What is No Nut November (NNN)? If you’re chronically online you’ve probably heard of it. It’s an internet challenge that’s exactly what it sounds like: NNN participants commit to spending the full month of November orgasm-free. The rules vary a bit, but generally speaking that means no porn or masturbation even without climax (sorry gooners). It was popularized through memes, but some people really do it and they claim it has serious health benefits, and even spiritual meaning. Let’s unpack the trend, separate fact from fiction, and investigate the dark side of the challenge.
A Meme Half a Decade in the Making
It’s easy to assume that NNN started out earnest before it got clowned on, but it’s actually the other way around. The first use of the term was a 2011 post on Urban Dictionary. Like so many Urban Dictionary entries, it’s an obvious joke—a play on No Shave November (a campaign encouraging cancer research and awareness). It sat in obscurity for the next half-decade, but for some strange reason 2017 brought a revival. On November 1st 2017 NNN unexpectedly sprang into the spotlight when user @I_H8THOTS tweeted: “Not even a day into No Nut November and I’ve already beat my meat like it owes me money.” The rest was history.
First, the joke made the rounds on r/BlackPeopleTwitter. Not a day later, there was already a meme video posted to YouTube. Quickly, the internet was saturated with “No Nut November” content. Memes and discussions flooded Reddit, Twitter, 4chan, YouTube, and more. Why did it suddenly take off six years after its inception? No one knows for sure, but the answer probably has more to do with political extremism than you’d expect.
When the Joke Became a Movement
People started challenging themselves almost as soon as the meme began. In fact, to say that NNN transformed from a meme into a real practice is strictly speaking true, but a bit misleading. There was no gradual evolution. NNN was one or two jokes on a website for half a decade. Without people taking the challenge seriously, the term probably would have vanished into obscurity shortly after the random Tweet—it only became a true meme with staying power because of what came two days later: 4chan and Reddit.
On 4chan’s /pol/ board (short for Politically Incorrect), an anonymous user posted “I challenge pol to No Nut November, can you abstain from beating your meat for one month?” In classic 4chan form, the post rides a fine line between shitpost and earnest. As Tom McKay put it for Mic “there’s no clear delineation between sincerity, irony and cynicism” in this part of the internet.
The initial NNN post feels absurd with its promises of “Chad confidence,” mental clarity, and the possibility of becoming a pheromone phenomenon “attracting women from all four corners of the city.” Still, it concludes with a link to a straight-faced YouTube video “educating” on the importance of never masturbating. The same day as the 4chan post, r/NoFapNovember was founded as a space for those who find it hard to go even a few days without masturbating. “Some do it just for the memes, while others do it for actual self-improvement. All are welcome!” it states.
The Case for Self-Denial
For many sincere participants, No Nut November is a way to challenge one’s willpower, build confidence, and foster self esteem. NNN proponents report it helps redirect focus toward self development or even meditation. It’s a (mostly) secular internet-culture take on the common practice of ritualizing intentional self-denial. As immortalized in the infamous 1992 Seinfeld episode, called “The Contest,” being the “master of one’s domain” can be satisfying.
Many people find fulfillment in somewhat similar events: think Dry January, Lent, fasting holidays like Ramadan, or even some New Year’s resolutions. As Father Mike Schmitz puts it, “There’s something about a challenge that engages us. There’s something in us, I think, as human beings, that desires to be challenged.” By setting a goal that matters to us and sticking to it regardless of in-the-moment inclination, we can learn the strength of our willpower. It’s one reason religious fasting is valued, but it applies to NNN, too.
Separating Fact From Fapology
Unfortunately, some common motivations for participating in NNN just don’t have evidence behind them. Proponents promise increased fertility, semen volume, and testosterone levels, but these claims aren’t substantiated. In fact, NNN seems likely to have little-to-no impact on sexual wellbeing, positive or negative. Although some belief systems and Tantric practices suggest that abstinence and “semen retention” improve health, it’s not particularly scientific.
Most of the health claims around NNN are connected with the idea that masturbation and (especially porn viewership) are inherently dangerous and addictive. Although groups like Stop The New Drug and NoFap spread fearmongering misinformation on the subject, decades of research are making it clear that there’s not much to worry about in this department.
Masturbation is widely understood to be healthy, with numerous benefits such as improved sleep, reduced stress, increased self-esteem, and pleasure. It can even help with premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction issues. Of course, everything is best in moderation and each individual can decide what’s best for them. It’s not unhealthy to practice masturbatory abstinence, and even if it were less healthy, no one is under any obligation to make only health-optimizing life choices. What’s most important is that you do what feels best for you. “The choice should be based on personal goals, never peer pressure,” says sexual educator Keryee Morton.
The Uncomfortable Company NNN Keeps
It certainly isn’t “a neo-Nazi thing”— plenty of people enjoy the challenge for reasons entirely removed from antisemitism, racism, misogyny and the Alt-Right. Still, it’s more tied to white supremacy than you’d imagine, especially if you don’t know much about 4chan and the manosphere. NNN certainly isn’t to blame for any violence, but the same anti-porn myths pushed by many NNN practitioners motivate harassment of porn creators and enjoyers and, in more extreme examples, violent attacks like that on Pornhub’s parent company.
Like so much internet culture and contemporary politics, NNN owes its popularity in no small part to 4chan’s /pol/ board where Right-Wing extremism and hate speech abound under let’s say, questionable moderation. It’s a community frequented by incels and white supremacists that has direct links to shootings, violence, and domestic terrorism. In the comments of the original NNN 4chan post, the connection between these ideologies and NNN becomes clear. Some are more subtle dogwhistles: “Porn is degenerative.” Others, not so much: “Porn is made by k*kes, stop watching it.”
This sinister connection is by no means unique to NNN and definitely doesn’t mean you’re a white supremacist if you want to participate. 4chan drives internet culture massively and is the origin place for memes as innocuous and widespread as lolcats and Rickrolling. While 4chan is arguably the source of significant harm on and offline, ritually cleansing oneself of any ties to 4chan culture isn’t the best use of anyone’s energy. At the end of the day, the harm is from the proliferation of harmful ideology and misinformation. NNN can be “a neo-nazi thing” when it’s done to halt the spread of supposed Jewish propaganda or protect oneself from “degeneration.” It’s also misogynistic when it’s done to avoid the sinister control of “vagina: women.” Otherwise, it’s just a random meme and internet challenge.
So, Should You Nut or Not?
A joke turned meme and internet challenge, No Nut November has a bad reputation due to its ties to Alt-Right extremist ideology, but it’s mostly just an innocuous meme online. Many of the claims about its physical and psychological benefits aren’t grounded in scientific evidence but it can be a fun or meaningful challenge for people who participate for the right reasons. It’s not dangerous to abstain from orgasm for a month and it might help you build confidence in your ability to set and keep goals, which can be more valuable than getting off.
