# At what age did you discover masturbating? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 5, 2009, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-did-you-discover-masturbating/516492 "2009-11-05T23:59:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-did-you-discover-masturbating/516492/1 "2009-11-05T23:59:10Z")
As mentioned in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=535298) (albeit as a poll, but still) I figured I would post the question. Some quick hits about it 1. Male or Female? 2. What age did you start? 3. Did you know what you were doing? If not, did you do it anyway? I think those are appropriate defining questions…if anyone has any others they can chime in ---
**Author:** ![Stauderhorse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Stauderhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stauderhorse)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-did-you-discover-masturbating/516492/2 "2009-11-06T00:33:02Z")
Female. 1. Yes, I knew what I was doing. At first, I felt a bit ridiculous, but once I got into the groove, I kicked myself for waiting so long. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-did-you-discover-masturbating/516492/3 "2009-11-06T00:56:50Z")
1. M 2. 14 3. I had a suspicion. I had a pretty bad cold and had slept too much during the day, so it was 11pm or so and I was bored…well I _started_ bored. Didn’t end up that way. I kinda miss that whole experimentation with a body I’ve lived with my whole life that all of a sudden does a new trick that felt AMAZING. ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-did-you-discover-masturbating/516492/4 "2009-11-06T01:06:14Z")
Male. 9 or 10, but I didn’t know it was MASTURBATING until I was 13. I just thought it was something that felt nice and strangely left wet spots on my bed. I honestly thought it was my waterbed leaking for the first couple years… ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-did-you-discover-masturbating/516492/5 "2009-11-06T01:20:50Z")
Male, 14, yes. My mom gave me a basic sexual health book for teens. It never inspired me to actually try what it was talking about until I was 14. But when I did start, I definitely knew what I was doing. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-did-you-discover-masturbating/516492/6 "2009-11-06T02:21:41Z")
Female 20 Yeah, I was a slow learner. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-did-you-discover-masturbating/516492/7 "2009-11-06T02:29:56Z")
Male I was dry humping to orgasm at least once a day since some time before I was five years old . It wasn’t until I was in high school, when I learned everyone else was using their hand that I switched, allowing more private opportunities. God, was I ever a wanker. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bith_Shuffle)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-did-you-discover-masturbating/516492/8 "2009-11-06T02:31:31Z")
1. Male 2. 14 3. I knew what I was doing. I deliberately decided to try masturbating. I actually considered it rationally. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-did-you-discover-masturbating/516492/9 "2009-11-06T02:36:23Z")
Female around 15 Oh yeah, I knew what it was the first time I tried: thanks to reading Changing Bodies, Changing Lives I finally figured out that girls could too (without using toys, I mean. I knew what a vibrator was), not just boys. It even told you how! Great book. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-did-you-discover-masturbating/516492/10 "2009-11-06T02:40:33Z")
Male About 5 or 6 years old. No I didn’t know specifically what I was doing, but yes, I did it anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_C](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Captain\_C](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_C)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-did-you-discover-masturbating/516492/11 "2009-11-06T05:07:22Z")
Male. About 8. I didn’t know what I was doing, but with a bit of practice I figured it out. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-did-you-discover-masturbating/516492/12 "2009-11-06T05:18:46Z")
14, immediately after (well, during) a movie called [Watch Me](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118124/) on Cinemax late-night. It just sort of… happened. ---
**Author:** ![statsman1982](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@statsman1982](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/statsman1982)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-did-you-discover-masturbating/516492/13 "2009-11-06T05:21:57Z")
Male; 12; Didn’t know exactly what I was doing, only that it felt good. ---
**Author:** ![statsman1982](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@statsman1982](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/statsman1982)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-did-you-discover-masturbating/516492/14 "2009-11-06T05:24:55Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > 14, immediately after (well, during) a movie called [Watch Me](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118124/) on Cinemax late-night. It just sort of… happened. Ah yes, Cinemax and Showtime. Those two got me through adolescence. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-did-you-discover-masturbating/516492/15 "2009-11-06T05:38:35Z")
Male, 13. I was taking a bath, and suddenly realized how good it felt to soap up my dick. Then it felt REALLY good, and some stuff came out. I thought it was pus, not that that stopped me. I was totally clueless, and I don’t remember how long it took before I understood what it was. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-did-you-discover-masturbating/516492/16 "2009-11-06T05:41:55Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > Male > > About 5 or 6 years old. No I didn’t know specifically what I was doing, but yes, I did it anyway. Coda: Orgasm but no actual ejaculations until I was around 10 years old, but by that time I knew what it was and I was ready and waiting for it. It was my precious. ---
**Author:** ![Rala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@Rala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rala)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-did-you-discover-masturbating/516492/17 "2009-11-06T05:59:06Z")
1. Female 2. 1. Then I lost interest and didn’t start again until 13. 3. I didn’t know what I was doing. At all. As far as I remember, I thought it was like twirling my hair or something. I didn’t even realise it was sexual - but, then again, all I knew about sex was that it somehow led to babies. The second time around, I had a vague idea what it was about and a book had assured me that it was normal and I wouldn’t go blind or get hairy palms. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-did-you-discover-masturbating/516492/18 "2009-11-06T06:07:54Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > 1. Male or Female? Male > [@](#): > > 1. What age did you start? Around 7 or 8. > [@](#): > > 1. Did you know what you were doing? If, by that, you mean “did I have any clue that anyone else in the world had tried this and found it pleasant, as opposed to it being my own unique kinkiness”, no, I had no clue. > [@](#): > > If not, did you do it anyway? Well, DUH! ---
**Author:** ![BigBertha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@BigBertha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigBertha)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-did-you-discover-masturbating/516492/19 "2009-11-06T06:57:43Z")
About 10. My friend and I were climbing poles. She said it happened to her too, and i suppose it did. Female. ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_Dubinsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dbc845/32.png) [@Alex\_Dubinsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_Dubinsky)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-did-you-discover-masturbating/516492/20 "2009-11-06T10:27:24Z")
Were you guys getting erections at age \<10? Perhaps a dumb question… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-did-you-discover-masturbating/516492.md?page=2)