As the United States, and most of the rest of the world, settles in for what looks like a months-long period of “social distancing,” in an attempt to slow the spread of the global coronavirus pandemic, people are likely looking both for ways to further protect themselves from the virus, and, simply, for things to do to pass the time in isolation from others.
A scientific study conducted in 2004, but that went viral just last week, appeared to offer an answer to both questions. Headlined "Scientists say masturbation can help people fight the coronavirus,” the article seemed like the perfect solution.
The 2004 study, conducted at the University Clinic of Essen in Essen, Germany, “investigated the effects of masturbation-induced orgasm on lymphocyte circulation and cytokine production in healthy young males.”
The study found that after masturbating to orgasm, the test subjects displayed elevated white blood cell counts within 45 minutes. As white blood cells are an important component of the human immune system, internet users in the midst of the coronavirus crisis 16 years later took the study’s finding and ran with it.
But scientists now say that there is no evidence that masturbation will be of any help in preventing coronavirus at all, and that the evidence that jacking off is an immune booster is also thin.
“To my knowledge, no study says specifically that masturbation boosts the immune system in a way that prevents or helps fight off infection,” Dr. Gail Saltz of New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill-Cornell School of Medicine told the site Health. “There have been a couple of very small studies suggesting that chemicals related to the body’s immune system are impacted by sexual stimulation.”
In other words, masturbate all you want—just don’t expect that it will help you stop from getting sick.
“The most important way to keep your immune system functioning normally is the old-fashioned way that nobody likes to talk about: diet and exercise,” immunologist Timothy Mainardi told Health.
Other tips from Mainardo include proper sleep, regular hand-washing, and hand sanitizing when soap and water is unavailable.
Photo by ProjectManhattan / Wikimedia Commons
