Not only does masturbation feel damn good, but it can also help protect against sexually transmitted infections by flushing out the genital tract, at least in male primates. new research suggests.
“We find that masturbation is an ancient trait within the primate order,” say University College London anthropologist Matilda Brindle and her colleagues explain in their study, in which they compiled the largest database to date with records of masturbation processes in 105 primate species.
It is already known that masturbation is widespread in mammals and other animals like birds. While some primates are notorious for their self-touching habits, bonobos take advantage of it mutual masturbation as part of their social repertoire, and macaques were caught in the act with sex toys – other species seem to be less inclined.
Since examples of masturbation exist throughout the primate evolutionary tree, fondling one’s erogenous zone is likely an ancient pastime passed down to all primate groups from an early common ancestor.
But when the tennis-ball-sized tarsiers took a different evolutionary path from great apes, masturbation became more common in some species than others, Brindle and Team explain.
That the researchers found a pattern, rather than randomness, supports the idea that masturbation is more than just a fun, random side effect of sex. Pleasure clearly has its advantages: it provides individuals with a compelling reason to mate and continue the species.
However, the fact that masturbation persists in so many species suggests that self-pleasure may also have a specific purpose in itself.
Scientists analyzed observational records in scientific publications and responses from primatologists and zookeepers, covering both males and females, as well as wild and captive primates. They showed that male masturbation is more common in species whose females mate with multiple Beaus.
“Also, masturbation was often lost in single-male mating systems, but almost never in multi-male mating systems,” the researchers said explain.
This suggests that masturbation somehow increases the chances of conception in competitive sex scenarios. While it’s not yet clear how, one theory suggests that this might be the case Improving ejaculate quality by expelling “stale” sperm first.
But the team also found “strong evidence for a co-evolution between masturbation and the emergence of pathogens in men,” and pointed out secondary theory for why masturbation is so common – to flush disease-causing microorganisms out of the genital tract. Masturbation is also more common in males of larger primate species, who cannot reach down to orally groom their genitals.
“In the absence of pathogens, masturbation was lost very frequently, but almost never when they were present,” Brindle and colleagues said note in their work.
They suggest that examining the timing of masturbation could shed light on which of these trends drive masturbation choices within each species.
If masturbation most often occurs before sex, this indicates that it improves male fertility, while after sex it may indicate that it is a preventive measure against sexually transmitted infections (STIs). A 2010 learn Similar results were found in research conducted on African ground squirrels that masturbated postsexually.
However, neither of these trends was observed in the masturbation data of female primates. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that masturbation doesn’t also serve a fitness purpose for them.
“It’s important to note that there are far fewer reports of masturbation in female primates in our dataset,” Brindle and team said Clues. “This is partly because female arousal and masturbation is less prominent than male, but also reflects a greater lack of information about female sexual behavior and morphology in the biological sciences.”
While there is ultimately no such benefit for those of us without a penis, participating in a ménage à moi has numerous studied health benefits for humans. Solo fun times can help sleep, pain relief, Self-esteemand provide other health benefits.
Regardless of your gender, science supports you in this.
This research was published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
