What is Gooning? Details, Dangers of Recent Sexual Trend
Published:
May 7, 2025
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02:12 p.m.
ET
Key Points:
Gooning is a form of uninhibited prolonged masturbation, similar to edging, that can purportedly lead to a blissful, hypnotic state.
Gooning can be done alone or in a group setting.
Gooning can have negative consequences, including sexual desensitization, erectile dysfunction, unhealthy tolerance development and/or impacts on relationships.
Individuals may also suffer from physical and/or mental challenges as a result of gooning.
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What is “Gooning”?
Gooning is an extreme form of prolonged masturbation, related in part to another popular term - “edging”. While edging is about delayed pleasure from masturbation, gooning prolongs masturbation for so long that it is said to cause a blissful or “gooned out” state-of-mind. Therefore, gooning is also often used to describe the hypnotic state that is reached through prolonged periods of edging.
There are debates among medical professionals and counselors about why individuals practice gooning. One sex therapist from Chicago states that many of his clients use gooning as a way to gain a deeper understanding of their own bodies and pleasure. But there can also be negative impacts from it, as we’ll explore below.
The goal of gooning is not necessarily to end in orgasm, and many times it does not, but to push the limits of what the human mind and body can do and endure. Those who participate in gooning tend to agree that the point of this practice is to push themselves to the verge of intense pleasure to see how far they can take it. Gooning may also involve watching copious amounts of pornography, including an emerging new category of gooning-specific porn, which can lead to an unhealthy reliance on porn or other illicit materials to experience sexual pleasure.
History of Gooning and recent rise in popularity
The concept of holding off on climaxing during masturbation (“edging”) is not a new concept, but for over a decade it has largely remained under the radar in mainstream society. For years, notably in the 2010s, gooning existed mainly in kink-focused communities on Tumblr and Reddit. During the COVID-19 lockdown period, when many had extra free time on their hands every day, there was a spike in interest and popularity.
Looking at Google Trends data over the past 10 years, the term “gooning” saw increased search volume during the COVID times of 2020-2021, but really started picking up steam two years ago in summer 2023.
Current data shows more than 300,000 gooning-related searches on Google every month in the United States. It’s worth noting, though, that search volume doesn’t necessarily correlate with increases in the practice of gooning and may more so reflect curiosity in learning more about it after hearing the term for the first time.
Gooning has become even more prevalent and more common in Gen-Z vernacular in recent years, with social media and TikTok personalities speaking about the phenomenon, their personal experiences with it and some even building large communities of gooning-focused followers. As Zipper Magazine recently detailed, “Over the last few years, gooning has exploded out of the fringes of the erotic internet and into mainstream consciousness, courtesy of a wave of memes and social media chatter.”
Dangers, risks and potential effects of gooning
While many who participate in gooning praise their positive experiences with it, such as a deeper connection with themselves and a sense of calm or peace after the “meditative” practice, there are also risks with excessive gooning.
One survey of 1,000 Americans by ZipHealth found that 1 in 7 people with experience gooning reported requiring extreme or niche porn to stay aroused or engaged. There were also findings of feeling desensitized during regular sexual encounters, and 7% said they feel increasingly more disconnected from their partners.
Survey participants also reported extreme levels of soreness and fatigue due to excessive masturbation. Four percent also stated that gooning interfered with their daily responsibilities. Medical professionals also shared that excessive gooning can lead to erectile dysfunction or changes in sexual satisfaction. Gooning may also lead to a dependence on porn, creating a compulsion that may be categorized as porn addiction.
Gooning gone too far? Connect with Birches Health today: click here, call 833-483-3838 or email help@bircheshealth.com
Who is gooning? Demographics and trends
The ZipHealth survey also found that one in four adults stated that they have tried gooning. Of those that participated in gooning, twice as many men experimented with the trend when compared to women. The survey found that almost half of men who participated have tried gooning, with one-third of Millennials and Gen-Z also engaging in the practice.
Porn and sex addiction treatment and resources
While sexuality is a regular part of daily life, it may be time to seek out professional help if gooning or related sexual behaviors begin to negatively impact your life. Treatment for porn and sex addiction will depend on the severity of one's behaviors and their specific struggles, and there are multiple options for differing levels of severity. Individual counseling can be helpful in treating porn or sex addiction.
Birches Health offers virtual specialized treatment that is conducted by certified, licensed therapists. Birches helps reduce barriers to treatment for sex and porn addiction by offering online access to care that can also be covered by insurance. To get started with Birches or learn more about sex and porn addiction treatment, you can:
Call 833-483-3838
Email help@bircheshealth.com
Sources:
Welcome to the Age of Gooning, Where Porn and Pleasure Blur Into Obsession
What Exactly Is Gooning? Let’s Unpack Hypnotic Masturbation, the Latest Viral Sex Trend
https://zippermagazine.com/gooners-goonettes-and-the-origins-of-the-goon-state/
https://blog.ziphealth.co/gooning/
