It’s getting funky over in the Semen Retention subreddit. Not funky like James Brown funky. Funky as in musty teenager’s bedroom funky.
Today one Reddit semen-retainer reported that he had begun to emit a not-always pleasant odor. “I smell like semen,” wrote Nomorewitches. “[A]ll of the sudden get whiffs of the smell of semen especially when i sweat. could this be my pheromones?”
The mods of the subreddit quickly took down the post (which is still available via the Internet Archive), but not before a number of other faponauts had reported the same thing happening to them.
“Yeah around when I reach ten days or so [of not masturbating] I notice I have a weird scent,” wrote Fuckface400.
Nomorewitches declared that the whole thing was “weird lmao, and the female attraction crazy.”
“haha yeah,” agreed someone called eijeroand.
if yo good looking too, look around the class room, they stare, when youre not looking at them, you can see the thirst in their eyes so easily. Haha
You can see the thirst in their eyes.
Haha indeed.
One Semen Retainer suggested that it wasn’t any funky scent that was winning over the ladies, but rather something more spiritual. “I think this phenomenon occurs at a the source consciousness level we are all connected to,” wrote TruthSeeker_199.
[B]ecause [it] isn’t only women and goals attraction face to face. I’ve experienced girls that used to ignore me now are trying to go at me, texting, calling. Opportunities coming out of no where. It got a be some metaphisic component here.
Or maybe they’re trying to serve you with an order of protection?
One renegade commenter, challenging all these interpretations, suggested a simple cause for the semen scent phenomenon: unchecked wet dreams. Wrote should_: “It’s because you’re unloading over every inch of yourself when you sleep.”
As much as I hate to agree with anyone posting in the Semen Retention subreddit, I have to say he may have a point there.
Follow me on Mastodon.
Send tips to dfutrelle at gmail dot com.
We Hunted the Mammoth relies on support from you, its readers, to survive. So please donate here if you can, or at David-Futrelle-1 on Venmo.
I’m now seeing the comment box at the end of the page again, the way it used to be. Whee!
@Surplus – I’m having to enter my name and e-mail again, too. It’s likely related to the server move David mentioned earlier.
We’re trying to figure out if one or more of the plugins are causing problems, so things may be a little off for a little bit.
Also, I deleted the technical difficulties post.
A real “technical difficulties” post would delete itself.
Well, if I refuse to eat potatoes, perhaps potatoes will be magically attracted to me and I will find bags of French Fries at my door.
@David:
You shouldn’t have done that! I’ve probably missed comments that were made to that post! That would also have deleted at least one comment I made that did not violate the comment policy!
@ David F
By ‘we’ you mean the cats don’t you?
But I very much appreciate all your hard work in getting the site maintained. And I very much empathise. I only have a simple website; but even that was a complete mare to get up and running.
Ooh, the comment box is not only at the end, but the whole site is in type I no longer have to squint to read!
Good job, David! (and cats)
Although this is the newest post I see, as well.
@Alan: regarding your
propagandastudy, I have a friend who had very many and varied trysts, and she always had to stop eating land animals some time in advance of her Japanese lover visiting. He was, of course, fine with fish, but he just couldn’t deal with beef.This is just delicious:
https://www.rawstory.com/martin-shkreli/
The ban, at least, is likely to be overturned on appeal, but talk about just desserts.
About the technical side, I’m noticing different formatting in the comment box too, but I’m not having any significant difficulties.
@Surplus, I hope you didn’t take what I said on that page the wrong way? I was worried about that.
You see, I’m no stranger to anxiety-induced paranoia, but mine usually comes in the form of thinking other people are mad at me…and then the times I DO accidentally say something that bothers someone, I won’t realize it unless they flat-out say it.
But who cares about that! I mean on your side, I hope I didn’t bother you, since that wouldn’t be fair.
About the topic: I don’t think that any, uh, sex-related secretions smell bad exactly; it would just seem weird if someone had that as their body odor. Like if I went to sniff a flower and it smelled like lentil soup or something.
Didn’t feel like trying to comment when I was seeing the glitches, so I’m doing this now.
@ Acid Kritana
[quote]Y’all make my brain hurt. Like I have said, it’s possible that pheromones are actually signaling that the dude is full of the stuff —[/quote]
All you had was one example of one guy who didn’t masturbate and then one person (you) thought he smelled better. You didn’t specify that he was smelling of semen, just that you assumed it had something to do with his abstinence and pheromones. My information may be dated, but last I heard there was no conclusive proof of human pheromones, so I’m not sure your story proves anything.
Body odour can change for many different reasons. For example I’ve noticed that when I’m coming down with a cold, my sweat starts smelling worse than usual. At least in the extreme cases where people stay up late watching porn, just quitting that habit (with or without quitting masturbation) might just mean that they’re getting more sleep, and that might lower stress levels and so change their body odour or something.
But regarding the post in general, maybe someone heard of people sweating blood and then just assumed that if there’s no other release for it, semen comes out of your sweat glands?
@Masse_Mysteriasays
I still stand by that’s it’s just a fetish thing. Like people who steal or buy women’s used underwear because they like to smell them. This particular dude just has like a fetish for that and is assuming that all women have the same thing for semen. He also just doesn’t know how the body works at all.
@Elaine
That’s fair, I guess.
It was just that Acid Kritana was relating exactly one anecdote and mentioned pheromones while he was at it, and then was astonished that wasn’t taken as conclusive proof of… something, so I was curious about that.
But now thinking about this has made me wonder that if nofappers feel like they’re getting actual positive effects from nofapping, do they ever wonder if they made some other life adjustment at the same time and that actually had more to do with the outcome.
@Masse_Mysteria
He has a history of thinking his experiences are the only true and most important experiences in the entire world. I’ve lost my patience with it. I would ignore it. dude would try to tell someone that lost a leg that his paper cut was worse.
Honestly, it’s not that masturbating is the problem. These guys basically all watch free porn from the internet which is a never ending sources. They do get addicted to it. It’s not good for anyone. Then you get desensitizes and need more and more extreme things to get you off. I think for these guys to be nofappers they have to stop watching porn and they find out when they do that, positive things start happening in their lives. But like it’s the same kind of addiction as say video games whereas cutting back from that and going outside can be good for you. Everything in moderation and all that.
@ Elaine
I admit I haven’t seen that much of Acid Kritana because I read the comments kind of sporadically. It just seemed to me like he might not have realised that what he wrote didn’t actually contain all the information he thought it did, since there wasn’t much of anything there, and so not a lot to reply to either.
Re: moderation, seems like solid advice.
@Masse_Mysteriasays:
[quote]Didn’t feel like trying to comment when I was seeing the glitches, so I’m doing this now.
@ Acid Kritana
[quote]Y’all make my brain hurt. Like I have said, it’s possible that pheromones are actually signaling that the dude is full of the stuff —[/quote]
All you had was one example of one guy who didn’t masturbate and then one person (you) thought he smelled better. You didn’t specify that he was smelling of semen, just that you assumed it had something to do with his abstinence and pheromones. My information may be dated, but last I heard there was no conclusive proof of human pheromones, so I’m not sure your story proves anything.[quote]
Actually, there IS proof of human pheromones (we’re not aliens or bacteria or whatever, we’re literally an animal species):
https://astrobiosociety.org/studies-show-that-human-pheromones-work/
http://chronicle.uchicago.edu/980319/mcclintock.shtml
And guess what? Gay men react to locker-room smell while straight men react to a compound in lady pee:
https://mensvariety.com/gay-men-scent-body-odor/
https://www.amazon.com/This-Book-Gay-Juno-Dawson/dp/1492617830
Considering that humans are a species of animal, mammal specifically, this would make sense.
@Elaine The Witchsays:
[quote]@Masse_Mysteriasays
I still stand by that’s it’s just a fetish thing[quote]
Sorry to burst your bubble, but that’s not my fetish, as I actually do not enjoy when a guy holds back. The safest kink that I do have, however, is socks. That is my kink, not abstinence.
[quote]Like people who steal or buy women’s used underwear because they like to smell them.[quote]
Ew
[quote]This particular dude just has like a fetish for that[quote]
Like I said, socks, not abstinence. Please do not assume.
[quote]and is assuming that all women have the same thing for semen.[quote]
For semen? Yes. For abstinence? No. Now can we stop talking about kinks? This is getting weird.
[quote]He also just doesn’t know how the body works at all.[quote]
I could tell you many, many things, including: how the p*nis works (not so much the v*gina – I never studied that one much), how the digestive system works, how the respiratory system works, over a dozen functions of the foreskin, how vaccines and antibodies interact, how blood spatters, how a beheading works (I regret watching that video, and I’m glad I didn’t watch his son get gutted…it was horrifying to watch), and more. Do not assume.
[quote]Body odour can change for many different reasons. For example I’ve noticed that when I’m coming down with a cold, my sweat starts smelling worse than usual. At least in the extreme cases where people stay up late watching porn, just quitting that habit (with or without quitting masturbation) might just mean that they’re getting more sleep, and that might lower stress levels and so change their body odour or something.[quote]
Obviously.
[quote]But regarding the post in general, maybe someone heard of people sweating blood and then just assumed that if there’s no other release for it, semen comes out of your sweat glands?[quote]
Ew
@Masse_Mysteriasays:
[quote]@Elaine
That’s fair, I guess.[quote]
Saying I have a fetish for abstinence, when I don’t, isn’t exactly “fair” or true.
[quote]It was just that Acid Kritana was relating exactly one anecdote and mentioned pheromones while he was at it, and then was astonished that wasn’t taken as conclusive proof of… something, so I was curious about that.[quote]
Because I use what I know.
What’s so wrong with that?
[quote]But now thinking about this has made me wonder that if nofappers feel like they’re getting actual positive effects from nofapping, do they ever wonder if they made some other life adjustment at the same time and that actually had more to do with the outcome.[quote]
If it’s doing positive stuff for their mental health, is that a bad thing? I think not.
@Elaine The Witchsays:
[quote]@Masse_Mysteria
He has a history of thinking his experiences are the only true and most important experiences in the entire world.[quote]
Since when? Since WHEN? Bring proof. I can bring proof contradicting you.
[quote]I’ve lost my patience with it. I would ignore it. dude would try to tell someone that lost a leg that his paper cut was worse.[quote]
*Sigh*
Sure, go ahead and believe that.
Doesn’t make it true.
[quote]Honestly, it’s not that masturbating is the problem. These guys basically all watch free porn from the internet which is a never ending sources. They do get addicted to it. It’s not good for anyone. Then you get desensitizes and need more and more extreme things to get you off. I think for these guys to be nofappers they have to stop watching porn and they find out when they do that, positive things start happening in their lives.[quote]
Yes, p*rn addictions can be unhealthy. I would know. Personal experience.
Cause I had one. Still have one. It sucks, but I’m trying to get off of it and just do p*rn in moderation. I’ve actually gotten withdrawals when I completely quit it and could not function completely.
My sister was the one who started it, though. She got me wrapped in, but I don’t know if she has this addiction too, and I’m pretty sure she doesn’t watch it so much anymore.
[quote]But like it’s the same kind of addiction as say video games whereas cutting back from that and going outside can be good for you. Everything in moderation and all that.[quote]
You can never have too many video games.
@Masse_Mysteriasays:
[quote]@ Elaine
I admit I haven’t seen that much of Acid Kritana because I read the comments kind of sporadically. It just seemed to me like he might not have realised that what he wrote didn’t actually contain all the information he thought it did, since there wasn’t much of anything there, and so not a lot to reply to either.[quote]
I put my experience there; I did not claim that the moon was fake. I don’t need to put citations for my own experience, but if you insist, next time I shall.
[quote]Re: moderation, seems like solid advice.[quote]
Moderation for most things. Not video games. You can never have too many video games.
Though, to be honest, my p*rn addiction often leaves me feeling sad…
@Masse_Mysteriasays
Yeah. A guy my husband was in the Marines with came home and then just played video games all the time. He didn’t follow the moderation rule and his wife finally left him because he wasn’t helping with the kids or cleaning or anything. And then fully just ignored his 3 year old while they cried because he didn’t want to stop playing the game. It destroyed his relationship and he chose it over his family. That’s what i mean by addiction. It just doesnt have to be drugs
Acid
Stop being a creep who always wants to tell me about your sexual fantasy. It’s gross and makes me uncomfortable. I don’t need to hear about your sad little wanks, or your sexual fantasy, or how much you rather have a penis. I’ve been ignoring you but apparently you can’t seem to get it. So stop. It’s disgusting and your still a minor. Stop talking about your boners to me. This is the last time I’m telling you.
@ Acid Kritana
Regarding pheromones I admitted my info might be dated. It could also just be that I misremembered the definition of the word, since I wouldn’t claim odours play no part in attraction. Now that I’ve looked at your links and other stuff it seems that there likely are human pheromones, but that there is no conclusive proof of how they affect human behaviour. Your McClintock link says as much: “McClintock cautions that humans are probably not as strongly influenced by pheromones as other animals, particularly in the area of mating. Many other factors influence the choices people make in romance, she said.” (Your first link is an article that promotes some type of commercial pheromone products, so I’m not sure if that’s a good source of information.)
What I was trying to get across with my previous comment was that nothing you’d written had any proof that the change in smell you observed had anything to do with not masturbating, or that the smell change had anything to do with the smell of semen (as per the original post). That’s why I pointed out all the possible reasons for changes in body odour, and it was probably stupid to pull in some half-remembered stuff about pheromones.
Also, since you admit that you write from your own experience, I still don’t understand why you wrote “Y’all make my brain hurt”. It seemed like you thought other commenters were wrong. The post was about nofappers thinking they smell like semen and women are into that, so to me it seemed like many commenters were saying that they do not like the smell of semen, while you said some guy who stopped masturbating smelled better to you personally, while saying nothing at all about his smelling like semen. That’s why I thought you meant to make a general point based on a single event you’d described. Since you deemed what I wrote about changes in body odour obvious, I really don’t understand why you wrote like masturbation would have been the only explanation for the change you observed.
As for saying “fair” to Elaine, I meant that she had a right to have formed a conclusion on what she’d seen of you (I haven’t read enough of your comments to judge her conclusion), but more importantly I thought she meant the post itself having to do with fetishes.
“If it’s doing positive stuff for their mental health, is that a bad thing? I think not.”
Nor do I. I didn’t say it was a bad thing. I meant that people experiencing those positive effects are wrong to think it’s semen retention giving them super powers. Because semen retention does not give anyone super powers.
@Masse_Mysteriasays
Yes, I was talking about fetishes and my comment had nothing to do with Acid. It was about the post itself being about fetishes.
@David:
“A little bit”? It’s been 10 days now and things still aren’t back to normal around here. Update us, please.