The benefits of celibacy

While I of course don't see sex anywhere near the basic needs of food, water and air.

A healthy sex life has been linked to longer life span. Also those who are celibate have higher incidences of anxiety and depression.

No, that's not entirely true. Yes sex does have many health benefits however Buddhist monks are great example of why this is not entirely the case. They have been proven to be exceptionally healthy in regards to their mental health, being described as 'the most happiest people on earth' though they are celibate and die celibate. They seem to live very fulfilling lives making compassion and meditation a top priority so one could argue meditation is a psychological need as studies have proven there are many benefits of engaging in regular meditation as the monks engage in. I honestly think sex is great and I'm all for it however I wouldn't say someone is entirely missing out if they decided to be celibate for the rest of their life (if it's really what they want) rather a life lived with compassion and love seems more important for social beings <3 with some meditation added here and there. As seen with these awesome, celibate Buddhist monks.

Some links

http://www.livescience.com/9542-monks-darn-happy.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2225634/Is-worlds-happiest-man-Brain-scans-reveal-French-monk-abnormally-large-capacity-joy-meditation.html
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/07/dalai-lama-neuroscience-compassion/397706/
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ist/?next=/smart-news/the-worlds-happiest-man-is-a-tibetan-monk-105980614/
http://web.stanford.edu/group/hopes/cgi-bin/hopes_test/meditation-and-hd/
http://www.encognitive.com/node/3750

Shirley Yanez, 54, a life coach from Leicester, has not had sex for nine yearsI had been sexually active from about 13 and was never really told anything about the dangers of unprotected sex. When I was 16 I had an abortion, but I carried on being carefree and thoughtless until my mid-thirties, when I met the man of my dreams. We got married and started trying for a baby. After about six months I decided to see a gynaecologist and to my horror discovered I had blocked fallopian tubes and was infertile. I had had chlamydia. My sexual behaviour had ruined my opportunity to settle down; I couldn't give my husband the baby he desperately wanted, and the marriage ended.
In my forties I set up a head-hunting firm in the City and gave up sex to focus on the business. I became more and more successful, but also more lonely. Then, in 1999, I went to Los Angeles to be maid of honour for my best friend. The best man was very attractive and, after a lot to drink, I went to bed with him. The sex was brilliant. I married him the next week, gave up my business, sold my house, put all my money into stocks and moved to LA.But in 2000 the stock market crashed and I lost pretty much everything within a couple of weeks. The new husband didn't appear to be he person that he was when I had money. We divorced within a year.

In 2005, still in LA, I collapsed and was rushed to hospital. They told me I had a massive fibroid in my uterus and needed a full hysterectomy, which would cost thousands of dollars I didn't have; I couldn't afford medical insurance. Thankfully my old business partner sent me a ticket home and within a week I'd seen an NHS surgeon, who told me the fibroid could also be due to chlamydia.While I recovered I had to sign on. Going to the job centre as an ex-millionaire felt awful. However, I was still alive. I began to see that my life of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll had been my downfall – celibacy was the way forward. Now I run a website for women, venuscow.com, and do workshops where I talk about celibacy.I try to explain to young girls that the risks they might run now can have devastating consequences in future, but I also meet a lot of mature women who are recently divorced, and, having had a terrible knock, are throwing themselves into relationships with younger men.A lot of these women are inexperienced and don't realise that STDs are on the increase or understand that giving your body to a complete stranger when you're already in turmoil is really risky. I'm not saying that I will definitely never have sex again, but I will never be reckless with sex again.


If that's not motive enough to stay celibate then I don't know what is.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/sex/8168531/No-sex-please-the-joys-of-a-celibate-life.html

Linked to longevity does not automatically mean if you don't have sex you will die sooner. Stats don't work like that. It's a link, that doesn't mean everyone fits in it. There are of course exceptions.

This is the funniest thread, thanks for the lols OP.



(P.s. I wonder how many of the "celibate" people on this thread are so by choice... or because they just haven't got any in a while and want to justify it)

This is really stupid and pointless, this shows no benefits other than benefits of not having sex at 13 and using protection.

If you're smart about it like most people, your life won't be any worse because you had sex.

There are no known benefits to sex either. So why take the risk? Celibacy isnt stupid, it's a rational choice.

Lol I think most on here are definitely celibate by choice.
To be frank it really isn't exactly difficult to find someone to have sex with you.
All you need to do is go to a bar or club, not even that but say hi to a guy and get into a conversation. A lot of people are willing. I never knew how willing people would be until I tried some pranks on my friends. Falling in love and entering a serious relationship on the other hand...sigh. Different story, for some this may take decades.

But regards to the prank, it was all banter- it being April fools day I had messaged them in the early hours of the morning and was like what are your plans today, do you want to have a 'netflix and chill' evening later lol and they fell for it saying yes. I even said to some of my straight female friends I'm bisexual and wanted to try 'something new' so invited them over and surprisingly some of them were comfortable with the idea which shocked me a little haha.

It seems to depend on different factors i.e gender because for if my guys friends tried this, I'm sure for some reason it would be more difficult though they are attractive.

If you think that's ignorance, I've nothing else for you. Considering you questioned my authority on the subject, I didn't feel the need to bring it up before then. I don't care whether you believe me or not since you're proving to me that you don't care about a discussion. I just explained why it may not work for someone else. Are you blind or just choosing to ignore my post before replying? I stand by my comments and gave a thorough example of why celibacy can be a denial, not an answer.

You want to win, but there is no prize. This is a discussion, not a competition and you are not 'winning' anything with a weakly argued stance on a vast subject. How do you expect to convince people of your position with a poorly explained argument and pathetic 'But I want to win!' attitude? Why exactly do you care so much about people being celibate? How does it affect you and why do you want to promote it unless you are personally connected to that choice?

it feels good, procreation, bond with another person. Its not rational and you know it.

Yes, and eating chocolate feels good too but that doesn't mean that I can keep eating it without noticing the consequences.

what consequences?

You have no authority on the subject other than you said you're celibate. I'm not saying I'm an authority either but I can at least keep an open mind. I don't know why you can't, too. If you're celibate then I assume you think it's for a good reason. So why are you saying that others who are ceibate are in denial? You're not special.

STIs, unwanted pregnancy, the unnecessary pain or breaking up with someone etc.

Or if you're talking about eating chocolate, weight gain, diabetes, high cholesterol etc.

The thing which is shocking to me is that you've resulted to insults, repeatedly, whilst also suggesting that I am the one who is closed-minded when I have already stated that I understood your view. But you don't seem to have understood mine.

I did not say all celibate people are in denial. It seems to me that you're either incapable of reading my posts accurately or you're choosing not. Why would I argue that all celibate people are in denial if I am celibate? How does that make any sense to you?

That's a very nice way to backtrack on your posts. But I know what you wrote and you never said you understood my point of view. All youve said is that celibate people are repressed and in denial. And you accuse me of being insulting?

Direct quotes from my third post: "While I understand your opinion, I disagree and have the right to voice why."

"By no means am I stating that all celibate people are like this, as I am not, but it exists."

Your insults:

"it sounds like you could do with some educating on these issues yourself."

"You're not special."

Your responses are petty and you have directed even more insults at other people who are trying to engage in a debate. Seems like this is a sore topic for you and you haven't answered why it matters so much. I have to conclude that you are being willfully ignorant to ignore posts which are right in front of you. What was your aim in making this thread? You evidently don't want a discussion, do you just want people to agree with you? Somehow it seems worthwhile to you to ask for posts to be deleted that disagree with your points - is that going to convince people that we're wrong and you're right?