Benefits of Quitting Porn and Masturbation: What Science Says

Search for the benefits of quitting porn and masturbation and you’ll find a list that sounds like a superhero origin story: more testosterone, more energy, deeper voice, magnetic attraction, laser focus, “superpowers”. Some of it has a grain of research behind it. A lot of it doesn’t.

I’m Stefan, founder of SEVER. I quit porn in 2021 and I’ve been porn-free for more than five years. I’m not going to sell you superpowers. This guide checks the most common claims against what peer-reviewed studies actually found, says who was studied, and is honest about what nobody has tested.

First: these claims mix two different things

Most online quitting challenges mean no porn, no masturbation and no orgasm. But those are different habits, and the research treats them differently.

Almost all the solid evidence below is about porn: how much people watch, and whether it has become compulsive or problematic. Much less is known about masturbation on its own. In one large survey of young men, masturbation frequency by itself wasn’t a significant factor for erectile dysfunction, while problematic porn use was (Jacobs et al., 2021).

So if you want the benefits research actually points to, quitting porn is the part that matters most. That’s also why SEVER is built around quitting porn, not around a no-orgasm rule.

Benefit by benefit: what holds up

Claimed benefit	What the research says	Verdict
Better erections	Problematic porn use linked to higher odds of ED in men aged 18 to 35	Supported (link, not proof)
Better relationships	Porn use linked to lower relationship and sexual satisfaction, and higher divorce risk	Supported (link, not proof)
Less compulsive wanting	Compulsive users want porn more without liking it more	Supported for compulsive use
Higher testosterone	Small, short-lived rises in two small studies	Partly true, oversold
Superpowers, magnetism, attraction	No studies found	Not studied
Withdrawal on day one	A week off porn caused no withdrawal symptoms in most users	Mostly myth

Better erections

This is the strongest reason many young men try quitting, and the research gives it real weight.

A University of Antwerp team surveyed men aged 18 to 35 internationally and analysed 3,419 of them. 21.48% of sexually active participants had some degree of erectile dysfunction, and higher problematic porn use scores were linked to a higher probability of ED (Jacobs et al., 2021). At an Italian clinic, 26% of men seeking help for new ED were 40 or younger (Capogrosso et al., 2013), though that study didn’t look at porn.

A review of the topic describes clinical reports of men whose sexual problems improved after they stopped porn, and calls for proper studies that remove porn and measure what changes (Park et al., 2016).

So: a link, plus encouraging case reports, but not proof that quitting cures ED. If you have ED, see a doctor as well. It can have physical causes, including heart and blood vessel problems.

Better relationships

A meta-analysis pooling 50 studies and more than 50,000 people found porn consumption associated with lower sexual and relationship satisfaction, with significant results for men (Wright et al., 2017). In US data following the same married people over several years, those who started watching porn had roughly double the probability of divorce, and stopping porn was linked to a lower chance of divorce for women in that data (Perry & Schleifer, 2018).

The authors are careful: an unhappy relationship can also lead to porn use. But porn and a healthy relationship don’t tend to grow together. We go deeper in porn and relationships.

Less compulsive wanting

At Cambridge, men with compulsive sexual behaviour reported wanting explicit videos more than other men, but not liking them more (Voon et al., 2014). They also showed a stronger pull toward new sexual images (Banca et al., 2016). In healthy men, more hours of porn per week was associated with differences in the brain’s reward system and weaker links to a self-control area (Kühn & Gallinat, 2014).

These are snapshots, so they can’t show that quitting reverses anything. But they explain why porn can keep pulling you back even when it doesn’t feel good anymore, and why stepping away from the endless feed matters.

The testosterone question

This is the most repeated claim, so here’s exactly what the two best-known studies found.

A small study of 28 men measured testosterone every day after ejaculation. It barely changed from day 2 to day 5, peaked on day 7 at about 146% of baseline, and after that showed no regular pattern (Jiang, 2002).
A study of 10 healthy men found higher testosterone after three weeks of abstinence than before it (Exton et al., 2001).

What these studies don’t show: that testosterone keeps rising the longer you go, that the rise is big enough to change your body or confidence, or that day 90 looks different from day 7. Both studies are small and short. If someone promises you a hormone transformation, they’re going beyond the evidence. (The same goes for semen retention claims; see semen retention vs quitting porn, and for the honest overall verdict, is quitting porn worth it?)

An athletic man lifting a barbell in a gym

The claims nobody has tested

We looked for research on the internet’s favourite quitting benefits: superpowers, “magnetism”, women being more attracted to you, a deeper voice, glowing skin. We couldn’t find studies that test them.

That doesn’t mean people who report them are lying. When you stop spending hours on porn, you get time and attention back, and many people spend it on training, work and other people. That can change how you feel and how you come across. But that’s the effect of how you use the time, not a hidden biological switch.

What about withdrawal?

A lot of online quitting content warns about a brutal “flatline” or withdrawal. In a randomized study of 176 regular porn users, a week without porn didn’t cause withdrawal-type symptoms overall. Cravings went up only for people with heavy, daily problematic use (Fernandez et al., 2023).

From my own recovery: the first week is brutal, but because of habit and urges, not because your body is in withdrawal. The bigger danger came later, around three weeks to a month, when you feel in control, start testing yourself and get sloppy. When a lustful thought comes, flee, don’t argue. Get up and do something physical. Arguing with it is how you lose.

How to actually get the benefits

The benefits that research supports come from quitting porn and staying quit, not from white-knuckling a no-orgasm rule for a week. If you’re starting with No Nut November, use the month to build these habits:

Make porn harder to reach. Phone out of the bedroom at night, a clean feed, and a blocker for the sites you can’t trust yourself around.
Decide your urge action in advance. Stand up, leave the room, do something physical, and put your mind somewhere else for ten minutes.
Fill the time. Training, a project, calls with friends. Porn use and loneliness are linked in both directions (Butler et al., 2018), so time with people counts.
Track honestly and aim for 90 days. Count every day, log slips with what led to them, and keep going past the first month.

For what the first month is really like, see 30 days without porn. For the long version of step 4, see our guide to getting to 90 days without porn.

Where SEVER fits

Disclosure: SEVER is our product. SEVER is our app.

SEVER is built for quitting porn for real. The streak, daily check-ins and relapse logs are free for good. Premium adds Fight the Urge for the moment an urge hits, blocking in every browser plus App Shield on iPhone and Android, and a structured 365-day Reset Plan. SEVER doesn’t promise superpowers, and it doesn’t claim to fix ED or “rewire” anything. It helps you stop, and stay stopped.

About this guide

Written by Stefan, founder of SEVER, from his own recovery: porn-free since 2021, more than five years as of November 2026. Every study was checked against its original record and is linked where it’s used. Most are cross-sectional or small and show associations, not proof of cause and effect. Photo by Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels. This guide isn’t medical advice: for erectile dysfunction, low testosterone or distress about sexual behaviour, see a doctor or a qualified therapist.

Frequently asked questions

What are the real benefits of quitting porn and masturbation?

The best-supported ones come from quitting porn rather than from not masturbating: research links problematic porn use to erectile problems in young men, lower relationship satisfaction and a higher chance of divorce, and clinical reports describe sexual problems improving after men stopped porn. Claims about superpowers or attracting women haven't been studied.

Does not ejaculating increase testosterone?

Only briefly, as far as research shows. In a small study of 28 men, testosterone peaked on day 7 of abstinence at about 146% of baseline, then showed no regular pattern. Another study of 10 men found higher testosterone after three weeks of abstinence. Neither shows testosterone keeps rising the longer you go.

Does quitting porn cure erectile dysfunction?

There's no proof it cures ED. In a survey of 3,419 men aged 18 to 35, problematic porn use was linked to a higher chance of ED, and clinical reports describe ED improving after some men stopped porn. ED can also have physical causes, so see a doctor if you have it.

Is masturbation bad for you?

The research in this guide is mostly about porn use, not masturbation. In one large survey of young men, masturbation frequency on its own wasn't a significant factor for erectile dysfunction, while problematic porn use was.

How long until you see the benefits of quitting porn?

There's no scientific timeline. In practice, the first week is usually the hardest, and many people notice they have more time and fewer urges after a few weeks. Treat any timeline with exact days for 'brain recovery' with suspicion.