Experts have issued warnings about the rise of an online trend referred to as ‘gooning’.
If you don’t know what that is, I offer my sincerest congratulations.
If you do, you likely come from one of two camps – those who operate in terminally online spaces and found out about this trend against their will, or those who goon.
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If you are the former, it will not shock you to find that medical experts have issued warnings against it.
What is gooning?
For those who don’t know what it is, this is your last chance to continue living life free from the burden of this knowledge.
‘Gooning’ is the term for when people masturbate for hours, even days on end, entering a state of sexual euphoria.
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In some cases this can lead to a ‘gooning’ facial expression, with crossed eyes, drooling, or dead-eyed expressions all characteristic of this.
The term has exploded in the last year, with the Daily Mail reporting that, in the last five years, interest has increased by 800 percent.
The Daily Mail spoke to Dr Richard Viney, a consultant urological surgeon at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, who linked the popularity of the practice to sex practices that became popular in the 60s.
He went on to say: “The concept of trying to prolong the sexual act and enhance the experience as much as possible is an understandable holy grail.
“Relying heavily on pornography can desensitise the individual to real sexual encounters increasing the risk of erectile dysfunction when engaging in sex with a partner.
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“A man can find he needs pornography to get aroused rather than on the presence and touch of his partner.
“Difficulties with erections and sexual performance can then lead to performance anxiety making the sexual issues more embedded”.
What are the dangers of gooning?
The Daily Mail also spoke to Dr Paula Hall, from the not-for-profit Pivotal Recovery, who is experienced in working with those with a pornography addiction.
She warned that gooning could lead to a problematic relationship with pornography.
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She said: “If we keep repeating any behaviour it gets more habituated.
“Your brain is undoubtedly becoming more habituated to that behaviour and the more often it’s repeated, the more likely you are to struggle to stop and enjoy other activities.
“We know that people with compulsive sexual behaviours tend to struggle with erectile dysfunction”.
“There's lots of evidence that, over time, compulsive pornography use begins to have a negative impact on other areas of life including relationships, work, friendships, finance and general mental health and wellbeing.
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“Many people start with online porn but then progress to chat, webcam, adult hook up sites and offline real-life encounters.”
Topics: Sex and Relationships, Social Media, Health
Michael Slavin