Sciencemadness Discussion Board

I have an idea for a masturbation testosterone study/experiment

Cou - 26-8-2014 at 12:13

So there is a common debate on the bodybuilding forums, and elsewhere on the internet, about if abstaining from masturbation really increases testosterone. The problem is that there are literally NO studies done on this, on how masturbation influences testosterone and other hormones. Often cited is the chinese study where a group of volunteers stopped ejaculating for 7 days, and their serum testosterone was recorded every day... first of all, this is a very obscure study, and it just doesn't seem right to me, since it was only one trial. Why would testosterone stay low for the entire 6 days, then suddenly shoot up to like 150% higher on day 7, and then immediately go back down to how it was before? Considering many guys feel the effects of testosterone long after day 7, such as increased muscle growth and aggression and sex drive, my hypothesis is that testosterone steadily increases after the abstention from masturbation begins, until it reaches a maximum level in maybe 10 days (i've been reading a lot of nofap posts for observation).

I'm only 15, so how would I even begin an experiment like this? You would need a group of volunteers, and then pay a nurse to do blood work on all of them every day to measure hormones such as testosterone, cortisol, and SHBG. They would need to be people with similar baseline T levels before they stopped masturbating, and make sure they eat the exact same foods every day, since foods can influence T.

I really want to do this, because one, I'm very curious about this myself, two, it would really benefit the nofap and bodybulding community, and three, it would help me get in college by showing that I actually contribute to science, and i'm not just a nobody average joe.

crystal - 26-8-2014 at 18:17

Years ago when I was a little paranoid over bodybuilding, I searched for more information on this subject, and just like you, I found nothing useful. So I decided to try it myself, going into full abstinence for a month and then measuring the percentage of muscle growth after that time (many gyms have this), with the percentage of past months already recorded for comparison. The results were all pretty much the same, what, of course, led me to conclude that sex/masturbation abstinence does not significantly increase testosterone levels.

I have also tried other natural ways which are said to increase testosterone. One of these is the herb 'tribulus terrestris' which many people claim to work indeed, and I even remember reading a few studies supporting this. But from my experience and most studies published, it is no different than the abstinence case.

Of course, these were not real studies. More trials would need to be taken, with blood tests and more individuals, but I really doubt the results are going to be much different.

violet sin - 26-8-2014 at 18:42

maybe a silly question, but why would you think testosterone would increase with LACK of stimulation/copulation? the logic that lead me here is the alpha male status in the animal kingdom. The alpha gets what he wants in most cases, and that means food/sex. so the biggest baddest gorilla surely isn't going to loose his throne by copulating with his harem. If anything, it seems like a more active sex-life may help bolster testosterone production. it was always the outcast, runners up, and small guys that seemed to lack the drive needed to gain status. almost like it was a slippery slope down, that they had trouble breaking out of. just a simple observation gleaned from many a night of insomnia + TV.

whether or not masturbation and sex provide the same response would be hard to figure with out tests. The brain be a tricky thing. but it seems it may be time for a study in the opposite direction, or at least up and down. A good one done with standard baseline group in a routine committed relation ship, one of self gratification and one of intercourse with a partner for comparison.

The_Davster - 26-8-2014 at 20:14

You also release prolactin upon orgasm, which inhibits dopamine. Prolactin reduces sex drive, and is responsible for the male refractory period. Prolactin - inhibitory drugs will actually mean minimized to no refractory period. Prolactin release can also explain the sex drive loss seen with regular masturbation, although prolactin levels spike 4x higher after sex than after masturbation.

My results with tribulus mirror crystal's. 3 month, 1g daily saw a barely significant increase, but sex and diet were not constant variables during that time. You can get the test done for like $60.

Biggest increase I saw was from diet, fatty, high cholesterol diet was the best, but you will also want to monitor your cholesterol levels if you go too extreme....at one point I was eating over a pound of steak a day.

Violet sin: Interestingly, the act of the 'alpha' getting what he wants actually increases T. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20855902 It has been a while since I read the study, but certain dominant behaviors, including body language, give an almost immediate increase in test levels. Another study I cannot find currently had two groups of guys, one sat with closed off, submissive body language for a certain time, and the other in dominant positions. Both were then taken bungee jumping(or was it skydiving?) and the dominant body language group had exponentially lower hesitation times before the jump. They backed it up with endocrine testing too.

phlogiston - 27-8-2014 at 00:41

1. Make a detailed plan. Define precisely what want to know, and exactly how one should setup an experiment to test it. Include as many details as possible.
2. By studying literature, find out who are leading scientists on testosterone regulation.
3. Pick one you like (their work, nearby, etc), and contact him/her. Tell him/her about your research interest and that it seems, surprisingly, not to have been investigated properly yet, and ask if he/she would be willing to collaborate. Try to get them as enthausiastic for this work as possible. Keep in mind that they will be interested mainly in getting a paper published from this work, so their interests are mainly to make sure it has not been done before, the scientific impact, and balance that against the work load/financial load involved. This seems like a very small project, so provided you can get them enthausiastic, they'll probably do it at no financial cost (the price for them is to be co-authors on the paper). They will have suitable equipment, and, importantly, they will now how to execute this properly so that you can actually publish your results in a scientific peer-reviewed journal. For instance, for any experiment involving human subjects you will need to get approval from a medical ethics committee (at least in most countries). These are things you can't arrange on your own without help from a professional. They can also resolve any issues you could not figure out on your own (sample volumes, how to store/transport samples, etc).

4. Publish your work, resolving this pressing issue for once and for all and put a real scientific paper on your resume (at a young age too).

[Edited on 27-8-2014 by phlogiston]

hyfalcon - 27-8-2014 at 04:44

Also, you have to consider the "human" factor. Is everybody in the study being honest in their reported behavior? You need 100% compliance with the strictures of the study for accuracy.

Cou - 27-8-2014 at 13:59

Quote: Originally posted by violet sin  
maybe a silly question, but why would you think testosterone would increase with LACK of stimulation/copulation? the logic that lead me here is the alpha male status in the animal kingdom. The alpha gets what he wants in most cases, and that means food/sex. so the biggest baddest gorilla surely isn't going to loose his throne by copulating with his harem. If anything, it seems like a more active sex-life may help bolster testosterone production. it was always the outcast, runners up, and small guys that seemed to lack the drive needed to gain status. almost like it was a slippery slope down, that they had trouble breaking out of. just a simple observation gleaned from many a night of insomnia + TV.

whether or not masturbation and sex provide the same response would be hard to figure with out tests. The brain be a tricky thing. but it seems it may be time for a study in the opposite direction, or at least up and down. A good one done with standard baseline group in a routine committed relation ship, one of self gratification and one of intercourse with a partner for comparison.


But remember that as a male, the main evolutionary purpose of testosterone is to make your body more attractive so you can get sex. Some people have guessed that, if you masturbate every day, your body thinks "Hah, we're already passing on our genes every day, that means we are attractive enough, and don't need to make any more testosterone" while if you don't masturbate for long periods of time, your body thinks "THIS AIN'T GOOD, WE AREN'T PASSING ON ANY GENES, we need to increase testosterone and get more attractive so we can do so!"

Cou - 27-8-2014 at 14:01

Quote: Originally posted by hyfalcon  
Also, you have to consider the "human" factor. Is everybody in the study being honest in their reported behavior? You need 100% compliance with the strictures of the study for accuracy.


This is the hardest part about such a study, not everyone would be able to stop masturbating for 7 or 14 days with just willpower, and if they did masturbate in that time, they would be too embarrassed to admit it. Maybe if you noticed that a certain group had a very different testosterone pattern from the other, you would be able to pinpoint which one stopped masturbating, and which one secretly masturbated?

The_Davster - 27-8-2014 at 16:51



[Edited on 28-4-20 by The_Davster]

AJKOER - 31-8-2014 at 09:21

Quote: Originally posted by violet sin  
maybe a silly question, but why would you think testosterone would increase with LACK of stimulation/copulation? the logic that lead me here is the alpha male status in the animal kingdom. The alpha gets what he wants in most cases, and that means food/sex. so the biggest baddest gorilla surely isn't going to loose his throne by copulating with his harem. If anything, it seems like a more active sex-life may help bolster testosterone production. it was always the outcast, runners up, and small guys that seemed to lack the drive needed to gain status. almost like it was a slippery slope down, that they had trouble breaking out of. just a simple observation gleaned from many a night of insomnia + TV.

.....


I expect that primitive humans perhaps do not share precisely the same social norms as apes, monkeys, etc.., or, at least, I would hope that elevated IQ has some social consequences.

I would expect that frequent 'use' would, at least, maintain the testosterone level. The elderly may be more likely to witness a decline.



[Edited on 31-8-2014 by AJKOER]