IT’S NO SECRET that masturbation, aside from having a slew of health benefits, is also extremely fun. Whether it’s to blow off steam, focus, or just have a good ole time, almost nothing beats touching yourself. And there are many forms of masturbation, too; some of them, like mutual masturbation, involve more than one person. For people who practice edging, masturbation is about delayed pleasure. And then there’s gooning, a prolonged form of masturbation that focuses on intense sexual pleasure to the point of reaching a blissed-out “goon” state.

If you haven’t heard of gooning, that’s alright. While it and other forms of intense masturbation, like edging, have been around for a long time, gooning has reached a point of cultural salience only more recently. One of the earliest online records of gooning, on the trusted source Urban Dictionary, dates back to 2005, where it is described as “the act of a very addicted or chronic masturbator” who is “so into masturbating, or jacking off, that the dude becomes a total goon” and “becomes stupid on his own cock.” But while there is at least an internet record of gooning going back to the Bush presidency, interest in the term skyrocketed in the past few years. One of Reddit’s largest gooning communities opened up in 2019, according to Know Your Meme. Searches for “gooning” began to spike in April 2023, according to Google Trend data, but interest has more than tripled since then.

Most people seem to be in agreeance that the term “gooning” is derived from its earliest meaning as a slang term for a dumb or simple-minded person. The phenomenon draws from that negative inspiration, but makes it positive: a gooner is someone who embraces the empty-headedness of the goon state, focused on the simple task of feeling pleasure.

What is gooning?

Gooning is more than just masturbating, and different (though slightly related) to edging. Gooning is a prolonged masturbation session with an emphasis on intense pleasure. For some people who goon, they hope to push themselves to the height of sexual pleasure and enter a sort of blissful, trance-like “goon state,” that some describe as feeling a “rush.”

For Sly Merritt, a sex therapist based in Chicago, gooning has been an avenue for many of his patients to forge a deeper, more explorative relationship with their own bodies and to have masturbation be an intentional practice.

“Masturbation is often in our society seen as preparation for having sex with another person,” Merritt said. “People are wanting to kind of just be more explorative in a way that hasn’t been more readily talked about.”

For many gooners, the experience of the state is the point of gooning, rather than reaching climax.

“It’s not always so goal-focused,” said Daniel Villareal, a 44-year-old gooner who first learned about the term from a friend who was in a mutual masturbation group with him. “”It’s more that I want to be in this orgasmic state as long as I can let myself enjoy it without any self restriction.”

That lack of restriction results in specific actions that are more or less particular to gooning. Some people who goon might contort their face, make silly or unflattering faces, or look zoned out while engaging. Some engage in preverbal, nonverbal or simple, repeated utterances that are part of reaching the goon state. Often, if the person gooning is stroking their penis, they might repeat simple phrases talking about their “big penis” or “hairy penis.”

These phrases, according to gooners, serve a double function: they are simple and easy to repeat, serving as sort of meditative mantras. Because of the long, repetitive nature, and blissed out feelings associated with gooning, Merritt said that, for some people, there can be associated feelings of tranquility and pleasure. “It can be a form of meditation to an extent,” he said.

In fact, all three gooners who were interviewed emphasized the word “meditative” when talking about gooning and said that for some gooners, the simple words or sounds are a result of being in the goon state.

“When I’m feeling that way, I am so focused on the pleasure, the stimulus, the porn, the poppers, whatever I have goin on,” Kade Linkin, an online content creator who practices gooning while being locked in chastity play, told Men’s Health. “I have reverted back to this animalistic state.”

However, for others, repeating the phrases help to get them into the goon headspace, as a sort of “fake-it-til-you-make it” routine, or a mantra meant to induce meditation. “For some people, they’re gooning and the pleasure is so much that it brings them preverbal,” Linkin said. “For some people, they meditate themselves into that state by performing them.”

Definitions on Urban Dictionary and explanations on Know Your Meme both emphasize this kind of penis talk as a significant aspect of gooning, but everyone who spoke to Men’s Health indicated that not all gooners stroke their penis to achieve the goon state and not everyone who practices gooning has a penis.

“You don’t have to stroke,” explained Linkin. “You can play with your nipples. You can play with your balls. You can play with other parts of your body to achieve the goon headspace.” As such, some gooners focus on inserting a sex toy for stimulation, whether that be in the mouth, anus, or vagina.

Gooning may sound similar to edging, and they are certainly closely related, but there are some key differences.

Why are people into gooning?

As with any sexual fetish or kink, why people choose to take part in it varies from participant to participant. And the same goes with gooning: why people do it is often highly personal to each gooner.

Many people who participate in gooning report a boom in activity around masturbation practice in the early days of the pandemic, when people were looking for a sexual outlet that didn’t require person-to-person contact. Merritt says he knows of many clients who became interested in gooning during Covid when people had to rely on themselves for greater sexual pleasure because of restrictions.

While masturbating is often a one-person deal, gooning is very often done in community with other gooners, either in person or online, on cam sites, Zoom, FaceTime or other ways of telecommunication.

“It’s just men being physically affectionate with one another and trying to be physically, sexually, fraternally, phallically affirming; like, ‘you’re a hot dude,’” Villareal said. “It’s very brotherly and innocent.” He added, “It sounds cheesy, but there’s a warm feeling around it.”

Oscar Buzz, a content creator who was recently crowned Gooner King 2024 at a masturbation conference, told Men’s Health that gooning has helped him confront his own insecurities and anxieties around looking or feeling sexy. “Gooning wipes out that barrier that makes you not make ugly faces,” he said, “or be cringe or loser-y.”

It also offers him a reprieve from overthinking. “As a very intelligent person who overthinks and overanalyzes every single thing, I sink into this Neanderthal state, where I’m just like, ‘Me penis, me gooner,’” he said, imitating the simple verbiage he might say while in the gooner headspace. “I’m just a primordial source, oozing sexuality, oozing raw phallic vibes.” When it comes to keeping his cool after a crazy day, gooning is another strategy he uses to destress. “It’s just another tool in the toolbox.”

Similarly, Linkin said that entering a goon state offers him a mental break from everyday anxieties.

“To me, the goal is to turn off all the thoughts,” Linkin said. “I have ADHD. I am usually bouncing back and forth, and this gives me a single thing to focus on: enjoying the stimulation. I can slowly take down my brain and just focus on what feels good.”

Merritt said that, for many people in his practice who goon, it can be a way to self-soothe or quiet their brains.

“If we think about climax, we’re having all of those neurotransmitters released at once. But if we are gooning, we’re continuously getting those neurotransmitters, that neurochemical relief in a more sustained way,” Merritt said.

How can I try gooning?

You most likely have all the tools you need to goon right now, if you really wanted to. But while you most likely have the essentials — your preferred genitalia or orifice, and a desire to goon — there are definitely a few other things you should have handy to help you along.

• Lubricant: Among gooners, Albolene and Bator Balm are favorites for a session, but no matter what you use, you’ll most likely want some kind of lube to help you if you plan to stroke or use a sex toy; it’ll help reduce friction and lengthen the session.
• Water. Gooning can take a lot of energy and you’ll need to stay hydrated.
• Food. You may not want to eat during, but after you’ll most likely crave a snack or a meal.
• Poppers. Poppers are certainly not necessary at all for gooning. And some people mistakenly believe that poppers are an essential part of reaching goon state. According to Buzz, poppers are a way to help lower your inhibitions during a gooning session, but should be thought of as a tool to help get you to the goon state, but not as a necessary part of gooning. (Though, make sure to steer clear of poppers if you are using Viagra, as they have a negative interaction.)
• Cock ring or ball ring: If you are gooning and have a cock or balls, using a cock ring or ball ring around them can help delay cumming and make the goon state last longer.
• Lots of porn: Many gooners will take part in the practice while watching.
• Friends, or a bating community: There are plenty of ways to find fellow gooners (and baters) online, including online bating communities such as BateWorld. A lot of gooners, as with many sexual fetishes, learn about their kink in community with other practitioners. Finding people who share your desire to goon can be helpful, whether in person or online. (Also, for some gooners, gooning involves a sort of mirroring of each other’s faces as part of entering the trance-like state.)