Unsweetened November: how the Nedrochabr appeared, the challenge of refusing sex and masturbation #NoNutNovember

We constantly hear about different types of abstinence — from sweet, spicy, fatty, alcohol and smoking. What about sexual abstinence? Agree, this is something unfashionable and smacks of medieval savagery. And what if we tell you that these days there are a lot of people who keep themselves in sexual strictness throughout November and even organize a challenge for this under the hashtag #NoNutNovember.

The rules of the challenge are simple, but difficult to implement. Its participants can only be men. They refuse sex and self-satisfaction for exactly a month and in November.

#NoNutNovember, or as it is called in Runet "Nedrochabr", implies the following actions, that is, on the contrary, inaction:

But why is all this necessary, you ask? Even the strangest challenge must have some meaning. Perhaps the "Nedrochabr" also had it, but now no one can remember it anymore. The challenge appeared in the English-language social network Reddit in 2010, in response to the existence of the old ladies' challenge "Non-Shave November" (#No Shave November), known already since 2004.

Abstinence Month offered to conduct a redditer with the nickname bicboi6969696969 and at first this initiative did not receive hot support from users. But in 2017, they suddenly remembered about it and began to promote it on the Internet. #NoNutNovember was even decided to be considered part of a large-scale and quite serious No Fap Challenge movement, whose supporters refrain from masturbation in order to "cleanse the soul and gain clarity of thought."

Is there any benefit or harm from such abstinence? Scientists cannot answer this question precisely, because no one has conducted studies that would study the effect of the number of ejaculations on various aspects of life and the work of the body. But as for arousal, this is a completely different matter and some scientific data on this topic are available.

When aroused, oxytocin and dopamine are released in the human body. Oxytocin is responsible for positive emotions, comfort in communication and stress reduction. Dopamine is also strongly associated with positive emotions and good mood. So, from a psychological point of view, sexual arousal does not bring anything bad, but, on the contrary, makes our life more pleasant.

Taoists believed that with each ejaculation, a man loses his energy. According to the adherents of this faith, the energy stored during abstinence returns to the man's brain and increases its effectiveness. There was even a Taoist technique "24 times a year", limiting the number of ejaculations. Also, Taoists recommend ejaculating only at every 3-4 sexual contact.

But all these techniques exist in the plane of esotericism and have nothing to do with human physiology. Science does not know whether abstinence makes a person better or destroys his body and personality. There were no obvious signs of such a lifestyle. So the participants of the "Nedrochabr", most likely, will not receive a profit from their abstinence, although they will certainly check the strength of willpower.