Gooning
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Gooning is a sexual practice involving prolonged masturbation sessions aimed at achieving a trance-like "goon state"[1] The term originated on internet forums like 4chan in the early 2000s and gained popularity among Generation Z and Generation Alpha on TikTok.[2][3] By 2025, a survey found that a quarter of American adults had gooned at some point.[4]
Quick Facts
- Field
- Sexual practice and subculture
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
The words "gooning" and "gooner" possibly sprouted from 4chan in the early 2000s, referencing the single-minded "goons" from Popeye comics.[2] In 2025, Clips4Sale named gooning the 2026 Fetish of the Year, citing a 151% increase in sales for gooning content since 2023.[5] The German word "Goonen" was nominated for Youth Word of the Year in Germany in 2025, losing by 0.2% of the vote.[5] Gooning may be a solo activity, but many participate in group sessions on video call or in-person meetups.[6]
A 2005 submission to Urban Dictionary provided the initial definition for gooning.[3] During the late 2000s, the pornography addiction fetish community on Tumblr shaped how gooning developed.[3] Google Trends data shows that following the COVID-19 pandemic's start, gooning interest increased more quickly and reached a high point in 2023.[3] To intensify their experience, certain gooners consume recreational drugs such as poppers or Adderall.[1]
A "goon cave" is built by many practitioners, featuring several computer monitors that each show different pornographic streams at the same time.[7]
What the cited sources add
Over 60 percent of gooners in that survey identified as bisexual.[4] According to sexuality researcher Jason Armstrong, gooners often contort their faces or go slack-jawed and drooling during a session.[1] Some gooners assume the "goon face" with tongue sticking out and eyes crossed.[1] In a separate survey, 40% of gooners reported being sexually active, yet the largest group described themselves as "pornosexual".[4]
"Nut-and-dash" or "cum sharking" is a practice where individuals commit sexual assault by masturbating in public and ejaculating on strangers, frequently inside Dollar Tree stores.[8] One such gooner is the subject of a lawsuit, which claims that at least 11 additional women in various parts of the country have been victimized.[8]
References
- Wikipedia, "Gooning" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Stevenson 2026; Rodriguez 2025; Kolitz 2025; López 2024; Rodriguez 2025; Herring 2019; Stahl 2020; Herring 2019; Brooks 2025; Rodriguez 2025; Monea McGlotten Paasonen Sundén 2025, p. 4–5; Grace 2025; Monea McGlotten Paasonen Sundén 2025, p. 4–5; Hay 2023a; Lucas 2022; López 2024 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Gooning" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Parham 2026; Rodriguez 2025; Grace 2025; Rodriguez 2025; Kibbe 2025; Lucas 2022; Johnson 2024; Rodrigues 2025; López 2024 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Gooning" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Parham 2026; Dawson 2025; Rodriguez 2025; Dawson 2025; Hay 2023a; Kolitz 2025; Rodriguez 2025 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Gooning" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Fike 2025; Monea McGlotten Paasonen Sundén 2025, p. 4–5; Illing 2025; Lucas 2022; Dawson 2025; Parham 2026 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Gooning" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kibbe 2025; Cords 2025; NDR Kultur 2025 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Gooning" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Stevenson 2026; Brooks 2025; Illing 2025; Hay 2023a; Hay 2023a; Grace 2025; Manuel 2026 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Gooning" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Stevenson 2026; Kolitz 2025; Dawson 2025; Gumbel 2026; Kolitz 2025; Pollitt 2026; Cole 2023; Hay 2023b; Parham 2026; Kolitz 2025 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Gooning" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gumbel 2026; Figueroa 2026; Penington Langford 2026 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Gooning (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: Gooning (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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