Masturbation remains taboo – but research shows how it can be good for you

By Chantal Gautier, Senior Lecturer in Psychology and Sex and Relationship Therapist, University of Westminster

Despite being a natural act, many people still feel awkward and embarrassed about masturbation. So, why does this topic make so many of us feel uncomfortable? The past can offer clues.

Throughout history, views on self-pleasure vary. Egyptians saw masturbation as sacred. Greeks viewed it as natural but not something to celebrate. And Romans considered it inferior to sex with a partner.

In medieval Europe, masturbation was labelled sinful and harmful.…

Read complete article

~	Evolving intelligent life took billions of years − but it may not have been as unlikely as many scientists predicted

~	Belarus: Violations remain ‘widespread and systematic’, says independent expert group

~	UN rights office condemns continuing Israeli military operation in West Bank

~	Most of the world has long feared US power. Now its allies do too.

~	Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy – our favourite frazzled English woman is back but life’s more complicated

~	Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says antidepressants are harder to quit than heroin – is he right?

~	White Lotus does Thailand dirty

~	Apple Cider Vinegar: how social media gave rise to fraudulent wellness influencers like Belle Gibson

~	What does the Bible say about who belongs in the ‘promised land’? A biblical scholar explains

~	‘Myrrh, conifer oil and … breakfast tea’: my sniffer team’s surprise findings on what mummified bodies smell like