather than try to repress masturbation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chmed.com/mod.php?mod=userpage&menu=1907&page_id=142&PHPSESSID=a76dc0f6fb1882506f5666b63fb98062 |title=Childrens Medical Office of North Andover, P.C. article on Masturbation in Early Childhood |publisher=Chmed.com |date= |accessdate=2011-05-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sexualhealth.com/question/read/love-relationships/sexual-addiction-compulsion/11608/ |title=Sexual health
|publisher=The Sexual Health Network|author= Patricia Fawver Ph.D|date=01/10/2006}}</ref> For example, [[avoidant personality disorder]] is sometimes associated with a preference for excessive masturbation over sexual relationships, as well as with the ability of the sufferer to orgasm more readily via masturbation than via sexual intercourse. It is not considered to be a cause of the disorder,<ref name=Kantor>{{cite book|author=Martin Kantor|title=Distancing: Avoidant Personality Disorder|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=r8OaELnHG6UC&pg=PA16&dq=excessive+masturbation&hl=en&ei=HnJYTtOfJ6Gw0AH31YSGDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CD8Q6AEwBDgK#v=onepage&q=excessive%20masturbation&f=false|publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]]|year=2003|accessdate=27 August 2011}}</ref> and effective treatment of the disorder will often involve challenging the sufferer's exaggerated negative beliefs about themselves.<ref>{{cite web | author=Eckleberry, Sharon C. | title=Dual Diagnosis and the Avoidant Personality Disorder | date=2000-03-25 | work=The Dual Diagnosis Pages: From Our Desk | url=http://www.toad.net/~arcturus/dd/avoid.htm | accessdate=2007-02-06|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20061216233724/http://www.toad.net/~arcturus/dd/avoid.htm|archivedate=2006-12-16}}</ref>
There is discussion between professionals and other interested parties as to whether such a thing as [[sexual addiction]] really exists. Compulsive masturbation is regarded as one of the symptoms of sexual addiction by proponents of that concept.<ref>{{cite doi|10.1080/10720160701310450}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/relationships/sex_and_sexual_health/probs_sexaddiction.shtml |title=BBC Relationships: Addicted to sex |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date= |accessdate=2011-05-29}}</ref>
==In history and society==
{{Main|History of masturbation}}
[[Image:Kunisada surimono.jpg|thumb|Masturbation was depicted in 19th century [[Shunga]] prints, such as this piece by [[Kunisada]].]]
[[File:Crátera ática de columnas (M.A.N. 1999-99-65) 02.jpg|thumb|A [[satyr]] masturbating. [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] [[krater]] from 6th century BC.]]
There are depictions of male masturbation in prehistoric [[rock painting]]s around the world. Most early people seem to have connected human sexuality with abundance in nature. A clay figurine of the 4th millennium BC from a temple site on the island of [[Malta]], depicts a woman masturbating.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Taylor, Timothy |title=Uncovering the prehistory of sex |journal=British Archaeology |issue=15 |date=June 1996 |url=http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba15/ba15feat.html |quote=The [[Ħaġar Qim]] woman is... masturbating, with one hand languidly supporting her head.}}</ref> However, in the ancient world depictions of male masturbation are far more common.
From the earliest records, ancient [[Sumer]] had a relaxed attitude toward sex, and masturbation was a popular technique for enhancing potency, either alone or with a partner.<ref>{{cite book |author=Dening, Sarah |chapter=Chapter 3 |chapterurl=http://www.ishtartemple.org/myth.htm |title=The Mythology of Sex |publisher=Macmillian |year=1996 |isbn=9780028612072 }}</ref>
Male masturbation became an even more important image in [[ancient Egypt]]. When performed by a god it could be considered a creative or magical act: the god [[Atum]] was believed to have created the universe by masturbating to ejaculation, and the ebb and flow of the [[Nile]] was attributed to the frequency of his ejaculations. Egyptian [[Pharaoh]]s, in response to this, were at one time required to masturbate ceremonially into the Nile.<ref>{{cite book |author=Margolis, Johnathan |title=O: The intimate history of the orgasm |year=2003 |page=134 }}</ref>
The [[History of India|ancient Indian]] [[Hindu]] text [[Kama Sutra]] explains in detail the best procedure to masturbate; ''"Churn your instrument with a lion's pounce: sit with legs stretched out at right angles to one another, propping yourself up with two hands planted on the ground between in them, and it between your arms"''.<ref>{{cite book |author=Thicke, Alan |title=How to Raise Kids Who Won't Hate You |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=cTx11dAXV3AC&pg=PA125 |date=April 2006 |publisher=iUniverse |isbn=9781583488409 |page=125}}</ref>
The ancient [[Greeks]] had a more relaxed attitude toward masturbation than the Egyptians did, regarding the act as a normal and healthy substitute for other forms of sexual pleasure. They considered it a safety valve against destructive sexual frustration. The Greeks also dealt with female masturbation in both their art and writings. One common term used for it was ''anaphlan,'' which roughly translates as "up-fire".
[[Diogenes of Sinope|Diogenes]], speaking in jest, credited the god [[Hermes]] with its invention: he allegedly took pity on his son [[Pan (mythology)|Pan]], who was pining for [[Echo (mythology)|Echo]] but unable to seduce her, and taught him the trick of masturbation in order to relieve his suffering. Pan in his turn taught the habit to young shepherds.<ref>Dio Crysostom, ''Discourses,'' iv.20</ref>
As late as the seventeenth century in Europe the practice was commonly employed by nannies to put their young male charges to sleep.<ref>''The tyranny of pleasure'', Jean Claude Guillebaud, Keith Torjoc; p.22</ref> That tolerance was soon to change. The first use of the word "onanism" to consistently and specifically refer to masturbation appears to be ''Onania'', an anonymous pamphlet first distributed in London in 1716. It drew on familiar themes of sin and vice, this time in particular against the "heinous sin" of "self-pollution". After dire warnings that those who so indulged would suffer [[impotence]], [[gonorrhea]], [[epilepsy]] and a wasting of the faculties (included were letters and testimonials supposedly from young men ill and dying from the effects of compulsive masturbation) the pamphlet then goes on to recommend as an effective remedy a "Strengthening Tincture" at 10 shillings a bottle and a "Prolific Powder" at 12 shillings a bag, available from a local shop.
[[Image:Sexpatent01-excerpt.png|thumb|left|A [[patented]] device designed to prevent masturbation by inflicting electric shocks upon the perpetrator, by ringing an alarm bell, and through spikes at the inner edge of the tube into which the penis is inserted. The entire patent document: [[Media:Sexpatent01.png|Page 1]], [[Media:Sexpatent02.png|2]], [[Media:Sexpatent03.png|3]], [[Media:Sexpatent04.png|4]].]]
One of the many horrified by the descriptions of malady in ''Onania'' was the notable Swiss physician [[Samuel-Auguste Tissot]]. In 1760, he published ''L'Onanisme'', his own comprehensive medical treatise on the purported ill-effects of masturbation. Citing case studies of young male masturbators amongst his patients in [[Lausanne]], [[Switzerland]] as basis for his reasoning, Tissot argued that semen was an "essential oil" and "stimulus" that, when lost from the body in great amounts, would cause "a perceptible reduction of strength, of memory and even of reason; blurred vision, all the nervous disorders, all types of [[gout]] and [[rheumatism]], weakening of the organs of generation, blood in the urine, disturbance of the appetite, headaches and a great number of other disorders."
Though Tissot's ideas are now considered [[hypothesis|conjectural]] at best, his treatise was presented as a scholarly, scientific work in a time when experimental physiology was practically nonexistent. The authority with which the work was subsequently treated – Tissot's arguments were even acknowledged and echoed by luminaries such as [[Kant]] and [[Voltaire]] – arguably shifted the view of masturbation in Western medicine over the next two centuries into that of a debilitating illness.
This view persisted well into the [[Victorian era]], where such medical censure of masturbation was in line with the widespread social [[conservatism]] and opposition to open sexual behavior common at the time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.noharmm.org/paige.htm |title=The Ritual of Circumcision |publisher=Noharmm.org |date=2005-09-06 |accessdate=2011-05-29}}{{dead link|date=August 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Stengers, Jean; van Neck, Anne |title=Masturbation: the history of a great terror |publisher=Palgrave |location=New York |year=2001 |isbn=0-312-22443-5 }}</ref> There were recommendations to have boys' pants constructed so that the genitals could not be touched through the pockets, for schoolchildren to be seated at special desks to prevent their crossing their legs in class and for girls to be forbidden from riding horses and bicycles because the sensations these activities produce were considered too similar to masturbation. Boys and young men who nevertheless continued to indulge in the practice were branded as "weak-minded."<ref>[[Media:Sexpatent02.png|Surgical Appliance]]</ref> Many "remedies" were devised, including eating a bland, meatless diet. This approach was promoted by [[John Harvey Kellogg|Dr. John Harvey Kellogg]] (inventor of [[corn flakes]]) and [[Sylvester Graham|Rev. Sylvester Graham]] (inventor of [[Graham cracker]]s). The medical literature of the times describes procedures for electric shock treatment, [[infibulation]], restraining devices like [[chastity belt]]s and [[straitjacket]]s, [[cauterization]] or – as a last resort – wholesale [[surgery|surgical excision]] of the genitals. Routine neonatal [[circumcision]] was widely adopted in the United States and the UK at least partly because of its believed preventive effect against masturbation (see also [[History of male circumcision#Male circumcision to prevent masturbation|History of male circumcision]]). In later decades, the more drastic of these measures were increasingly replaced with psychological techniques, such as warnings that masturbation led to blindness, hairy hands or stunted growth. Some of these persist as myths even today.
[[Image:Chastity belt Heyser 0.png|thumb|Image of a [[chastity belt]] from a patent document. For entire document, see: [[:Image:Chastity belt Heyser 1.png|Page 1]], [[:Image:Chastity belt Heyser 2.png|2]], [[:Image:Chastity belt Heyser 3.png|3]], [[:Image:Chastity belt Heyser 4.png|4]], [[:Image:Chastity belt Heyser 5.png|5]], [[:Image:Chastity belt Heyser 6.png|6]]]]
At the same time, the supposed medical condition of [[hysteria]]—from the Greek ''hystera'' or uterus—was being treated by what would now be described as medically administered or medically prescribed masturbation for women. Techniques included use of the earliest vibrators and rubbing the genitals with placebo creams.<ref name=Maines>{{cite book|isbn=0-8018-6646-4|title=The Technology of Orgasm: "Hysteria", the Vibrator, and Women's Sexual Satisfaction|author=Rachel P. Maines|publisher=The Johns Hopkins University Press | location=Baltimore|year=1999}}</ref>
Medical attitudes toward masturbation began to change at the beginning of the 20th century when [[H. Havelock Ellis]], in his seminal 1897 work ''Studies in the Psychology of Sex'', questioned Tissot's premises, cheerfully named famous men of the era who masturbated and then set out to disprove (with the work of more recent physicians) each of the claimed diseases of which masturbation was purportedly the cause. "We reach the conclusion", he wrote, "that in the case of moderate masturbation in healthy, well-born individuals, no seriously pernicious results necessarily follow."
[[Robert Baden-Powell]], the founder of [[The Scout Association]], incorporated a passage in the 1914 edition of ''[[Scouting for Boys]]'' warning against the dangers of masturbation. This passage stated that the individual should run away from the temptation by performing physical activity which was supposed to tire the individual so that masturbation could not be performed. By 1930, however, Dr. [[F. W. W. Griffin]], editor of ''The Scouter,'' had written in a book for Rover Scouts that the temptation to masturbate was "a quite natural stage of development" and, citing [[H. Havelock Ellis|Ellis]]' work, held that "the effort to achieve complete abstinence was a very serious error."
Austrian psychoanalyst [[Wilhelm Reich]] in his 1922 essay ''[[Concerning Specific Forms of Masturbation]]'' tried to identify healthy and unhealthy forms of masturbation. He tried to relate the way people masturbated to their degree of inclination towards the opposite sex and to their psycho-sexual pathologies.
The works of Sexologist [[Alfred Kinsey]] during the 1940s and 1950s said that masturbation was an instinctive behavior for both males and females, citing the results of Gallup Poll surveys indicating how common it was in the United States. Some critics of this theory held that his research was biased and that the Gallup Poll method was redundant for defining "natural behavior".
In 1994, when the [[Surgeon General of the United States]], Dr. [[Joycelyn Elders]], mentioned as an aside that it should be mentioned in school [[curriculum|curricula]] that masturbation was safe and healthy, she was forced to resign,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jackinworld.com/library/articles/elders.html |title=JackinLibrary: Joycelyn Elders |publisher=Jackinworld.com |date= |accessdate=2011-05-29}}</ref> with opponents asserting that she was promoting the teaching of ''how'' to masturbate. Many {{Who|date=April 2010}} believe this was the result of her long history of promoting controversial viewpoints and not due solely to her public mention of masturbation.
===Religious views===
[[Image:Khajurahosculpture.jpg|thumb|A [[temple]] [[relief]] at [[Khajuraho]] in [[Tourism in Madhya Pradesh|Madhya Pradesh]], [[India]] features a couple in a sexual embrace with a man and a woman masturbating to either side.]]
{{Main|Religious views on masturbation}}
:''See also [[Religion and sexuality]] and [[Sperm in vain (Judaism)]] for broader coverage''
This biblical story of [[Onan]] does not refer to masturbation, but to [[coitus interruptus]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Coogan|first=Michael|title=God and Sex. What the Bible Really Says|url=http://books.google.nl/books?id=2_gPKQEACAAJ&dq=god+and+sex&hl=nl&ei=4fbCTaPKDpGXOrq88Z0I&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CEcQ6AEwAQ|accessdate=May 5, 2011|edition=1st|year=2010|month=October|publisher=Twelve. Hachette Book Group|location=New York, Boston|isbn=978-0-446-54525-9|page=110}}</ref> The Bible does not claim that masturbation would be sinful.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Patton|first=Michael S.|author=Michael S. Patton|month=June|year=1985|title=Masturbation from Judaism to Victorianism|journal=Journal of Religion and Health|volume=24|issue=2|pages=133–146|publisher=Springer Netherlands|issn=0022-4197|doi=10.1007/BF01532257|accessdate=12 November 2011|url=http://www.springerlink.com/content/r407h39183426645/|quote=Nevertheless, there is no legislation in the Bible pertaining to masturbation.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Kwee|first=Alex W.|author=Alex W. Kwee|coauthors=David C. Hoover|year=2008|title=Theologically-Informed Education about Masturbation: A Male Sexual Health Perspective|journal=Journal of Psychology and Theology|volume=36|issue=4|pages=258–269|location=La Mirada, CA, USA|publisher=Rosemead School of Psychology. Biola University|issn=0091-6471|accessdate=12 November 2011|url=http://www.alexkwee.com/uploads/kwee_hoover08.pdf|quote=The Bible presents no clear theological ethic on masturbation, leaving many young unmarried Christians with confusion and guilt around their sexuality.}}</ref>
Religions vary broadly in their views of masturbation, from considering it completely impermissible ([[Religious views on masturbation#Roman Catholicism|as in Roman Catholicism]]<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a6.htm#2352
|title = Catechism of the Catholic Church
|accessdate = 2007-10-08
|quote = Both the Magisterium of the Church, in the course of a constant tradition, and the moral sense of the faithful have been in no doubt and have firmly maintained that masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered action."The deliberate use of the sexual faculty, for whatever reason, outside of marriage is essentially contrary to its purpose". For here sexual pleasure is sought outside of "the sexual relationship which is demanded by the moral order and in which the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love is achieved".
}}</ref>) to encouraging and refining it (see, for example [[Neotantra]] and [[Taoist sexual practices]]).
For example, [[Thomas Aquinas|St. Thomas Aquinas]], one of the most prominent [[Doctor of the Church#Catholicism|Doctors of the Roman Catholic Church]], wrote that masturbation, an "unnatural [[Vice#Roman Catholicism|vice]]" which is a species of [[Lust#Roman Catholicism|lust]] in same category as [[Bestiality#Religious perspectives|bestiality]] and [[sodomy]], "by procuring pollution [i.e., ejaculation apart from intercourse], without any copulation, for the sake of venereal pleasure [...] pertains to the sin of '[[Unclean spirit#Pneumata plana|uncleanness]]' which some call '[[effeminacy]]' [Latin: ''[http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0059%3Aentry%3Dmollio mollitiem]'', lit. 'softness, unmanliness']."<ref>''[[Summa Theologica]]'' [http://newadvent.org/summa/3154.htm#article11 IIª-IIae, q. 154 a. 11 co.] ([http://www.corpusthomisticum.org/sth3146.html#45233 in Latin])</ref>
===Philosophical arguments===
[[Immanuel Kant]] regarded masturbation as a violation of the moral law. In the ''[[Metaphysics of Morals]]'' (1797) he made the ''[[a posteriori]]'' argument that 'such an unnatural use of one's sexual attributes' strikes 'everyone upon his thinking of it' as 'a violation of one's duty to himself', and suggested that it was regarded as immoral even to give it its proper name (unlike the case of the similarly undutiful act of [[suicide]]). He went on, however, to acknowledge that 'it is not so easy to produce a rational demonstration of the inadmissibility of that unnatural use', but ultimately concluded that its immorality lay in the fact that 'a man gives up his personality ... when he uses himself merely as a means for the gratification of an animal drive'.
Subsequent critics of masturbation tended to argue against it on more physiological grounds, however.
===Law===
The legal status of masturbation throughout history has varied from virtually unlimited acceptance to complete illegality. In a 17th century law code for the [[Puritan]] colony of [[New Haven, Connecticut]] "[[blasphemy|blasphemers]], [[Homosexuality|homosexuals]] and masturbators" were eligible for the [[Capital punishment|death penalty]].<ref>{{cite book
| last = James
| first = Lawrence
| authorlink = Lawrence James
| title = The Rise and Fall of the British Empire
| publisher = St. Martin's Griffin
|date=September 15, 1997
| page = 41
| isbn = 978-0312169855 }} The context is a discussion of the social habits of the early North American colonists.</ref>
==Cultural views and practices==
===Masturbate-a-thon===
[[Image:CSC Herme Masturbate-a-Thon Logo Original for Wiki.jpg|thumb|right]]
{{Main| Masturbate-a-thon}}
Masturbation is accepted as a healthy practice and safe method for sharing pleasure without some of the dangers that can accompany intercourse. It is socially accepted and even celebrated in certain circles. Group masturbation events can be easily found online. [[Masturbate-a-thon|Masturbation marathons]] are events that are occurring across the globe. These events provide a supportive, encouraging environment where masturbation can be performed openly among young and old without embarrassment. Participants talk openly with onlookers while masturbating to share techniques and describe the pleasure and benefits.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.masturbate-a-thon.com |title=Masturbate-a-thon by The Center For Sex & Culture |publisher=Masturbate-a-thon.com |date= |accessdate=2011-05-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/masturbation-marathon-london_index.html |title=article on Masturbation Marathon London |publisher=Viewlondon.co.uk |date=2006-08-05 |accessdate=2011-05-29}}</ref> Masturbate-a-thons are often charity events that are "intended to encourage people to explore safer sex, talk about masturbation and lift the taboos that still surround the subject."<ref name="Masturbate-a-thon.co.uk">{{cite web
| title = Masturbate-a-thon website
| publisher = Masturbate-a-thon
| date = 2006-08-04
| url = http://www.masturbate-a-thon.co.uk/
| accessdate = 2006-08-06}}</ref> May is considered "Masturbation Month" by sex-positive organizations and activists, including [[Betty Dodson]], [[Joani Blank]], [[Susan Block]], and [[Carol Queen]].
===Encouraged masturbation===
In the UK in 2009, a leaflet was issued by the [[National Health Service (England)|NHS]] in [[Sheffield]] carrying the slogan, "an orgasm a day keeps the doctor away". It also says: "Health promotion experts advocate five portions of fruit and veg a day and 30 minutes' physical activity three times a week. What about sex or masturbation twice a week?" This leaflet has been circulated to parents, teachers and youth workers and is meant to update sex education by telling older school students about the benefits of enjoyable sex. Its authors have said that for too long, experts have concentrated on the need for "safe sex" and committed relationships while ignoring the principal reason that many people have sex. The leaflet is entitled ''Pleasure''. Instead of promoting teenage sex, it could encourage young people to delay losing their virginity until they are certain they will enjoy the experience, said one of its authors.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/5806691/NHS-tells-school-children-of-their-right-to-an-orgasm-a-day.html
|title=NHS tells school children of their 'right' to 'an orgasm a day'
|publisher=Telegraph Media Group
|date=12 Jul 2009
|accessdate=2009-10-06
| location=London
| first=Roya
| last=Nikkhah
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/education/article6689953.ece
|title=Pupils told: Sex every day keeps the GP away
|publisher=Times Newspapers
|date=12 Jul 2009
|accessdate=2009-10-06
| location=London
| first=Jack
| last=Grimston
}}</ref>
The Spanish region of [[Extremadura]] launched a programme in 2009 to encourage "sexual self-exploration and the discovery of self-pleasure" in people aged from 14 to 17 . The €14,000 campaign includes leaflets, flyers, a "fanzine", and workshops for the young in which they receive instruction on masturbation techniques along with advice on contraception and self-respect. The initiative, whose slogan is, "Pleasure is in your own hands" has angered local right-wing politicians and challenged traditional Roman Catholic views. Officials from the neighbouring region of [[Andalucia]] have expressed an interest in copying the programme.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/12/spain-sex-education
|title=Spanish region takes hands-on approach to sex education
|author=Giles Tremlett
|date=12 November 2009
|publisher=Guardian News and Media
|accessdate=2009-11-12
| location=London
}}</ref>
The text book ''Palliative care nursing: quality care to the end of life'' states, "Terminally ill people are likely no different from the general population regarding their masturbation habits. Palliative care practitioners should routinely ask their patients if anything interferes in their ability to masturbate and then work with the patient to correct the problem if it is identified."<ref>{{cite book|last=Matzo|first=Marianne |title=Palliative care nursing: quality care to the end of life|year=2006|publisher=Springer Publishing|isbn=978-0826157911|url=http://books.google.com/?id=rTexGiX5bqoC&pg=PA70|coauthors=Deborah Witt Sherman|accessdate=26 May 2010|page=70}}</ref>
Among some cultures, such as the [[Hopi]] in [[Arizona]], the [[Wogeno]] in [[Oceania]], and the [[Dahomeans]] and Namu of Africa, masturbation is encouraged, including regular masturbation between males. In certain [[Melanesian]] communities this is expected between older and younger boys.
===Rites of passage===
The Sambia tribe of [[New Guinea]] has rituals and rites of passage surrounding manhood which lasts several years and involves ejaculation through [[fellatio]] often several times a day. Semen is valued and masturbation is seen as a waste of semen and is therefore frowned upon even though frequent ejaculation is encouraged. The capacity and need to ejaculate is developed or nurtured for years from an early age but through fellatio so that it can be consumed rather than wasted. Semen is ingested for strength and is considered in the same line as mothers' milk.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://faculty.mdc.edu/jmcnair/Joepages/The%20Sambia.htm |title=The Sambia |publisher=Faculty.mdc.edu |date=1999-10-04 |accessdate=2011-05-29}}</ref>
Other cultures have rites of passage into manhood that culminate in the first ejaculation of a male, usually by the hands of a tribal elder. In some tribes such as the Agta, Philippines, stimulation of the genitals is encouraged from an early age.<ref>{{cite book |author=Hewlett, B.S. |chapter=Diverse contexts of human infancy |editor=Ember, C., Ember, M. |title=Cross-Cultural Research for Social Science |publisher=Prentice Hall |location=Englewood Cliffs NJ |year=1996 }}</ref> Upon puberty, the young male is then paired off with a "wise elder" or "witch doctor" who uses masturbation to build his ability to ejaculate in preparation for a ceremony. The ceremony culminates in a public ejaculation before a celebration. The ejaculate is saved in a wad of animal skin and worn later to help conceive children. In this and other tribes, the measure of manhood is actually associated more with the amount of ejaculate and his need than penis size. Frequent ejaculation through masturbation from an early age fosters frequent ejaculation well into adulthood.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Unal F |title=The clinical outcome of childhood masturbation |journal=Turk. J. Pediatr. |volume=42 |issue=4 |pages=304–7 |year=2000 |pmid=11196747 }}</ref>
==Terminology==
While ''masturbation'' is the formal word for this practice, many other expressions are in common use. Terms such as ''pleasuring oneself'' and slang such as ''wanking''<ref>{{cite journal |author=Darby, R. |title=Solitary Sex: A Cultural History of Masturbation |journal=Journal of Social History |year=2004 }}</ref> and ''jerking off''<ref>Shamans Sex Beasts and Abuse: Mother-Son Relationships in Popular and Cult Cinema. Charles Jason Lee. Film International, May 2005</ref> are common. ''Self-abuse'' and ''self-pollution''<ref name=dolphin>{{cite web|last=Dolphin|first=Lambert|title=Masturbation and the Bible|url=http://ldolphin.org/Mast.shtml}}</ref> were common in early modern times and are still found in modern dictionaries. A large variety of other [[euphemism]]s and [[dysphemism]]s exist which describe masturbation. For a list of terms, see the entry for ''[[wikt:Wikisaurus:masturbate|masturbate]]'' in [[Wiktionary|Wikisaurus]].
==In popular culture==
===Paintings and drawings===
[[File:Michael von Zichy-1911-Onanie.jpg|thumb|Masturbation, 1911, copper engraving by [[Mihály Zichy]].]]
[[File:Political Masturbation on Mass Media and Television, 2009, gold leaf & oil on canvas by Danny Sillada.JPG|thumb|right|220px|Political Masturbation on [[Mass media|Mass Media]] and [[Television]], by [[Danny Sillada]], 2009]]
There are depictions of male masturbation in prehistoric [[rock painting]]s around the world. Most early people seem to have connected human sexuality with abundance in nature. A clay figurine of the 4th millennium BC from a temple site on the island of [[Malta]] depicts a woman masturbating. However, in the ancient world depictions of male masturbation are far more common.
===Music===
In popular music, there are several notable songs that deal with the issue of masturbation. Some of the earliest examples are "[[My Ding-a-Ling]]" by [[Chuck Berry]] and "Mary Ann with the Shaky Hand" and "[[Pictures of Lily]]" by [[The Who]].<ref>{{cite paper | author=Pete Townshend | authorlink=Pete Townshend | title=Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy | version=Printed article | publisher="Rolling Stone or one of the similar magazines (Melody Maker, NME, etc.)" | year=1971 | url=http://home.roadrunner.com/~dmcguire/meatybeaty.html | accessdate=2009-01-09}} "Merely a ditty about masturbation and the importance of it to a young man. I was really diggin' at my folks who, when catching me at it, would talk in loud voices in the corridor outside my room. 'Why can't he go with girls like other boys?'"</ref>
More recent popular songs include "[[Running on Empty (album)|Rosie]]" by [[Jackson Browne]], "[[I Touch Myself]]" by the [[Divinyls]], "Very Busy People" by [[The Limousines]], "[[Dancing With Myself]]" by [[Billy Idol]], "[[Hybrid (Gary Numan album)|Everyday I Die]]" by [[Gary Numan]],"[[You're Makin' Me High]]" by [[Toni Braxton]], "[[Permission to Land|Holding My Own]]" by [[The Darkness (band)|The Darkness]], "[[Neon Nights|Vibe On]]" by [[Dannii Minogue]] "Touch of My Hand" by [[Britney Spears]], "[[Orgasm Addict]]" by the [[Buzzcocks]], "[[Captain Jack (song)|Captain Jack]]" by [[Billy Joel]], "[[Longview (song)|Longview]]" by [[Green Day]], "M+Ms" by [[Blink-182]], "[[Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too]]" by [[Say Anything (band)|Say Anything]], "Fingers" and "[[U + Ur Hand]]" by [[P!nk]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/pink-the-outspoken-pop-star-on-fame-and-growing-up-471290.html|title= Pink: The outspoken pop star on fame and growing up|last=McLean|first=Craig|date=25 March 2006|work=The Independent|accessdate=16 March 2010 | location=London}}</ref> "So Happy I Could Die" by [[Lady Gaga]], "Masturbating Jimmy" by [[The Tiger Lillies]] and "When Life Gets Boring " by [[Gob (band)|Gob]], and "[[Darling Nikki]]" by [[Prince (musician)|Prince]]. The 1983 recording "[[She Bop]]" by [[Cyndi Lauper]], was one of the first fifteen songs ever required to carry [[Parental Advisory]] sticker for sexual content.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/playing_god/treating-dandruff-by-decapitation.htm|title=Treating Dandruff by Decapitation — Playing God|last=Macdonald|first=Cameron|date=2006-01-23|work=Stylus Magazine}}</ref> In a 1993 interview on ''[[The Howard Stern Show]]'', Lauper claimed she recorded the vocal track in the nude.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/archive/peoplearchive.php/Cyndi_Lauper/biography/|title=Cyndi Lauper Biography|work=Monsters and Critics}}</ref> Some<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/1494/ |title=Meaning of Song Lyrics: The Stranger |publisher=Songmeanings.net |date= |accessdate=2011-08-17}}</ref> have argued that [[Billy Joel]]'s song [[The Stranger (song)|"The Stranger"]] is about masturbation. The 1980 number-one hit "[[Turning Japanese]]" by [[The Vapors]] has often been believed to be a euphemistic reference to the facial expression men make at orgasm,<ref>[{{Allmusic|class=song|id=t2027751|pure_url=yes}} AllMusic | Turning Japanese | The Vapors]</ref> a theory refuted by songwriter Dave Fenton.<ref name="songfacts">{{cite web
| url = http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=689
| title = Turning Japanese
| work = Songfacts.com
| accessdate = 2009-04-04
}}</ref>
The song "Masturbates" by rock group [[Mindless Self Indulgence]] also deals with the concept of auto-erotic activity in a [[punk subculture|punk]] framework.
===Literature===
In October 1972, an important censorship case was held in Australia, leading to the banning of [[Philip Roth]]'s novel ''[[Portnoy's Complaint]]'' in that country due to its masturbation references. The censorship led to public outcry at the time.<ref>{{cite web |title=Don Chipp: larrikin, censor, and party founder |date=August 2006 |publisher=Crikey |url=http://www.crikey.com.au/Politics/20060829-Censorship-and-Don-Chipp.html}}</ref>
===Television===
In the ''[[Seinfeld]]'' episode "[[The Contest]]",<ref>{{cite news |title='Seinfeld,' Four: It's Real and It's Spectacular |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/16/AR2005051600756.html |publisher=The Washington Post |date=17 May 2005 }}</ref> the show's main characters enter into a contest to see who can go the longest without masturbating. Because ''Seinfeld'''s network, [[NBC]], did not think masturbation was a suitable topic for prime time television, the word is never used. Instead, the subject is described using a series of euphemisms. "Master of my domain" became a part of the American lexicon from this episode.
Another NBC show, ''[[Late Night with Conan O'Brien]]'', had a character known as the Masturbating Bear, a costume of a bear with a diaper covering its genitals. The Masturbating Bear would touch his diaper to simulate masturbation. Prior to leaving ''Late Night'' to become host of ''[[The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien|The Tonight Show]]'', [[Conan O'Brien]] originally retired the character due to concerns about its appropriateness in an earlier time slot.<ref name="warmingglow">{{cite web |url=http://warmingglow.uproxx.com/2009/05/the-masturbating-bear-is-coming-back/ |title=The masturbating bear is coming back!!! |publisher=warmingglow.uproxx.com }}</ref> The Masturbating Bear however made his ''Tonight Show'' debut during the final days of Conan O'Brien's tenure as host of the ''Tonight Show''. It was clear by then that Conan O'Brien was being removed from the show and he spent his last shows pushing the envelope with skits that typically would not be appropriate for the ''Tonight Show'', one of which was the Masturbating Bear.<ref>{{cite web|last=Stableford |first=Dylan |url=http://www.thewrap.com/television/column-post/conan-finally-unleashes-masturbating-bear-video-13333 |title='Conan Finally Unleashes 'Masturbating Bear'' |publisher=Thewrap.com |date=2010-01-21 |accessdate=2011-05-29}}</ref> After much debate on whether or not he would be able to be used on Conan O'Brien's new [[TBS (TV channel)|TBS]] show, ''[[Conan (TV series)|Conan]]'', the Masturbating Bear made an appearance on the very first episode.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tbs.com/video/conan.jsp?oid=233816&eref=sharethisUrl |title='Conan: Masturbating Bear Gets a New Job' |publisher=Tbs.com |date= |accessdate=2011-05-29}}</ref>
In March 2007 the UK broadcaster [[Channel 4]] was to air a season of [[television]] programmes about masturbation, called [[Wank Week]]. (''Wank'' is a [[Briticism]] for ''masturbate''.) The series came under public attack from senior television figures, and was pulled amid claims of declining editorial standards and controversy over the channel's [[public broadcasting|public service broadcasting]] credentials. However, its constituent films may yet be shown by the channel at a later date.<ref>{{cite news|date=2007-02-02|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/feb/02/broadcasting.channel4|accessdate=2007-11-02| title='Wank week' postponed|author=Jason Deans|work= [[Media Guardian]] | location=London}}</ref>
==In other animal species==
{{Main| Animal sexual behaviour}}
Masturbatory behavior has been documented in a very wide range of species. Individuals of some species have been known to create tools for masturbation purposes.<ref name="Bagemihl,1999"/>
==See also==
{{Portal|Sexuality}}
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
* [[Cum shot]]
* [[Die große Nacht im Eimer]] (painting)
* [[Fingering (sexual act)]]
* [[Handjob]]
* [[Nocturnal emission]]
* [[Orgasm control]]
* [[Sex doll]]
* [[Sex magic]]
* [[Sperm donation]]
* [[Venus Butterfly]]
{{div col end}}
==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
==Further reading==
{{refbegin|30em}}
*{{cite journal |author=Brody, Stuart |title=Slimness is associated with greater intercourse and lesser masturbation frequency |journal=J Sex Marital Ther |volume=30 |issue=4 |pages=251–61 |date=July–September 2004 |pmid=15205063 |doi=10.1080/00926230490422368 |url=http://www.informaworld.com/openurl?genre=article&doi=10.1080/00926230490422368&magic=pubmed}}
*{{cite book |author=DeMartino, Manfred F. |title=Human Autoerotic Practices |publisher=Human Sciences Press |location=New York |year=1979 |isbn=0-87705-373-1 }}
*{{cite book |author=Marcus, Irwin M. |title=Masturbation: From Infancy to Senescence |publisher=International Universities Press |location=New York |year=1975 |isbn=0-8236-3150-8 }}
* {{cite journal | author = Hurlbert David Farley, Karen Elizabeth Whittaker | year = 1991 | title = The Role of Masturbation in Marital and Sexual Satisfaction: A Comparative Study of Female Masturbators and Nonmasturbators | journal = Journal of Sex Education & Therapy | volume = 17 | issue = 4| pages = 272–282 }}
{{refend}}
==External links==
{{sisterlinks|Masturbation}}
*{{cite news |title=Masturbating may protect against prostate cancer |url=http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn3942-masturbating-may-protect-against-prostate-cancer.html |work=New Scientist |date=16 July 2003 }}
*{{cite news |title=Masturbation could bring hay fever relief for men |url=http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16872-masturbation-could-bring-hay-fever-relief-for-men.html |work=New Scientist |date=April 2009 }}
* [http://www.jackinworld.com/ JackinWorld] An educational site devoted to male masturbation
* [http://www.buddhanet.net/winton_s.htm Buddhist Sexual Ethics] by Winton Higgins
{{Template group
|list =
{{Sex}}
{{Birth control methods}}
{{Reproductive physiology}}
}}
[[Category:Masturbation| ]]
[[Category:Habits]]
[[Category:Sexual acts]]
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[[bat-smg:Mastorbacėjė]]
[[zh:自慰]]' |
Whether or not the change was made through a Tor exit node (tor_exit_node ) | 0 |
Unix timestamp of change (timestamp ) | 1323059922 |