How do you Touch Yourself? The UK’s masturbation habits revealed…

Happy Masturbation Month!

Oh, yes, didn’t we mention? May is the national month of masturbation. If ever there was a reason to celebrate with a wank or two, this is it. Not that you need one, of course.

Believe it or not, but there’s not a great deal of data around people’s masturbation habits, probably due to the (untrue) stereotypes that exist that masturbation is shameful, unhealthy or inappropriate if you’re in a relationship. Nope, not true.

To fill a hole (so to speak), Kinkly surveyed 3,401 of their readers for a no-holds-barred journey to discover exactly what makes us tick when it comes to masturbation.

Here’s a few of their findings…

• 93% say they believe masturbation is a part of self care – HECK yes.
• Surprise, surprise, men like to get down with themselves more often than women – on average 29 times a month.
• But it’s only just, as women wank on average 26 times a month. You go girls,

What motivates you to masturbate? There’s definitely rhyme and reason behind why we reach into our underwear! Here’s the most common reasons:

• 89% said when they were turned on. This could be after a sexy film, a book or having sex with a partner!
• 70% said when they needed stress relief. I feel you.
• 51% said when they were bored. Love this.
• 37% said when they needed to clear their heads. My people.

So what else did Kinkly discover? They found out a little more about the implements (if any) that we might use to give ourselves some relief.

Image by Deon Black.

Men prefer to get hands on, with 79% of them saying they used only their hands. Only 22% had a sex toy of some kind join them for the fun, whereas women reported using a sex toy 59% of the time. 60% of women said their best orgasms came when using toys.

5% said they use household objects to masturbate (aubergine, anyone?) and a further 5% used a bath faucet or shower.

How do you feel about playing with a partner? According to Kinkly, 71% of their respondents have tried mutual masturbation with a partner, and 23% haven’t but want to. Why wait??

Let’s talk about masturbation

Hands up if you’ve ever talked about masturbation with anyone you know? Chances are you didn’t put your hand up. I wouldn’t know, I can’t see you. But it appears that while talking about this kind of self love has come on leaps and bounds, there’s still work to be done.

However, there are signs of people opening up and becoming more relaxed about masturbation. Yay!

87% of respondents think masturbation is beneficial when in a relationship. Heck yes, pleasure is important!

Only 17% never talk about masturbation with their partner.

Just 5% think masturbation is “for when you’re single” or “when you can’t have real sex.” Whoever thinks this, get in touch. I just wanna talk…

I LOVED Kinkly’s findings – this kind of in-depth research on masturbation needs to be done if we’re ever going to clear the air and normalise it as much as possible. Wanna know more? You can find more on Kinkly’s Self-Pleasure survey here.