NoFap

Founding

NoFap was founded in June 2011 by Pittsburgh web developer Alexander Rhodes after he encountered a Reddit thread discussing a 2003 study that claimed men who refrained from masturbation for seven days experienced a 145.7% spike in testosterone on the seventh day; this study was retracted in 2021. The term "fap" is an onomatopoeic Internet slang for male masturbation that first appeared in the 1999 web comic Sexy Losers. Rhodes initially created NoFap as a subreddit forum on Reddit, and the endeavor is sometimes called "fapstinence." The website states that participants aim to improve interpersonal relationships, undertake a challenge of willpower, and abstain from porn, masturbation, and orgasm (PMO).

While most users are men, a minority of female users, nicknamed "Femstronauts," also participate. Rhodes appears in the documentary Sticky: A (Self) Love Story, discussing his findings and opinions about masturbation. After the subreddit's membership more than tripled in two years, Rhodes built an off-Reddit forum at NoFap.com, which is the sister website of the Reddit-hosted community.

Membership

A 2014 internet survey found that 99% of NoFap followers are male, though founder Alexander Rhodes has stated that women are also part of the community. The membership includes atheists, such as Rhodes himself, as well as fundamentalist Christians, and Rhodes has publicly solicited and received funding from religious groups. Users call themselves "Fapstronauts," and some correspondents have nicknamed them "NoFappers," "fapstinent," or "no-fappers." The advocacy of NoFap is summarized as 90 days of abstinence from porn, masturbation, and orgasms. A study of anti-porn attitudes among Polish Internet users noted that the official goal is not complete abstinence from masturbation but support for refraining from pornographic materials and achieving wellbeing goals related to sexual health.

Some users claim improvements in physical and mental health after abstaining, and some posit that pornography can warp their psyche at the expense of real relationships. The forums host a wide variety of opinions on sexual health, but some beliefs cite the work of Gary Wilson, an anti-pornography activist with no medical or scientific training whose work is considered pseudoscientific. The NoFap forums have been noted for frequent antisemitic posts and conspiracy theories, and the community is sometimes viewed as part of the manosphere, which is credited with propagating misogyny.

Reception

Therapist Paula Hall stated that there is little medical evidence for NoFap's claimed physical health benefits such as renewed energy, greater focus, concentration, and better sleep. Therapist Robert Weiss sees NoFap as part of a tech backlash. The endeavor has been criticized for generating embarrassing side effects like prolonged or unwanted erections in men or excessive libido. Psychologist David J. Ley described the group's ideas as simplistic, naive, and promoting a distorted view of male sexuality and masculinity, and criticized supporters for using bad data and weak science to argue that porn causes erectile dysfunction.

Ley compared NoFap to historical anti-masturbation movements, such as those of Swiss doctor Samuel Tissot, American doctor Benjamin Rush, and W.K. Kellogg. NoFap strongly opposes the use of its data in mainstream scientific studies, including legal warnings prohibiting scientists from conducting research on them and threats to sue. A 2021 qualitative study found that NoFap's approach to pornography appears harmful, with commitment to abstinence framed by notions of recovery and relapse being a major factor for maintaining distress. Another 2021 research article warned that mythical articulations from contestations over concepts like NoFap could galvanize young men into real-world violence.

Litigation

Alexander Rhodes, the founder of NoFap, has been behind several legal actions. After threatening two researchers with lawsuits, those scientists published a letter arguing that criticizing NoFap is legitimate because it is a public voice in the masturbation abstinence debate. NoFap also threatened to sue The Spectator over coverage of its ties to far-right groups. Rhodes even sued his own mother for accusing NoFap of involvement with extremist organizations.

Researcher Prause reported in a paper that she received damages from Andrew Stebbins, NoFap’s legal counsel, for defamation and revealing her home address—a disclosure required by academic conflict-of-interest rules. In 2026, Rhodes filed a federal RICO-style conspiracy suit against Aylo, UCLA, Taylor and Francis, and scientists Prause and Ley. Prause filed a motion under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11 against what she called fake allegations, but the motion was denied without prejudice.

Did You Know?

• An alternative subreddit, /r/pornfree, differs from NoFap in that members abstain from pornography but not necessarily masturbation.
• A study found that NoFap members were most likely to also be members of TheRedPill, seduction, and similar men's rights and pick up artist Reddit groups.
• Another study reported that NoFap Reddit members were likely to be supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump.