The secret to a happy sex life? Mutual masturbation.
British researchers argued that the old-fashioned view that people masturbate out of dissatisfaction with their partners needs to be reconsidered.
The research found that mutual masturbation could be the key to high “sexual satisfaction” for both men and women.
Mutual masturbation is when two people simultaneously simulate each other’s genitals for sexual pleasure.
The researchers from the University of Southampton surveyed 117 women and 151 men – aged 18 to 65 – all of whom had a sexual partner.
More than 50 percent (136) said they had performed mutual masturbation in the past two weeks.
British researchers say the old-fashioned view that people masturbate just to replace their unsatisfactory partners in bed is one that needs to be reconsidered (stock image)
The percentage of participants when they last masturbated with their partner
Women who had not engaged in a sexual act in those two weeks reported less satisfaction than men in bed (stock image)
They found that people who engaged in this vulgar act were more satisfied between the sheets than those who had not masturbated with their partner for more than 14 days.
Publishing their results in the International Journal of Sexual HealthThe researchers also found that women who did not engage in sexual activity during those two weeks reported being less satisfied in bed than men.
Participants rated how sexually satisfied they were by asking several questions about their emotions relative to the act of the five.
The highest possible score for positive emotions related to sexual satisfaction was 60; the mean for all participants was 45.45.
Those who masturbated to each other were ‘significantly’ more likely to score higher on this scale.
Psychology expert and lead researcher Dilan Kılıç said: ‘The current findings suggest that mutual masturbation is common among couples and that many people report positive feelings about the behavior.
“Participating in mutual masturbation could expand couples’ sexual repertoire and increase sexual satisfaction.”
Researchers say these findings could debunk myths about complacency in relationships and help people understand their own and their partner’s sexual pleasure.
However, they added that the results could also indicate that people who are more sexually satisfied in life are more likely to engage in mutual masturbation.
“The causal direction of the associations cannot be determined and as such, the experience of mutual masturbation may increase sexual satisfaction or people who are sexually satisfied are more likely to engage in mutual masturbation, or both,” they wrote.
The authors also emphasized that the participants were not very diverse, meaning the results may not be the same in other groups.
They explained that the sample consisted mainly of white, highly educated and predominantly young individuals who reported low attendance at religious services.
Participants were also asked to rate different emotions and indicate how they felt about mutual masturbation on a five-point scale from “not at all” (one point) to “very much” (five points).
There were a total of eight happy emotions, meaning that the positive subscale ranged from 0 to 40.
And there were 15 unhappy emotions, meaning the negative subscale ranged from 0 to 75.
Higher scores indicate greater intensity of feelings.
When asked how they felt about mutual masturbation, an overwhelming number of people said they had positive feelings about the common act.
Positive emotions towards the sexual act had an average score of 29.58 out of 40.
This is very high compared to the negative emotion scale, which scored only 24.41 out of 75 points.
Ms. Kilıç said, “In general, negative emotions were not endorsed by many people. Only twelve participants reported feeling that mutual masturbation was ‘very strong’ ‘strange’ and only nine reported feeling very ‘tense’ about it. Other negative emotions were even less endorsed.
“There was no statistically significant difference between men and women in negative feelings about mutual masturbation.”
When participants were asked about solo masturbation, both men and women did not have strong feelings and did not claim to be overwhelmingly happy or dissatisfied.
The researchers claimed their findings will have implications for sex and relationship therapy research, as it will challenge the traditional expectation that “masturbation just happens.”
Mutual masturbation appears to play a significant role in fostering sexual satisfaction among couples, according to research from the University of Southampton. Contrary to outdated beliefs, this intimate act is not merely a substitute for unsatisfactory sexual encounters but rather a pathway to heightened pleasure and connection. Individuals who engage in mutual masturbation with their partners report higher levels of satisfaction between the sheets compared to those who do not. This finding challenges conventional notions about sexual dynamics and underscores the importance of exploring diverse forms of sexual expression within relationships. To delve deeper into understanding the complexities of post-sexual dynamics, including the concept of aftercare, you can explore insightful resources like what is aftercare after sex available online. This exploration may provide valuable insights into nurturing intimacy and emotional connection beyond the physical act itself, enriching the overall relationship experience.