Experts are sounding the alarm on a sexual practice called “gooning” that is spreading among some men, warning it could lead to serious health issues.
Gooning refers to the act of maintaining sexual arousal for extended periods while purposely avoiding or delaying orgasm. This process often involves visual stimuli like pornography, with some sessions lasting over seven hours.
Google data revealed a 778% spike in interest in gooning over the last five years. The term has become a hot topic on online forums and communities, with seven times more people searching for and becoming interested in it than five years ago.
Feeling actual arousal may become difficult
Health professionals are raising two main concerns: the risk of porn addiction and erectile dysfunction. Dr. Richard Viney, a urologist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, cautions that gooning can lead to an unhealthy reliance on porn, making it difficult to get aroused during actual sexual encounters.
Dr. Viney explained that pornography could condition individuals to become sexually aroused only through such media, potentially increasing the risk of erectile dysfunction and sexual performance issues. He noted that this could lead to performance anxiety, further embedding sexual matters.
Psychotherapist Dr. Paula Hall warns that using gooning as an escape from stress or depression could lead to more severe mental health issues or porn addiction. She explained that doing it occasionally might not pose a significant problem, but engaging in such behavior repeatedly for 5-6 hours every day could condition the brain to become accustomed to this behavior, making it difficult to stop or enjoy other activities.
Excessive porn consumption: Growing social concern
Experts say gooning and excessive porn consumption can lead to problems such as erectile dysfunction, reduced libido, relationship issues due to lack of intimacy with partners, mental health issues like stress and depression, and social problems such as decreased work performance and financial difficulties.
Dr. Hall advises that if gooning is negatively impacting your life and you cannot stop, it may indicate a serious problem. She encourages individuals experiencing these issues to seek help.
There also has been a sharp increase in various sexual preferences over the past five years. Google searches for “femboy” (men or non-binary individuals who express themselves feminine) rose by 504%. The term “thirst trap” (posting sexual pictures on social media for attention) grew by 335%, and “throuple” (consensual romantic relationship involving three individuals) increased by 230%. “Edging” (delaying orgasm for extended sexual pleasure) saw a 91% rise.
While experts note that sexual behaviors like gooning are not harmful in all cases, they warn that excessive, repetitive behaviors can have negative mental and physical effects.
