Here’s a holiday you can get behind: May is National Masturbation Month. That’s right, and it’s not just 24 measly hours—it’s an entire month.
Before you celebrate, take a look at the results from We-Vibe‘s (the world’s no. 1 selling couple’s vibrator brand) Masturbation Report. They pored over questionnaire and survey responses from 600 participants ranging in age from 20-70 across the U.S to see how men and women compare down there in the self-pleasure department. Some of these findings are downright mind-blowing and probably answer every question you’ve ever had about your girlfriend’s masturbation habits (with what? when? where?). See for yourself.
Talking about masturbation with your buddies is as common as discussing last night’s game, but is it the same for ladies? Surprisingly, it’s close. Eighty-five percent of millennials admit they talk about masturbation with friends and, as you may have guessed, men are more likely to discuss it than women: 34 percent and 29 percent, respectively.
Do you remember the first time you masturbated? (You can keep the details of your inevitable flashback to yourself.) Well, if you’re like 45 percent of We-Vibe’s male respondents, it happened during the tender years of adolescence between the ages 13-19. But for 20 percent of women, their first time didn’t happen until their early 20s!
Why men and women masturbate isn’t really a question in need of scientific analysis, but it’s good to know what triggers your partner. Eighty-seven percent of participants said they do it when they’re “in the mood,” 55 percent attribute it to being stimulated, while some do it to relieve stress (38 percent), boredom (26 percent) or capitalize on excitement (21 percent). All in all, 76 percent of participants reported feeling satisfied and 59 percent felt relaxed afterward.
Not surprisingly, 80 percent of participants’ go-to destination for taking a load off was the bedroom, followed by the shower (31 percent) and then the couch.
More surprisingly, 20 percent of men and 19 percent of women reported the car as being the most unusual place they’ve masturbated.
More disturbingly, six percent of men reported masturbating at the office. (Think about that the next time Bob from accounting goes missing for 20 minutes—and think twice before you go looking for him.) Other unusual places include planes, trains and buses (we’re hoping—praying—it’s in the bathroom). And 22 percent of respondents reported masturbating while on a business trip.
Most people will agree the winter is long and hard, cold and lonely. So it’s no surprise that those months are when participants masturbate the most (82 percent). Likewise, there’s a time of day participants identified as being their golden hour. Fifty-eight percent prefer to masturbate in the evening, while 51 percent like to kick back and relax at night. Hey, who doesn’t like a little afternoon delight?
While 68 percent of respondents report using their hand most often while masturbating, some prefer the tools of the trade. Case in point, 26 percent of participants use a vibrator and six percent use some type of sex toy.
As you may have guessed, using a vibrator or sex toy is very common for women. Fifty percent have either used a vibrator or were open to doing so; 50 percent use a vibrator weekly on their own (versus 27 percent with their partner), and 50 percent admit it’s easier to climax while masturbating than having sex with a partner.
Fifty-nine percent of participants confessed the frequency of their masturbation habit doesn’t change whether or not they’re in a relationship. And they’re not shy about it either. Sixty-one percent of respondents said their significant other knows they masturbate and 39 percent even masturbate in front of their significant other.
