Marvin Gaye had a point.
Experts have explained that a little bit of lovin’ can go a long way for you — and that a lack thereof can be detrimental.
Dr. Tara Suwinyattichaiporn, a sex expert and professor at the University of California, Fullerton, told the Daily Mail that going without sex or masturbation for long durations of time can become harmful to one’s physical health.
Even just a month without can cause stress, anxiety, depression, and anger, she explained, noting that these negative emotions take the pleasure out of finally having intimacy.
“Stressed-out people don’t have the capacity to enjoy sex,” Suwinyattichaiporn told the outlet.
Research validates her point. A 2021 study in the “Journal of Criminal Justice” associated sexual frustration with acts of violence.
In extreme cases where there is a lack of sexual activity for up to five years, Suwinyattichaiporn said that penile or vaginal atrophy, which causes the genitals to shrink slightly, can occur.
As for men masturbating, it could help stave off prostate cancer, according to a Harvard Medical study. It found that men who ejaculate 21 times or more per month lowered their risk of the disease by a third.
And couples who are having a dry spell often let it affect their relationships, too, said Manhattan-based sex therapist Sari Cooper.
‘”They don’t approach their partner with softness, vulnerability, and requests for compromise,” she told the DM.
“They also don’t have the technique to repair conflicts and instead blame one another, pursue the other with continuous criticism, or elicit a guilty response in order to get their needs met.”
While Cooper added that a “dry period” is normal, it’s also critical to work out of the funk for the long-term good of the relationship — otherwise, a partner may seek an extramarital affair.
If things are reaching that point, “address these barriers with professional guidance,” she suggests.
