I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self.
Aristotle
What is Nofap?
Nofap is the modern term for a movement philosophizing abstinence from self-touching and adult content. “Nofap” was created back in 2011 by Alexander Rhodes who challenged himself to abstain, and posted about the beneficial results on Reddit, which lead to the creation of the Nofap community.
People who follow the Nofap philosophy have reported many benefits to abstaining, some of which sound too good to be true, but the similar responses seem to dictate that there is truth to the habit. Individuals will of course have different responses to habits, which is why it’s so important to evaluate your conscious and unconscious habits often to ensure they are still serving you.
Most people interested in Nofap start by taking a Nofap challenge, which is abstaining from self-touching and adult content for a set number of days. It’s estimated that it takes 90 days to “reboot your brain” resetting it to how it was before you introduced Adult content and self-touching into your life.
If you have introduced adult content and self-touching into your life–as 92% percent of men have done–and you have never gone without them for an extended period SINCE introduction, how do you know you aren’t addicted? How do you know if adult content andself-touching is making your life worse? This is the premise of Nofap. The benefits people experience can come from the spiritual weight of addiction being lifted, as well as the physiological benefits that may come from the practice, like increased testosterone for males.
Nofap is often presented in the challenge format, like “No Nut November” which people will do for a month, sometimes going back to their old ways, sometimes staying like this forever.
If you take the nofap challenge and cannot beat it, you may have an addiction. Pay attention to how the practice makes you feel. Many believe that it steals motivation, confidence, and energy; however, others are fine with both in their life. It’s crucial to experiment.
Nofap Studies
The studies below come from the excellent website, yourbrainonporn.com, created by Gary Wilson, author of Your Brain on Porn: Internet Pornography and the Emerging Science of Addiction, who sadly passed away in 2021. His work and legacy lives on. It’s difficult to study this topic, so many of these studies are adjacent to the topic. This is why it’s important to be grounded and internally aware so you can determine whether or not something is working for you, or working against you.
Pornography addiction: A neuroscience perspective
Viewers of Pornography Have a Smaller Reward System
Pornographic picture processing interferes with working memory performance
Sexual picture processing interferes with decision-making under ambiguity
Brain structure and functional connectivity associated with pornography consumption
“We found a significant negative association between reported pornography hours per week and gray matter volume in the right caudate (P < .001, corrected for multiple comparisons) as well as with functional activity during a sexual cue–reactivity paradigm in the left putamen (P < .001). Functional connectivity of the right caudate to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was negatively associated with hours of pornography consumption.”
Adult-content users even in moderation correlates with reduced grey matter and decreased sexual responsiveness.
Adult-content viewing is correlated with depression, anxiety, stress, social deviance, less relationship satisfaction, altered sexual tastes, poorer quality of life, poorer health, and intimacy problems.
Your Brain on Porn quote: people who have been using porn heavily since puberty rarely make the connection between their porn use and symptoms such as anxiety, depression or weak erections until after they stop using. No matter how miserable they are, porn seems like a way to feel good – a solution rather than a source of problems.
Your Brain on Porn quote: Relationships, too, are affected by porn use, which makes sense. Too much stimulation can interfere with what scientists call pair-bonding, or falling in love. When scientists jacked up pair-bonding animals on amphetamine, the naturally monogamous animals no longer formed a preference for one partner.[30] The artificial stimulation hijacks their bonding machinery, leaving them just like regular (promiscuous) mammals – in which the brain circuits for lasting bonds are absent. Research in humans also suggests that too much stimulation weakens pair bonds. According to a 2007 study, mere exposure to numerous sexy female images causes a man to devalue his real-life partner.
Survey of Sexual Function and Pornography
“Preference for pornography with masturbation was found to be significantly associated with erectile disfunction. Rate of erectile dysfunction were lowest in those preferring partnered sex without pornography. Men who prefer masturbation with pornography to partnered sex have a significantly increased risk of sexual dysfunction.”
Mental‐ and Physical‐Health Indicators and Sexually Explicit Media Use Behavior by Adults
“EMB was reported by 36.7% (n = 205) of the sample. Most SEMB users (78%) were men. After adjusting for demographics, SEMB users, compared to nonusers, reported greater depressive symptoms, poorer quality of life, more mental‐ and physical‐health diminished days, and lower health status.”
Sexual activity and prostate cancer risk in men diagnosed at a younger age
Alone, frequent masturbation activity was a marker for increased risk in the 20s and 30s but appeared to be associated with a decreased risk in the 50s, while intercourse activity alone was not associated with the disease.
Is Internet Pornography Causing Sexual Dysfunctions? A Review with Clinical Reports
Salivary Testosterone Levels in Men at a U.S. Sex Club
Understand you do not NEED a study to confirm a lifestyle change or philosophy you are considering adopting. If something works for you, it works for you. This does not mean you neglect or refute science, it means to pay attention to the value and consequences of different philosophies, EXPERIMENT often, keep what pushes you forward and disregard the rest. Remember, studies can be correct, and they can also be wrong universally, or wrong for an individual based on their unique combination of characteristics.
Nofap videos
Philip Zimbardo is also known for conducting the Stanford prison experiments.
Nofap Books
Your Brain on Porn – Gary Wilson
Kindle | Audiobook(free) | Paperback
No More Mr Nice Guy: A Proven Plan for Getting What You Want in Love, Sex, and Life – Dr. Robert Glover
Breaking the Cycle: Free Yourself from Sex Addiction, Porn Obsession, and Shame – George Collins
Kindle | Audiobook(free) | Paperback
Out of the Shadows: Understanding Sexual Addiction – Patrick J Carns Ph.D
Kindle | Audiobook(free) | Paperback
The Way of the Superior Man – David Deida
Kindle | Audiobook(free) | Hardcover | Paperback
Understanding and Treating Sex and Pornography Addiction: A comprehensive guide for people who struggle with sex addiction and those who want to help them – Paula Haul
Kindle | Hardcover | Paperback
Nofap Testimonials
Testimonials are not science, so they cannot be replicated or proven, and there is the opportunity for tampering, or inflating reported results. Don’t believe everything you read, and test new philosophies before permanently adopting them in your mind. We’ve decided to highlight positive Nofap experiences because we support the philosophy.
Nofap Free Testosterone Lab Results Month by Month [1]
Nofap is way easier when you’re busy and you don’t really think about it. I started university recently, and after struggling with starting nofap all summer (not having anything to do!) I’m finally doing it… With ease! I’m not even thinking about it, I don’t know how many days have passed without me fapping.[2]
After 5 months of NoFap, here are all of my benefits:
Physical – In general, I found that I glowed up after five months.
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Better skin
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Clearer eyes
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Nicer hair
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Better general fitness
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Need less sleep to feel rested
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Can gain muscle relatively easily now
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Injuries don’t take as long to heal
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Better temperature tolerance – neither heat nor cold bothers me anymore
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Straighter posture
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Can hold eye contact with anyone now
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Slightly deeper voice
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Pimples are gone
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Better looking in general
Mental – The mental benefits to this practice are crazy
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My mind is super clear
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Dreams become vivid af and I’ve gotten so many lucid dreams during this journey
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Comfort zone has become much, much larger – probably the best benefit
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Have stopped seeking the validation of others
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Better overall memory
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Better intuition and common sense
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Can thrive in any social situation
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Usually know the right thing to say in most situations
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Close to zero awkwardness
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I’ve got that killer instinct
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Self control has improved greatly
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Better concentration – super useful when studying
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Negative thoughts don’t linger for long
Ultimate benefits thread
I feel less a failure and more in control of my life.
Increased confidence
decreased anxiety
more respect from males
social interactions feel easy
flirting is natural and effortless
more attraction and interest from women
crazy motivation and ability to work for longer periods of time without distraction and deviation
deeper voice
clearer skin
more energy
an overall state best described as “excited calm”
feeling pumped for no reason
greater strength and endurance during workouts
I JUST FEEL FUCKING AMAZING. No other way to express it.
Love filling my mind and my heart. Love of myself, love of life. Results in more welcoming, powerful, and confident body language, which people around me absolutely love.
Insane confidence, don’t give a f**k about what others think about you, easy to maintain eye contact, more respect from guys, more attention from girls, more strength and endurance in the gym, feel extremely happy and positive, brain is more efficient, less retrieval failure, clearer/brighter face and skin (cold showers and getting some sun), more productive, more energy, increased desire to study and learn, willpower increases significantly, easy to get rid of negative influences, and a deeper voice.
NoFap doesn’t give you superpowers, it returns what was stolen from you.
Increased happiness/pride/joy/confidence/calmness
Happiness is found in simpler things (a walk, a nice meal, music)
Experiencing more emotions, feeling less numb to life
Loving/accepting yourself
Taking a stand for yourself/not backing down/stating your opinion
Increased hope, a better future always seems obtainable, no matter how difficult things get
Less social anxiety/fear of judgement
Initiate conversation more often
Increased conversational skills/eye contact/smiling
Increased vocabulary/words come to you more easily
Feel more in touch with other people (and their emotions)
Better posture/appearance (i.e. by working out + clearer skin, less acne)
Increased athletic performance (stamina, physical strength
Deeper/more manly voice
(Increased vision has been reported by very few people)
Better posture/appearance (i.e. by working out + clearer skin, less acne)
Increased athletic performance (stamina, physical strength
Deeper/more manly voice
(Increased vision has been reported by very few people)
For starters I got rid of chronicle fatigue. This means more energy through day and more passion for life,started training kickbox again and back in great shape.
I got a job, finally. I live like a man now, pay my own bills and bought myself a car. Parents and family take me very serious now.
Got a most beautiful girl in the world. During summer I worked as waiter and my god, are women attacking you while on no fap. There wasn’t a single day I haven’t talked to a new girl and go out with her after job. Then one day this beautiful girl walked in and till now she is claiming she seduced me,not the other way, that’s my gf. Btw i’m not good looking, I’m just fit.
Started finishing my college and getting good grades.
I have more real friends as I escaped the cloud and could see who’s taking advantage of me.
If you have been inside the challenge for a while and still hasn’t noticed any big changes, this is for you.
The most important benefit is that you are slowly becoming the best version of yourself, acting like your true self and making your own decisions about anything. This is not a small thing, let me tell you.
Your productivity potential makes you want to work on yourself, instead of feeling lazy about everything.
You don’t care about anyone else’s opinion, no matter how bad it might be. You just flow for yourself.
You become aware of the potential threats out there. Alcohol, cigarettes… everything that affects your current state of mind.
It gets easier to beat other addictions, trust me. I decided to cut off alcohol and I am still into it for the past year.
In the end, the most important thing is to stay healthy, focused and loyal to your goals and the imagination of future you are about to conquer.
Nofap Memes
Memes are ways to communicate information, typically in a humorous fashion; sometimes they convey truth via humor. The memes below come from the Reddit Community, r/NoFap.
