Journey Into No Nut November
November 2021
As of today, we have arrived in the second week of November and there are three things that we all have experienced: more and more Christmas sales and advertisements, the chilling breeze of early winter, and the unsuccessful participation of the No Nut November. What’s the fuzz?
Nothing frustrates men the most in the first week of the No Nut November—often abbreviated as NNN— than failing to ‘retain semen’. This is what separates the men from the boys. The essence of the event is simple: refrain yourself from ejaculation, sex counts, for the rest of November. You can, however, touch yourself for hygienic purposes, watch pornographic materials, and get a boner. Having one wet dream is excusable but you must consider yourself out if you have more than one.
Where did No Nut November even come from?
Foraging the internet for the exact provenance of NNN is a little bit more difficult than expected, even for experts. Nonetheless, the earliest trace can be tracked on a post on NoFap subReddit which encouraged its members to not masturbate. Although NNN was intended to be satirical, some participants claim that ejaculation abstention brings health virtues. Now, the Reddit community /r/NoNutNovember grew from 16,500 subscribers in 2018 to 115,503 subscribers as of November, 2021.
The tradition of NNN goes beyond the horizon of Reddit users. In the daily postings on other social medias (Twitter, Facebook, etc.), men share their experience of how to survive this metaphorical warfare. Yes, the followers are commonly called “soldiers” and “comrades”. Just recently, Twitter user @Smoothveezy tweeted: “Exactly 2 weeks left of #NoNutNovember fellas…how many of y’all gone make it ? #almostthere #14daysleft”.
On Nov. 4, one Redditor wrote a lengthy post describing how to get through the month. It reads like a general commanding his troops:
“There have been minimal casualties so far. But now, the 4th day into the next week, is what will separate the boys from the men. I don't care where you are, or what you're doing when the urges hit: they're going to hit HARD. And you can't wait until that moment happens to respond or you're going to fall like the rest of them after it gets worse. You have to identify your problem areas, and make WAR on them now.
"Throw any lotion in the house away and take it to the garbage can. Take the bar of soap out of the shower and toss it. Plan your day to minimize alone time, maximize productivity, and spend time at the gym. Tell yourself how you will respond to a dozen different scenarios so that they won't catch you with your pants down, literally.
This war is only just beginning, but you are not alone. Stand strong and fight like hell for your brothers and sisters beside you and your own future.”
What’s the point of it?
The idea that abstaining ejaculation brings health benefits is fairly reasonable in any culture that promotes moderation and penalizes extreme indulgence. However, what’s the science to support these alleged benefits? Quoting Christopher Carrubba, MD, a physician and medical education consultant: “To date, there has been no research that I could find documenting any psychological benefit to semen retention. As such, any reported benefits are purely anecdotal and could also be the result of a placebo effect.”
Justin Lehmiller, Ph.D., a researcher at the Kinsey Institute and author of Tell Me What You Want, points out that there are actually studies that have shown health benefits to masturbating.
“There isn’t any scientific evidence that giving up masturbation (or ejaculation) will enhance your health—in fact, if anything, research suggests that there are more potential health benefits to be had by indulging in self-pleasure than by abstaining,” — Lehmiller.
In any case, the participants and advocates of NNN will continue encouraging their comrades to abstain from masturbation and, ultimately, ejaculation.
So, should you try out No Nut November?
References
Vassar.E (2019) Seriously: You Failed No Nut November, What Now?. The Rocky Mountain Collegian [online]. Available at: https://collegian.com/2019/11/category-opinion-seriously-you-failed-no-nut-november-what-now/ [Accessed 16 November 2021].
Zane.Z (2019) Inside 'No Nut November,' Where Guys Don't Masturbate for a Month. Men’s Health [online]. Available at: https://www.menshealth.com/sex-women/a29689038/no-nut-november/ [Accessed 16 November 2021].
Loomes.P (2018) Thousands of men quit sex for 'No Nut November'. The New Zealand Herald [online]. Available at: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/thousands-of-men-quit-sex-for-no-nut-november/5N2XUGWL4D3QDYQQVSZZ6RJJ4A/?c_id=6&objectid=12165497 [Accessed 16 November 2021].
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