Does NoFap Increase Masculinity?
It is very common to hear guys who have been doing NoFap for a while say things like…
“Man, I feel so grounded and manly now”
“I don't know what it is, but NoFap makes me feel secure in myself. I'm experiencing some kind of core manliness I never had before”…etc.
So what's going on?
Does NoFap really increase manliness, and if so, in what way, and how does it happen?
Well, let's jump in and take a look.
Related post: NoFap and Dopamine – Why men who do NoFap win at life
NoFap And Masculinity – Yes it IS True!
NoFap makes many guys feel more manly, there is just no way to deny that.
But why is this?
What mysterious thing is going on?
Well, to make one thing clear right from the start, you should know that, even to this day, not much research has been made on NoFap, quitting porn or even semen retention, so in this article it is going to be me just speculating on what could be going on…
…however, there are indeed a few studies that could be giving us at least some clues.
One thing is for sure, it's a very interesting phenomenon.
NoFap And Upregulated Androgen Receptors
Studies on rats have found that frequent ejaculation knocks out their androgen receptors. This could be an important clue on why guys who are doing NoFap suddenly start feeling more manly.
Why?
Well, because testosterone binds to those receptors. With less receptors, testosterone won't be able to do its job as effectively…
…and we all know that testosterone plays a key role in masculine traits.
It took the rats 15 days of abstinence to regrow those receptors…
After 15 days of abstinence, the androgen receptors had grown back and what's interesting here is that many guys start reporting an increase in NoFap benefits right around day 15.
Pretty interesting huh? Or, Is it just coincidence? …
…maybe…
..maybe not!
Yes indeed, many guys start reporting NoFap benefits right around day 15, UNLESS they have developed addiction related brain changes to porn, in which the withdrawal effects are often so nasty in the second week that they completely override any potential positive feelings that semen retention itself could be giving.
Speaking of addiction related brain changes, I might as well list all the reasons behind the feelings of increased manliness right away…
…and again, note that this is just me speculating.
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The resons behind increased feelings of manliness on NoFap…
- An upregulation of androgen receptors
- The dopamine system starts functioning better
- There is some mysterious force within semen retention itself, that we do not yet understand
- Placebo
I personally believe that we are dealing with a combination of all of the above.
We already talked about the upregulation of androgen receptors and just like there are real studies on androgen receptors, there are also real scientific studies made on the dopamine system…
…in fact, there are MORE real studies made here…
A better functioning dopamine system…
For some guys it's not just about NoFap and semen retention. No! You see, many guys have been fapping to porn for so long that they have developed addiction related brain changes like…
- Desensitization
- Sensitization
- Hypofrontallity
- A hyperactive stress center
All addiction share those same brain fundamental changes and they are all confirmed with real brain studies. Yes indeed, this means that if you have developed addiction related brain changes to porn you have also developed a disrupted dopamine system in your brain.
So here's the deal…
What are the symptoms of a disrupted dopamine system then?
Well, here are a few of the most common ones…
- Low motivation, energy and drive
- Feelings of shame
- Fear and anxiety
- Low libido
- Por short term memory
When those symptoms hit, and if they are strong enough, could they erode this feeling of secure masculinity?
They sure as heck could!
The beauty is that, if a guy is addicted to porn and decides to go on a NoFap journey, those addiction related brain changes will reverse and the dopamine system in his brain will heal. And those nasty symptoms that comes along with a disrupted dopamine system will no longer erode his feeling of masculinity.
So just like the upregulated androgen receptors, the better functioning dopamine system could indeed help explain why some people on NoFap start feeling more manly. And in this case it's not so much that NoFap made them feel more manly, but that getting addicted to porn mead them feel LESS manly. So in essence, in the addiction example it was just a matter for them returning to a “normal” state.
What about the mysterious semen retention itself?
If we want hard science backing everything up, this one is going to be more difficult to explain, however, that does not mean there couldn't be something going on here, because everyone who knows how to do a bit of flexible thinking also understands that…
…absence of evidence is not evidence of absence!
I personally believe there is something interesting going on with semen retention.
When we think about it, one ejaculation contains enough sperm to father a whole continent. That's a LOT of “life energy” right there that you can either waste into a napkin in front of the laptop or transmute into reaching your goals and / or getting other benefits…like for example increased feelings of manliness…
And besides, if hundreds of thousands of men are reporting interesting things starting to happen while on semen retention, it would actually be pretty foolish to neglect ALL of those reports.
Let's take a look at a few of those interesting benefits people on semen retention have noticed…
Attention From Women While On NoFap
This is something that comes up again and again and over and over from guys doing NoFap.
Even though some of them didn't change any other factors, than just going on NoFap, they suddenly started to notice girls giving them much more attention.
Condifidence and body language…
I have no real explanation to this, but thousands of guys are reporting it and I have personally experienced it as well.
Since NoFap increase feelings of manliness and confidence it could perhaps just be that we carry ourselves differently and that women pick up on that….
…but that can't be all, because the woman attraction extends far beyond that explanation as they can even show more interest even if a guy is just sitting at a cafe, doing nothing, and there is no display of confidence there whatsoever. (This had happen several times to me personally, by the way, and I know I wasn't showing any extra confidence at all just by sitting there, checking my phone)
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Mirror neurons could be firing, or some other unknown biological phenomenon could be going on…
It could also be that, since cutting out porn makes us become more attracted to real life girls, the mirror neurons in the brain play a role. A mirror neuron is a neuron that fires when someone observes and emotion, state or action performed by another, making them feel the same way and thus, the neuron “mirrors” the behavior of the other. However, there could also be even more going on that we do not yet understand…
…who the heck knows?
It is also not far fetched to think that biology and mother nature have created a mechanism that somehow let's girls pick up on when a man is walking around with a lot of androgen receptors, dopamine surging through his veins and “loaded gun”, even though we don't yet know the biological mechanism behind it, if it even exist, but it certainly could be possible.
Here are a couple of quotes from guys who have noticed increased attention from women while doing NoFap…
Guys noticing increased attention from girls…
Guy number 1
Whenever I get into my third week of semen retention I start getting a lot more attention from women. I just don't understand it, but it happens again and again. I guess I'm pretty decent looking, but that does not change that fact that whenever I'm not on semen retention, I get a lot less attention from them. I have no idea how this works…I just know that I like it 😉
Guy number 2
I'm in my third month of NoFap and it is like there is an attraction switch that has been turned on. The last 2-3 weeks I have been getting looks…I mean it happens everywhere I go. At first I was a bit uncomfortable with this but I quickly learned to like it. Never before have I met eyes with so many women in such a short time frame.
NoFap And The Radiating “Core” / Manliness
When starting NoFap and you get a few weeks into your journey you suddenly start gaining more self-esteem and feeilinga of more manliness. It is like you get this firm, core manliness deep inside of you that your self-respect and confidence now can stand steadily upon and that, in turn, feels amazing…
…like you will be able to handle whatever challenges life throws at you.
At least, that is how I personally best can describe it.
Something is there.
Whether or not the speculations I've made during the post far of or not I can't tell, but when it comes to NoFap and Masculinity, something is definitely there.
Some guys even start experiencing a deeper voice, increased capability to build muscles, and more facial hair, so yeah…
…something is going on.
If you have been trying it out yourself, but you lack the benefits, then remember the addiction related brain changes. They can take a very long time to heal. We are talking about months to up to a year here, depending on the severity, so just keep going and don't give up.
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NoFap And Masculinity Final Words
Ok there you have it. This my personal take on the subject NoFap and masculinity.
Some of the things I wrote could be backed by science although a lot of it was me speculating, just like I told you in the beginning of the post, however one thing remains resoundingly clear; the NoFap journey and the mysterious semen retention benefits is a fascinating thing for sure!
Thank you for reading this article.
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FAQ's About NoFap Benefits
Q: My friend says NoFap can help with memory. I think that sounds like just a bunch of BS. What's the truth?
A: It actually can. Fapping to porn can mess with your dopamine system and dopamine is a key player in short term memory function. It is very common to see guys starting to report better concentration, focus as well as better short term memory when they start adapting a no PMO lifestyle. Remember though, for some people it takes a long time before starting to see any benefits as all, so if this is you, pursue patience and keep at it.
Q: Can Nofap help with premature ejaculation?
A: Yes, for some, although not every guy who starts doing NoFap will experience improvements in this area. Some of the guys will experience massive improvements with PE though and for some it also depends a bit on how they used to fapp. For more info on this, read the article Does NoFap help you last longer in bed, and does NoFap cause premature ejaculation?
Q: I'm on day 67 and I have started to experience more vivid dreams at night. Is this just me or have you heard others experiencing the same?
A: It's actually very common and many report the same. I personally believe it's a good sign of your brain and your reward / dopamine system healing. So be happy about it and keep going.
Alright, that'll be it for now, if you want to contact me for more questions, or need 1 on 1 coaching, use the contact button up on the menu.
Scandinavian Bob