A new study has shown that women may masturbate as a coping mechanism and a way to relieve stress, rather than a desire for sex.
Researchers in Switzerland surveyed 370 women, aged 18 to 56, about how often they masturbated and the reasons behind it.
The entire group was found to masturbate only 9 times a month.
But women who suffer from psychological distress, or anxiety and stress regularly, practiced masturbation more often than others.
Overall, 12% of women (or 44 participants) said they masturbated as a coping mechanism to relieve stress.
The survey revealed that the main reason women practice masturbation is to promote calm and relaxation, according to the answers of 64% of the participants.
55% of women said they masturbated because it brought about feelings of pleasure. A few women said it helped them sleep or relieved any physical pain.
“According to the women in our study, masturbation is a strategy to stimulate positive emotions and promote relaxation when exposed to stress,” the paper, published online, said. “These findings are consistent with previous research that has highlighted the role of masturbation as a strategy to cope with stress and as a means of relaxation.”
Previous research has suggested that masturbation can help relieve stress because it stimulates the release of dopamine, a hormone associated with happiness, in the brain.
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