The First Origin of How Men Masturbate, Scientists Reveal
- Times of India
VIVA – Masturbate usually refers to the taboo things for some people. Recently, scientists do a new study looking into the origins how the masturbate practice.
While previous studies suggested that masturbation was simply a by-product of sexual arousal, the team from UCL claims that the behaviour actually served an evolutionary purpose, at least in men.
Their findings indicate that masturbation evolved in male primates to increase mating success and help to avoid STIs (sexually transmitted infections).Â
However, the scientists admit that when it comes to women, they're still clueless as to the origins of masturbation.
Ilustrasi
- 1447213
Masturbation is not just practiced by humans it's common across the animal kingdom, particularly in primates. However, until now, how and when it became prevalent has remained unclear.
In the new study, the team assembled the largest ever dataset of primate masturbation, including information from nearly 400 sources.
Their analysis of the data revealed that masturbation dates back millions of years and was likely even practiced by the common ancestor of monkeys and humans.
To understand why evolution would promote masturbation, the team tested several theories.
The postcopulatory selection hypothesis suggests that self-stimulation improves fertilisation, through various ways.
Firstly, masturbate (without ejaculation) before sex increases arousal, a tactic that may be particularly useful for low-ranking males who are likely to be interrupted during sex, by helping them to ejaculate faster, according to the researchers.
Secondly, masturbate (with ejaculation) lets males shed inferior semen, leaving fresh, high-quality sperm available for mating.
The next hypothesis, called the 'pathogen avoidance hypothesis', proposes that masturbation reduces the risk of an STI after sex by cleansing the urethra.
The team found evidence in support of both of these hypotheses.
Dr Matilda Brindle, lead author of the study, said: "Our findings help shed light on a very common, but little understood, sexual behaviour and represent a significant advance in our understanding of the functions of masturbation,"
