Over and over, a common pattern appears: As users manage to abstain from porn and cut way back on masturbation, their desire to connect with others surges. So does their confidence, their ability to look others in the eye, their sense of humor, their perception of their "manliness," their concentration, their optimism, their judgment, their attractiveness to potential mates, and so forth. Even those formerly suffering from social anxiety are more often than not emboldened to explore new avenues for social contact: smiling and joking with work colleagues, online dating, meditation groups, nightspots, and so forth. In some cases it takes months, but often the shift is so rapid that it catches them by surprise. (I'm not implying that social anxiety is solely due to porn use, or that extroversion is a sign of its absence. I'm merely wondering whether, for some, more careful management of sexual desire might be surprisingly beneficial.)

I've just stumbled upon a really interesting article from Psychology Today about the effects of porn and masturbation. It's a good read for everyone dealing with social anxiety and poor self-image in general.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cup ... g-too-much

From the article:
I can actually relate a lot. Even though I was not an "addict", stopping masturbation has changed me. I'm more confident, more self-assured and I'm eager to have social interactions. I'm also way more optimist.

Try it out.

All I can say is your biggest enemy is boredom. If you stay busy, get out more, work more/harder then it won't seem as difficult than if you're at home all day.

So what about a PUA ? They have sex all the time. Why isn't that holding them back ?

because actual sex releases different chemicals in your brain than masturbation. i mean think of it this way. masturbation is rewarding yourself for being anti-social.

Personally I feel that giving up porn for a while would make a massive difference to how I view women. My friends and I have always joked and laughed about how if you're a chronic porn user, the shit you watch gradually becomes more and more disturbing or extreme and what previously turned you on no longer does. There was a really interesting thread somewhere on this forum with a link to a study regarding this but I can't remember what it was.

Anyway, I digress. I'm not going to cut down on masturbation (don't think I could tbh). But... I'm banning porn completely for a month, which is a long time for me.Just to see how it will make me feel in terms of viewing women as mere sex objects, (my aim is to stop viewing them as sex objects)