What is masturbation?

Masturbation refers to the act of physically stimulating oneself in order to experience pleasure; this can be done by touching your or someone else’s genitals or other erogenous zones of the body. People may masturbate because they are aroused and they want to achieve orgasm, but masturbation may be enjoyable even without experiencing orgasm. It is a very important action; people may have an higher need to masturbate during puberty (i.e., a time in life when we begin to feel a stronger sexual response to the stimuli we receive around us). However, masturbation is an activity that people of all ages and genders can engage in. Other than providing pleasure, it helps us to understand our bodies and what we like and dislike.