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Comment by akomtu | Hacker News Reader

That's an example of political social study, with a rather odd goal of demonizing that "nofap" movement.

yes, it is an interesting topic, but the article reads more like a hit piece than curious and open minded scientific investigation.

Similarly, it strikes me as odd that the author repeatedly struggles to wrap their head around the idea that a forum of > 1 million people holds heterogeneous and even conflicting opinions.

It also implausabily glosses over the idea that there could be a real and sizable contingent of people with unhealthy personal relationships with sex or pornography

Wouldn’t a nofap subscriber specifically NOT consuming pornography? Or is zero what you meant by unhealthy?

I don't think it's the specific number so much as the feelings of shame associated with it that's unhealthy.

Why is the shame unhealthy? How could we even say, without knowing why an individual is ashamed? Maybe they should be. Some shame is appropriate (eg Trump ought to feel ashamed about many things, though he doesn’t seem to)

Dont you think someone who is on nofap is more likely to have had unhealthy porno habits in the past?

Your post reads like saying "dont you think alcoholics anonymous would have the least amount of drinking problems of any population?"

Nofap is targeted as an abstinence approach for porn addicts that feel they have a problem.

> Scientists regularly comment on the misleading use of their research by NoFap to monetize (Mascherek et al. Citation2021) and on NoFap’s non-evidence-based practice (Shahinyan et al. Citation2023). NoFap has responded with dozens of legal intimidation letters or lawsuits to scientists, media, and scientific organizations (e.g., Plummer Citation2020) and attempted to prohibit scientists from collecting data concerning NoFap (Gałuszka Citation2020; Prause and Binnie Citation2023).

The feeling is mutual, apparently. Weird how this movement demonizing masturbation is seen as "demonized" by a study documenting violent outcomes from the movement. Is the tradition of shaming men's sexual desires so sacred that we should overlook its violent extremes?

By appearances, they've done considerable research to back up their claims. Do you have evidence that they're being dishonest, or are you just smearing them?

This is a political hit piece masquerading as research. If I cared enough, I'd start with finding out who funded that "research".

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