The simple answer is NO. The inability to gain or sustain erections results from various physical and mental causes. A sexual discrepancy like erectile dysfunction can be a result of health problems such as heart disease, depression, insomnia, and diabetes, or the medications used to treat them. It can also result from performance anxiety, relationship problems, or stress.
While it gets difficult to maintain erections for men during intercourse when they suffer from this disorder, they may find themselves comfortable in masturbating. In spite of the numerous myths that surround masturbation practices in men, research confirms that erectile dysfunction is not the aftermath of fapping. Masturbation is a normal biological need of the male body.
Instead, masturbation, when done correctly, can help men keep an erection for longer and mitigate dysfunction that results from stress, anxiety, or any other psychological issue. Men can use the sexual release that masturbation ensures and build familiarity with their bodies and its pleasure points. Masturbating to porn can contribute to erectile dysfunction, suggest studies.
When a man masturbates while watching porn, he can overstimulate his sexual organs that affect brain chemistry. There is a surge in dopamine levels in their brain when men watch porn. Very often, the mind gets conditioned to a particular kind of stimulus for reaching orgasm, when subjected to pornographic content regularly. However, with regular dosage of pornography, the receptors in the brain which were formerly sensitive, lose their sensitivity. Men desensitised to specific imagery or even physical intimacy often find it challenging to pleasure their partners during intercourse. They face difficulties in getting an erection in real-life scenarios with an actual partner. This is because regular physical activity with a partner fails to produce enough dopamine for stimulating the brain receptors.
Actual intercourse with a partner often fails to create the same type of stimulus, which leads to erection issues. Porn-induced anxiety is another pressing cause of erectile dysfunction in men. Watching excessively graphic and unrealistic sexual content for prolonged periods can result in performance anxiety on psychological as well as biological level in men. This causes men to be self-conscious, thus leading to relationship issues through erectile dysfunction.
Now that we know that porn-induced masturbation is the real culprit behind erectile dysfunction in men, at large, what is it that we can do about it? Well, we can get rid of the disorder altogether. Research shows that when men discontinue their usual sojourn with porn, their brain efficiently rewires itself to the normal dopamine sensitivity within 6-12 weeks. The span varies from individual to individual though. Men can put an end to erectile dysfunction and start of a healthy sex life once again, just by practising a little self-control.