psychology, abstinence, hormones, moodIt’s a commonly discussed belief that abstaining from sex, especially for prolonged periods of time, can affect the mood and personality of the person in question. For example, people often talk about getting jittery or irritable if they haven’t had sex in a long time, and many athletes believe that abstaining from sex before a game or a match will boost their competitiveness and performance. Some even suggest that prolonged abstinence in men can increase masculine characteristics, such as deepening the voice, promoting muscle growth, and promoting a more dogmatic, forceful personality.
However, while these claims often offer some scientific explanation for the phenomena (usually having to do with fluctuating testosterone levels), they seem to be based more on personal accounts and “common wisdom”, rather than scientific studies or any kind of provable cause-and-effect.
Is there any verified evidence that abstinence from sex can affect a person’s mood or personality, in a consistent way? Specifically, I’m wondering about changes in a hormonal or biological sense (as opposed to the social factors like loneliness or frustration that can also be associated with abstinence).
And if such changes do exist, are they cumulative over time, or do they plateau? In other words, will ten years of abstinence have a greater impact than one year, or six months vs two?
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