DIY: The Wonderfully Weird History and Science of Masturbation

by Eric Sprankle

Despite decades of medical and psychological research confirming that solo sex is healthy, the act remains shrouded in taboo, myths, and pseudoscience. In DIY, Dr. Eric Sprankle, professor of clinical psychology and sexuality studies at Minnesota State University, draws on a broad range of studies and historical documents to reveal the untold story of crusaders on a long campaign to suppress masturbation, the sex educators fighting back with science, and the everyday people stuck in the middle of these conflicting messages about what constitutes healthy self-pleasure. He introduces readers to a colorful cast of characters: doctors running residential treatment programs for masturbation addiction, men who believe ejaculation depletes testosterone and muscle mass, and vibrator aficionados who teach the curious how to come. DIY is the story of humanity’s fascination with autoeroticism; readers will never think about their alone time in the same way again.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sexuality, History, Audiobook, Psychology, Science, Book Club

240 pages, Paperback

Published March 19, 2024

Reviews

[T. James Capellaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not only exceptional, but so too is it useful/essential, and so enjoyable to read. Dr. Sprankle brings you exactly what is promised on the cover: The Wonderfully Weird History and Science of Masturbation.” Not only do I think this should be required reading in primary schooling and adapted for earlier curricular focuses, but I also would strongly advocate for it to be required reading in psychotherapy/social work programs (like my own MSW programming), etc. and other helping profession academic programming. There is just SO much in this that is useful to all humans. Thank you Dr. Sprankle! What a piece of work to celebrate!

[Anna Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr Sprankle is a national treasure.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! The humor is spot on. I loved the funny and lighthearted nature of the book since masturbation is usually hidden in the shadows and associated with shame. I feel like anyone could get something out of this book.

[Ian Moses · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must-read for aspiring sex therapists and therapists in general. It has been a whirlwind journey for me, especially as an Evangelical Christian,breaking down masturbation and self pleasure in a way that is accessible and rigorously involved in science, a tour de force for the sexual revolutionists, this is a shame free book which celebrates the authenticity of being conjoined with your own body and it's various complexities hurrah for people who want a shame free life away from puritan beliefs and repressive sexual conformity.

[Erin Louis · Rating 5 out of 5]

While acknowledging my bias as a former professional spank bank contributor and chronic self abuser, I highly recommend this book!

[Tyrone Precious · Rating 5 out of 5]

#PreciousReads Book Review

DIY: The Wonderfully Weird History and Science of Masturbation by Dr. Eric Sprankle

This is a comprehensive guide to anything and everything having to do with masturbation. While the premise of the book may make you chuckle, this book was quite informative.

Sprankle explores the peculiar history of how masturbation was viewed dating back to the 1800s and how that view has tainted society’s overall view.

He also debunks myths like NoFap, porn addiction, and semen retention using data backed studies (or lack thereof).

I think this is a great book to read for anyone who has felt they have had shame, guilt, or generally complicated relationships with self pleasure, porn, kinks, religious sexual messaging, etc..

My personal favorite tidbit from this book. Cornflakes cereal was actually invented with the hopes of preventing young boys from masturbating. Dr. Kellogg thought that spicy, seasoned food increased sexual desire, hence masturbation, and so he went and created the blandest cereal ever.

This book is best read slowly and in short sittings so you can properly absorb all the facts and narratives.

4.8/5 stars. 5 stars on GoodReads.

[Mark Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite the somewhat salacious subject matter, this book is academic a very approachable look at the history of anti-masturbation in the U. S. and how it’s actually a perfectly natural part of life. As a survivor of Evangelical Purity Culture this book was very healing.

[lux · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️ most surprising part of this book was learning that the g spot was named after a man....... 😔 BUT first nonfic book of the year 🫡 LFG 😮‍💨 this book was not only deeply informative and interesting, but taught me so much about the history of shame and misinformation surrounding this topic. i really appreciated this authors dissection of religion and common misconceptions that further validated the facts and science he was presenting. It also somehow was superbly funny, i was laughing out loud during so much of this book.

[Amy Kilgore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learn a few things to share with your friends and family to break (or create) awkward silence.
Something for everyone. Pearl clutchers, fundies, and heathens should give this a read . . .
Dr. Sprankle does a great job balancing history, biology, and modern humor and slang.
Hail yourself. Often.

[༶ Laura ༶ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
Amazing. So informativ, spannend und humorvoll.

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a solid book!

Love the humor (although it was a little much at times)
Love the using of scholarly sources to back up our claims!
Love the self awareness
Love the conclusion

[Eden Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not one to read non-fiction often... but this was great. Very informative with great spouts of humor I could hardly put this down. Mostly focusing on taking shame out of masturbation and how different groups place shame on it.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is incredibly well researched and debunks many myths. Dr. Sprankle raises questions about how the stigmatized of masturbation negatively affects our health, safety, security, and even equity.

Highly recommend.

[Lilly Benny · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars
I liked this book—but let’s not get carried away. DIY: The Wonderfully Weird History and Science of Masturbation starts off strong: witty, weird, and full of surprising facts (fetus masturbation?? nature is truly wild). The tone? Delightfully sarcastic. The science? Genuinely interesting. I was sold.

And then…the male author energy slowly crept in like an unsolicited DM.

Look, I can roll with a bit of bias—it’s nonfiction, not gospel—but Sprankle starts glossing over things that really shouldn’t be glossed over. Like the very real dangers and exploitation in parts of the porn and sex work industries. He’ll briefly mention that cam workers can get doxed, but it’s treated like a minor footnote in the grand story of sexual liberation. And when he talks about feminist critiques of porn? He name-drops them, casually dismisses them, and then moves right along. Sir, some of us are still back here, waving red flags.

As a feminist, I was frustrated. Sprankle has a platform, and instead of using it to grapple with all the nuances—including the young women often pressured or coerced into sex work—he kind of vibes his way past the hard stuff. And unfortunately, the book suffers for it.

Also, let’s talk about that subtitle: The Wonderfully Weird History and Science of Masturbation. You’d think we’d get a deep-dive into different cultural and historical takes on masturbation, right? Nope. Unless you count “history” as a few hundred years of religious shame and Victorian pearl-clutching. I wanted to learn more about cultural diversity and ancient perspectives—not just the Catholic guilt timeline.

To be fair, there are some truly insightful and touching moments—discussions around grief, aging, and sexuality that I wish had gotten more space. But ultimately, this book feels like a missed opportunity. Entertaining? Definitely. Informative in parts? Sure. But inclusive and empathetic? Not quite.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Eric Sprankle has gifted us with his 1 lb. 2 oz. bundle of joy.
DIY is a matter-of-fact compendium that tackles myth and urban legend (both of yesteryear and current times) to provide solid, researched-backed information to the masses. With his witty tone (if you don't follow him on IG, follow @drsprankle), Dr. Sprankle provides the contextual landscape...and solid research...to inform readers of how society has gotten to where it is today.
What Brene Brown did to shame research, Eric Sprankle is doing for sex/sex education research.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Sprankle is a gifted writer and wordsmith - making the topic of masturbation even more entertaining and fun than it already is. This book is provocative and enjoyable to read.
I strongly agree with Larry Charles (director of Borat) comment on DIY: "though it is an epic, it only requires one hand to read it.”

[Dmitry · Rating 4 out of 5]

(The English review is placed beneath the Russian one)

Я бы не назвал эту книгу исторической. Скорее книга посвящена снятию табу или попытке объяснить читателю, что в мастурбации нет ничего постыдного и/или вредного. Данная позиция у многих читателей Европы может вызвать недоумение, но это звучит странно лишь для жителей секуляризованных стран, т.е. стран в которых институт церкви не влезает в частную жизнь граждан. В США религиозные институты и религиозные проповедники играют более существенную роль, нежели в Европе. В США было и есть движение против мастурбации, убеждающих людей во вредном воздействии этой практики. Конечно, для любого человек, который хотя бы окончил среднюю школу утверждение, что мастурбация вредит здоровью, звучит как бред сумасшедшего, но только не для религиозного человека. Я так сильно акцентирую на этом по причине того, что половина книги посвящена борьбе религиозных деятелей с практикой как мужской, так и женской мастурбации. Я не буду приводить все те глупейшие аргументы, но замечу простой и очевидный факт: с биологической точки зрения человеческому организму неважно при каких условиях происходит оргазм. Сточки зрения биологии, разницы нет никакой. Поэтому оргазм либо сам по себе "вреден" либо он является естественной стороной жизни человека, и поэтому нет никакого значения, каким образом он был достигнут. С моей точки зрения, это очевидно. Поэтому я в некотором удивлении слушал автора о том, что некоторые люди верят подобным утверждениям и что они вообще слушают таких религиозный деятелей. Лично я бы сразу после такого заявления церковника, сразу бы переключился на более вменяемого представителя церкви (если был бы верующим).

Что касается второй половины, то тут темы уже заметно короче и заметно больше (к примеру, автор рассматривает такие темы как мастурбация в пожилом возрасте, взаимосвязь между мастурбацией и агрессией в отношении женщин и пр.). Не могу сказать, что меня что-то потрясло или удивило, т.к. сказанное автором является обычным здравым смыслом. Впрочем лично мне книга видится в качестве отличного развлечения, забавного чтения того как видят некоторые люди этот мир. И да, я считаю подобные заявления представителей религии просто недопустимым и явным выходом за религиозные границы. Что-что, а это не тот вопрос, который интересует Бога, о каком бы Боге не шла бы речь. Это как если бы заявить, что Бога очень сильно волнует, что конкретный верующий ест на завтрак.

I wouldn't call this book historical. Rather, the book is about breaking taboos or trying to explain to the reader that there is nothing shameful and/or harmful about masturbation. This position may be puzzling to many readers in Europe, but it only sounds strange to people in secularized countries, i.e., countries where the institution of the church does not intrude into the private lives of citizens. In the United States, religious institutions and preachers play a more significant role than in Europe. There was and is an anti-masturbation movement in the United States, convincing people of the harmful effects of the practice. Of course, to anyone who has even finished high school, the claim that masturbation is harmful to health sounds like the ravings of a lunatic, but not to a religious person. The reason I emphasize this so strongly is that half of the book is devoted to the religious leaders struggle with the practice of both male and female masturbation. I will not give all those stupid arguments, but I will note a simple and obvious fact: from a biological point of view, it does not matter to the human organism under what conditions orgasm occurs. From the biological point of view, there is no difference. Therefore, orgasm is either “harmful” in itself, or it is a natural aspect of human life, therefore it does not matter how it was achieved. From my point of view, this is obvious. Therefore, I was somewhat surprised to hear the author say that some people believe such statements and that they even listen to such religious figures. Personally, after such a statement by a churchman, I would immediately switch to a more sane church representative (if I were a believer).

As for the second half, the topics are noticeably shorter and noticeably longer (for example, the author discusses such topics as masturbation in old age, the relationship between masturbation and aggression towards women, etc.). I can't say that I was shocked or surprised by anything because what the author said is just common sense. However, I see the book as great entertainment, a fun reading of how some people see the world. And yes, I find such statements by representatives of religion to be simply unacceptable and a clear overstepping of religious boundaries. This is not a matter that God is interested in, no matter what kind of God we are talking about. It's like saying that God cares a great deal about what a particular believer eats for breakfast.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5. A sex-positive premise weighed down by lazy analogies and overly simplistic takes on complicated issues like the sex work industry and compulsive porn consumption.

I agree with the message that we need less shame and more normalcy regarding masturbation, and sexuality in general. But this book is preaching to the choir. It serves as an accessible primer to understanding sexual behavior, but I didn’t learn much about the subject that I didn’t already know. The chapter on sexuality and aging, a seldom discussed topic, was actually pretty interesting.

Overall though, I felt like there were too many forced metaphors (masturbation compared to golf?) and a hand-wavey glossing over complex issues like compulsive porn use, reward-system dysregulation, or the exploitative structures of the porn industry itself.

The book pays lip service to the moral complexity of the sex work industry, but provides uneven research coverage on the pros and cons of sex work. The work of only one researcher is discussed when arguing against sex work being exploitative. While the author uses quantitative data everywhere else in the book, he curiously defaults to using anecdotal quotes from online sex workers about the positive aspects of their work.

ok, “sex work” covers a huge variety of practices. the freelancer who makes extra cash selling their underwear on reddit is probably having a very different experience from the 18 year old entering a loosely regulated industry. There should be less stigma around sex work, yes, but you also have to discuss unpleasant realities. For example, there’s a fair amount of research showing that online sex workers end up with significantly more psychological harm compared to other online workers like bloggers or influencers.

When discussing porn, you also can’t ignore that most of the stuff produced for the masses seems to be increasingly normalizing of violent and aggressive behavior. Like all kinds of media, porn reflects our views of gender and relationships. It follows that porn, like pop music and hollywood movies, often perpetuates misogyny. And how does this distort the developing views of the young people who learn about sex from the wild west of the internet before they encounter it in real life? Porn itself isn’t *bad*, but its consumption can definitely be harmful.

Overall the book is entertaining, funny, and promotes a positive message. It didn’t have as much nuance as I would have liked, but I guess that’s standard for pop-science media.

[Maher Razouk · Rating 5 out of 5]

خضع رجل يبلغ من العمر 22 عامًا من مدينة مومباي بالهند مؤخرًا لعملية جراحية ترميمية في عيادة المسالك البولية الواقعة في إحدى الضواحي الشمالية الشرقية للمدينة. قبل ثلاث سنوات، كان يشعر بحزن شديد بسبب مخاوفه من فقدان السائل المنوي في كل مرة يتبول فيها. وأعرب عن قلقه من أن فقدان السائل المنوي سيؤدي في النهاية إلى الضعف الجسدي، وعدم القدرة على الانتصاب، ومجموعة من الأمراض الخطيرة. ولم يجد أي راحة من القلق، وبعد زيارات عديدة للمعالجين والأطباء التقليديين، أخذ الأمر على عاتقه وقطع قضيبه.

كان ذلك الرجل الذي أصبح بلا قضيب الآن يعاني من متلازمة دات، وهي حالة تتميز بالخوف الشديد من فقدان السائل المنوي، ويصاحبها أعراض التعب والضعف والعجز الجنسي والاكتئاب. ونظرًا للاعتقاد الطبي الهندوسي بوجود سبعة سوائل جسدية أساسية - السائل المنوي أحدها - فإن القلق بشأن فقدان هذا السائل منتشر على نطاق واسع في الهند وباكستان. ومن بين الرجال الذين يبحثون عن رعاية نفسية في الهند بسبب شكاوى جنسية، يعاني 64% من المرضى من متلازمة دات، في حين يعاني 30% من الرجال الذين يبحثون عن رعاية طبية عامة في باكستان أيضًا من أعراض تتفق مع متلازمة دات.

في الدليل التشخيصي والإحصائي للاضطرابات العقلية (DSM-5)، تم إدراج متلازمة دات على أنها "متلازمة مرتبطة بالثقافة"، وهي عبارة عن مجموعة من الأعراض التي توجد كظاهرة فقط داخل ثقافات محددة.

مرض كورو هو مثال آخر على المتلازمة المرتبطة بالثقافة، والتي توجد في المقام الأول في جنوب شرق آسيا وتتميز بالاعتقاد الوهمي بأن قضيب الشخص يتقلص وسوف يختفي في النهاية.

مع تصنيف ذلك على أنه متلازمة مرتبطة بالثقافة فقط، تقترح الجمعية الأمريكية للطب النفسي أن الخوف من فقدان السائل المنوي يقتصر على عدد قليل من الثقافات الأجنبية ولا ينبغي العثور عليه بين البيض.
ولكن هذا ليس هو الحال.

الخوف من آثار فقدان السائل المنوي عن طريق الوسائل الطوعية أو غير الطوعية لا يرتبط بثقافة معينة، ولكنه يرتبط باعتقاد أكثر عمومية بأن القذف بعد ممارسة العادة السرية غير صحي جسديًا. لقد كان هذا الخوف موجودًا في الثقافة الأمريكية والأوروبية لعدة قرون، وهو ما يفسر لماذا يعتقد الجميع، بدءًا من أنصار الاعتدال في القرن التاسع عشر إلى أنصار العافية في القرن الحادي والعشرين، أن مفتاح الصحة هو منع السائل المنوي من مغادرة جسمك.
.
Eric Sprankle
DIY
Translated By #Maher_Razouk

[Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Birds do it, bees do it (OK, maybe not)…and humans definitely do it, unless constrained by religious or cultural norms that guilt them into doing it more, uh, discreetly and then feeling even worse about it.

Yes! We’re talking about masturbation! Dr. Eric Sprankle, speaking of a topic that clearly chose him on the basis of his last name, presents an often hilarious account-slash-metaanalysis of the cultural history and biological bases of self-pleasure. We learn about the online influencers who tell men that getting themselves off is gay/unhealthy/emasculating/etc. There’s a whole lot on religious prohibition, which appears to be virtually universal. There is also discussion of anatomy and biological processes in both the male and the female of our species (among other species), porn, aging, and how not to wind up in the ER. Also appreciated are Sprankle’s lists of pro- and anti-masturbation public figures and experts, which should come in handy (ha! ha!) this election season.

Informative and amusing, ‘DIY’ has a lot of facts and is a lot of fun. If you want a read that is, erm, dryer, skip the footnotes and thus most of the fun. But then, what would be the point?

[T. Laane · Rating 1 out of 5]

My first 1 star. I'm almost never the person to give extreme low-ball ratings to influence a book's rating, but this deserves it the most among my 800 books read and rated :) The author claims that sex life is not influenced negatively at all when the husband or boyfriend is masturbating watching porn 6 times a day (his number, not mine) - what nonsense. I listened to half of the book to see how he responds to the facts that watching porn will automatically make a person seek out more extreme things (e.g. instead of nourishing food one tastes desserts and starts to seek out more and more cleaner versions of sugar like candy, not appreciating the nourishing food later) or that having regular orgasms will lower the physical pull towards for your own woman / girlfriend (author's claim is that all those studies did not have a pre-study of how that relationship was before this behavior)... But the author yes indeed claims this not being the case :D What a load of bullshit. Of course I'm all into sexual education, but this book is delusional. How do they call it - misinformation? Skip this one.

[Charlotte Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY KINDA BOOK! Dr Eric Sprankle is so funny - I'm in awe of his wit. He knows what he wants to say and he says it, often while poking fun at the uneducated, extremists who oppose masturbation. Key takeaways include the double standards on girls Vs. boys masturbating and how this is correlated with low parent education and high church attendance - not surprising. Also, the idea of 'silent parents' is logical, suggesting that those families who do not talk about sex or masturbation subconsciously create taboo around the subject and invoke feelings of guilt from young people, which shows up in therapy as adults. I now have a whole world to explore with the manosphere and incels which, from the introduction here and in adolescence, will likely be very depressing. Overall, Dr Sprankle successfully challenged my opinions on a few things and reinforced my assertion that sex education, where schools tackle this topic, is an easy, logical, necessary idea. Favourite book in a while!

[The Part-Time Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

"But if you do desire to masturbate, then you should be free to do so. Free from guilt and shame. Free from health misinformation. Free from the moralistic opposition of religions, governments, quacks, hucksters, and social media busybodies.

It's your body.
It's your pleasure.
Enjoy yourself."

Truly, that quote says it all. I really enjoyed this read, and learning about all thing's masturbation (and, boy, was there more to learn than I expected!). Did it improve my DIY sex life? Not necessarily. Did it open my eyes to the ways others have tried to influence my masturbation? Most definitely.

There were so many wonderful book recommendations throughout this that I suggested my local library purchase! While I wait for those, you know what I'll be up to ;)

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book about the history of masturbation and while I knew it was frowned upon by society, I never really knew why. This book was very informative and at the same time, had me laughing out loud. Dr. Sprankle is humourous and if you haven't followed him on Instagram, definitely recommend doing so for more laughs.

The section about inserting things into the urethra was hard to read (especially the magots, eep!). No shame if that's what you like, but it gives me the heeby jeebies just thinking about it and all the possible accidents that could happen (ouch!). So if you're like me, skip that part or you might have some crazy nightmares!

[Patrick Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. It was informative, shocking, frustrating, and fun. It made me feel seen and heard. It lifted shame, I felt accepted. This was a powerful book.

It is a sad reminder that there are so many people that actually hold these abhorrent and absurd beliefs. They believe that sex is wrong, that shame and guilt are acceptable. That power and control is preferable to liberation and love. It is absolute insanity. They are wrong and this book is right.

Interestingly I know more women that have a healthy and mature relationship with masturbation than men.

This is book to be shared and reread

- PK, 1/25

[Alexa Blart, Library Cop · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm on a personal quest to read all the books about sexual health that look even mildly interesting to me as a means of making up for the typically American (read: piss-poor) sex education I got in school. This book was full of strange, funny, gross, and curious information, relayed with a dry sense of humor that didn't detract from the hard facts and science. I got a kick out of it and learned some things! Never looking at graham crackers the same way again...

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative. I listened to the audiobook and it was a nice quick listen.

The book spends a good amount of time on how society frowns upon any sexual acts and shows the contradictions between what others feel is good for you/them vs. what actually is.

The author throws in enough slang so that you aren’t bored with the terminology but does so in a very respectful way.

[whitney van vleet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightfully witty as it is informative, Dr. Sprankle provides an easy-to-read, accessible text for understanding the history and science of masturbation. This is an essential read for sexuality educators, therapists working with couples, and for professionals treating patients with sex offense histories.

[Andrew Mason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative book with lots of history and context. The only drawback is that the book contains a lot of personal opinion and commentary, which would make it very hard to hand this book to someone with opposing views. However anyone with an open mind about topics related to human sexuality would love this book!

[Shana Z · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent, nuanced, well-researched book that was also an engaging read and delightfully written (full of fabulous puns).

In particular, the end of the book focusing on aging, end of life care, palliation, and grief were particularly interesting!

Would love a sequel to include further discussion of disability as well as gender exploration/identity.