Quote:
Originally Posted by Seneca1854
Being celibate can be unpleasant. There's a stigma around it. It makes sense that celibate feel sometimes feel lonely.
However, it appears that celibacy or being a virgin is unlikely to be harmful to the body. One indicator is that, on average, nuns outlive the general population. Also, extensive studies of hundreds of priests show priests are happier than the general population. You could argue that some nuns and priests break their vows, which is true. Still, if celibacy were really toxic, I would expect different results.
I saw one study from 2008 that showed delaying having sex for the first time could be bad for people. The funny thing is that many news outlets created stories around the study that said staying a virgin could affect how much you enjoy sex. It's a good idea to read the study yourself. The study says, "Early initiation of sexual intercourse was associated with various sexual risk factors, including increased numbers of sexual partners and recent sexual intercourse under the influence of alcohol, whereas late initiation was associated with fewer risk factors. However, both early and late initiation were associated with sexual problems such as problems with arousal and orgasm, primarily among men."
So having sex very early is associated with several risk factors including a greater number of partners for both sexes and arousal problems for men. Having sex late is only associated with the risk factor of arousal problems for men. It appears that delaying sex in women carries less risks.
Finally, "association" just means, scientists saw the 2 things together. So the scientists found that the same guys who were late virgins also had more arousal problems. But we don't know which event happened first. Did the guys discover that they didn't get aroused and then choose to delay having sex? Or did they delay having sex and discover they didn't get aroused?
Based on the evidence I see, I don't think being a late virgin is unhealthy.
The Study: Long-Term Health Correlates of Timing of Sexual Debut: Results From a National US Study
Nuns Less Vulnerable to Infections: University of Sheffield scientists find nuns have stronger immune systems | Daily Mail Online
Happy Priest Studies: Amazon.com: Why Priests Are Happy: A Study of the Psychological and Spiritual Health of Priests (Ave Maria Press) (9781594712746): Stephen J. Rossetti: Books |
Of course, physically speaking it is not unhealthy. To think so would be ridiculous actually. However, I think it can start to affect someone in my situation emotionally and psychologically which it certainly has done. I still go through phases where it bothers me more than other times and these are moments when I cannot sleep or function to some degree because the dread and that sense of panic overwhelms me. There aren't many things worse in this life than being an incel at my age. It is one of the worst human experiences anyone can go through and not something I wish on anyone.
I have had some great experiences in life like travelling the world etc. but I do believe that it would have been better not to be born because not finding love, experiencing sex and intimacy with another human is a tragic waste of a life.