Edging (sexual practice)
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Edging is a sexual technique that involves delaying or preventing orgasm to maintain a high level of sexual arousal for an extended period.[1] It can be practiced alone or with a partner and may result in more intense physical sensations when orgasm is finally achieved.[1][2] The technique known as "edging" is distinct from "edgeplay," which involves a different category of sexual activities.[3]
Quick Facts
- Field
- Sexual technique
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
Edging is also known by other names such as "surfing," "peaking," "orgasm training," and "orgasm denial"[4] A Vice article from 2018 notes that edging shares similarities with "slow masturbation" described in Alex Comfort's book The New Joy of Sex.[4] In BDSM contexts, the partner whose orgasm is controlled may be tied up in an activity sometimes called tie and tease.[2] A Harper's Magazine article from 2025 contends that one strain of the practice originated among certain 4chan users playing a game called Fap Roulette.[5]
A WebMD overview states that edging is not harmful and has many benefits, including adding variety to sex life and increasing orgasm intensity.[6] In partnered sexual activity, a person provides stimulation to their partner and then decreases that stimulation once the partner nears orgasm.[2] When a person edges alone, they masturbate until they reach the plateau phase and then sustain that level without achieving orgasm.[7]
What the cited sources add
A Vice article explains that for people with penises, edging often appeals because sexual encounters last longer, and the median duration for heterosexual penis-in-vagina sex is 5.4 minutes according to a 2015 study.[4] There is no solid scientific evidence suggesting edging has positive health benefits.[4] A Men's Health article from 2025 describes gooning as "an extreme version of edging" where practitioners aim to enter a trance-like mental state, sometimes assisted by poppers.[7][8] The Harper's Magazine article reports that a sizable minority of gooning questionnaire respondents claimed never to have reached the "goonstate," though none doubted its existence.[5]
The Men's Health article states that gooning is often done in community with others, either in person or online via cam sites, Zoom, or FaceTime.[8] The WebMD overview emphasizes that communication with a partner is key when exploring edging during sex.[6]
References
- Wikipedia, "Edging (sexual practice)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bodansky, "Extended Massive Orgasm: How You Can Give and Receive Intense Sexual Pleasure", Vermilion, 2000, p. 91–98; "The Goon Squad: Loneliness, porn's next frontier, and the dream of endless masturbation", Harper's Magazine Foundation, 22 October 2025; "The Goon Squad: Loneliness, porn's next frontier, and the dream of endless masturbation", Harper's Magazine Foundation, 22 October 2025; "The Goon Squad: Loneliness, porn's next frontier, and the dream of endless masturbation", Harper's Magazine Foundation, 22 October 2025; S en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Edging (sexual practice)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Swiner, "What Is Edging Sex?", WebMD; Pulley, "How to Edge: The Art of Building Up to Extremely Intense Orgasms", Vice, 2018-07-24; Pulley, "How to Edge: The Art of Building Up to Extremely Intense Orgasms", Vice, 2018-07-24; "The Concise New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English", Routledge, 2014 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Edging (sexual practice)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Swiner, "What Is Edging Sex?", WebMD; "The Goon Squad: Loneliness, porn's next frontier, and the dream of endless masturbation", Harper's Magazine Foundation, 22 October 2025; Johnson, "'Mewing,' 'Sigma,' and Other Gen Z and Gen Alpha Slang You Might Need Help Decoding", Lifehacker, 2024-08-15 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Pulley, "How to Edge: The Art of Building Up to Extremely Intense Orgasms", Vice, 2018-07-24. facts only, no text reused. vice.com
- "The Goon Squad: Loneliness, porn's next frontier, and the dream of endless masturbation", Harper's Magazine Foundation, 22 October 2025. facts only, no text reused. harpers.org
- Swiner, "What Is Edging Sex?", WebMD. facts only, no text reused. webmd.com
- Wikipedia, "Edging (sexual practice)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lehmiller, "The Psychology of Human Sexuality", John Wiley & Sons, 2018, p. 106; Grace, "What Exactly Is Gooning? Let's Unpack Hypnotic Masturbation, the Latest Viral Sex Trend", Men's Journal, 2025-02-18; "The Goon Squad: Loneliness, porn's next frontier, and the dream of endless masturbation", Harper's Magazine Foundation, 22 October 2025; Grace, "What Exactly Is Gooning? Let's Unpack Hypnotic Masturbation, the Latest Viral Sex Trend", Men's Journal, 2025-02-18; "The Goon Squad: Loneliness, porn's next frontier, and the dream en.wikipedia.org
- Rodriguez, "What Is Gooning? The Masturbation Trend, Explained", Men's Health, 2025-10-27. facts only, no text reused. menshealth.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Edging (sexual practice) (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Edging (sexual practice) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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