Masturbation benefits revealed in new primate study
Spanking the monkey probably helped the monkey evolve.
So say the authors of a new British study that examines the role masturbation has played in evolution.
As it turns out, playing with ourselves comes with a range of benefits that helped all primates — including humans — survive and thrive.
“Masturbation is common across the animal kingdom but is especially prevalent amongst primates, including humans,” the study authors said in a statement.
It “was most likely present in the common ancestor of all monkeys and apes,” they added.
But the practice never received much academic attention because it “was considered to be either pathological or a by-product of sexual arousal,” and studies were too fragmented to make sense of how it evolved.
New research from the Proceedings of the Royal Society B seeking to fill that knowledge gap finds that whacking off — particularly among male primates — can help to ensure the success of their reproductive efforts.
Male primates, including humans, probably derive some evolutionary advantages from masturbation, research suggests. Getty Images/iStockphoto
“Masturbation (without ejaculation) can increase arousal before sex,” the authors wrote.
“This may be a particularly useful tactic for low-ranking males likely to be interrupted during copulation, by helping them to ejaculate faster,” they noted — perhaps explaining the origin of the “quickie.”
Additionally, regular ejaculation “allows males to shed inferior semen, leaving fresh, high-quality sperm available for mating, which are more likely to outcompete those of other males.”
That’s why, the researchers believe, male masturbation evolved as a strategy in situations where males face intense mating competition.
Compared to males, the evolutionary advantages of masturbation to females are less clear to researchers. Getty Images/iStockphoto
As an added benefit, masturbation probably helps to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections “by cleansing the urethra (a primary site of infection for many STIs) with ejaculate.”
When it comes to females, however, the evolutionary benefits of masturbation, if any, are less clear.
“[M]ore data on female sexual behavior are needed to better understand the evolutionary role of female masturbation,” the study authors wrote.
Medical experts have found a range of benefits to masturbation, including stress relief, higher self-esteem and greater satisfaction with relationships.
A 2016 study from European Urology found that ejaculation — including masturbation to climax — was linked to a lower risk of prostate cancer, too.
“Our findings help shed light on a very common, but little understood, sexual behavior,” said lead author Dr. Matilda Brindle, of University College London.
“The fact that autosexual behavior may serve an adaptive function, is ubiquitous throughout the primate order, and is practiced by captive and wild-living members of both sexes, demonstrates that masturbation is part of a repertoire of healthy sexual behaviors,” Brindle added.
Source: New York Post
