“NoFap got me out of my depression and it cured my anxiety too.”

“9 months in I felt like Superman!”

“60 days in I got a job promotion and a new girlfriend.”

My clients keep asking themselves “Why am I not experiencing these amazing benefits?”

Simple answer – because they keep hearing how NoFap completely transforms everyone’s life.

The truth is, there are plenty of benefits, but getting into NoFap alone doesn’t get you that new promotion or cure your depression. Let’s stop sugar-coating stuff with bullshit. Here are three proven benefits to NoFap.

1. Dopamine System Regulation

Dopamine is the ‘motivation’ neurotransmitter in your brain. It will literally make you get things done.  Around 50% of our dopamine receptors are activated when we’re hungry for food. But guess what? 100% is activated when we want sex.

Our brain releases dopamine when it really wants us to take action and get something for ourselves – it gives us that extra push. But the trick is that the easier it is to get something, the less dopamine is required. The same thing happens with porn and sex. As you watch porn more and more, you train your brain into thinking that getting “sex” is easy. That’s why it releases less and less dopamine every single time you watch porn – in the end leaving you feeling empty and ashamed.

Eventually, you need more novelty each time to get off and you need less dopamine. So whenever you get the desire to approach a girl or initiate sex, you’ll have very little dopamine and basically no incentive to actually do it. You trained your brain to know it’s easier to get it online. That blows. Literally.

2. More Time 

Let’s be conservative and say you only have a session 3 times per week. The average time spent on PornHub would be a little over 10 minutes. With the prep, video searching, clean up and everything else involved it’s around 30 minutes per session.

It rounds up at 78 hours per year. 3.25 days of non-stop jerking off every single year.

Imagine translating that time into working out, meditating, journaling, reading, or finding a new hobby. Instead of wasting time blowing your dopamine away into thin air, you could take that time to self-develop.

Now, this is exactly why so many feel that their life has been transformed by NoFap. When you stop PMO, you have taken a step towards improving yourself and it usually has a domino effect.

Some men quit other bad habits and addictions, some develop monk-like self-discipline, some pick up new hobbies, and some focus more on their careers. That kind of change can make one feel like they fully transformed their life, but at the end of the day it wasn’t only the magic of NoFap – it was their own hard work, discipline, and dedication.

3. Mental Health

One study took over 450 people and asked them some questions about their porn-watching frequency and mental health.

Nearly 30 percent report that they view pornography at least 3-5 times a week and over 25 percent indicate that they view pornography daily. The results were quite shocking when they looked at their depression score compared to the general population. Individuals who watch pornography at least 3 times a week and above averaged 18 on the depression scale. General population averages about 6.5 on the same scale. That is 3x more depressed on average!

Now the question is: Are you depressed because you watch more porn or does watching porn make you more depressed?

I think they’re cyclical and they affect each other. Essentially, this study showed that the more you view porn, the more isolated you feel and the more depressed you get.

Another study showed that porn directly relates to your self-esteem, especially in bed. When someone is constantly watching porn, not only does it result in lower satisfaction with the appearance of their genitalia, but it creates unrealistic standards when it comes to sex. It often causes unrealistic expectations from oneself and their sexual partner, creating an overall sense of frustration and disappointment.

From my own experience and after years of working with clients to help them overcome their porn viewing habits, I’ve come to a conclusion that there’s always a deeper reason why we turn to porn as a source of instant gratification and short-term pleasure. It’s important to try and recognize the emotional state you’re in before you watch pornography. Only then you’ll be able to detach yourself and your identity from this habit.

If you think that you watch porn just because you’re “bored” – think again. Boredom is often a reflection of things you’re trying to avoid in life. When you’re bored you’re lacking meaning, and when we lack meaning in life – we go towards pleasure. For some, the root cause is stress, frustration, and feelings of disappointment. For others, the root is way deeper and harder for the individual to recognize. In that case, I always recommend therapy.

If these problems are affecting you in your day-to-day life then you know you need freedom from this habit. Seeing a therapist, cold showers, meditation, and support groups are helpful, but they do not address the root cause of the issue.

If you want to get rid of your urges for good and reach your full potential then check out the 3 step HCT method that has gotten over 1,000 men to quit porn in 14 days or less here.