Masturbation at work should be okay because it's a great way to relieve tension and stress, say experts

After a recent survey by Time Out New York about masturbating habits of office goers, some psychologists have spoken about the benefits of the act, arguing that masturbating breaks are a "great way to relieve tension and stress."

Mark Sergeant, a senior lecturer in psychology at the Nottingham Trent University, told Metro that a break for masturbation would be "very effective at work" and also a "great way to relieve tension and stress."

Dr. Cliff Arnall, a psychologist and life coach, agreed and said: "I would expect a masturbation policy to result in more focus, less aggression, higher productivity, and more smiling." He told Metro: "Certainly taking a masturbation break for boredom or an escape would increase work focus."

Sergeant and Arnall's conclusion came after the survey conducted by Time Out found that 39% of its male readers reported that they have masturbated in the office after a previous poll conducted by Glamour in 2012 put the figure at 31%.

However, Arnall warned that the masturbation breaks should not be driven by lust or even fantasizing about a coworker because this would "likely result in cognitive impairment."

Such kinds of breaks should only be taken by people if they have a genuine desire to be relieved of stress, he said.

Sergeant has also said that "introducing any form of sexual behavior to a workplace could be seen as a slippery slope that makes people think that other forms of sexual behavior, such as those linked to harassment, are more acceptable."

The discussion around whether workplace masturbation is a good idea started after an article was published by Ravishly where it argued that masturbation isn't the "new" smoke break because "it has been for a long time".

The publication wrote: "[For] every 52 minutes spent on the job, workers should be allowed to have 17 minutes off the clock, in order to maximize their productivity. Because you can always grab a coffee or a cigarette instead, masturbation has remained an outer form of getting that added boost you need to power through your workday."

The article continued: "However, there are signs that the stigma against [masturbating] at the office might be slipping. This year, the company Hot Octopuss debuted ‘masturbation booths’ across New York City to give men a public place to ‘relieve stress’. Instead of reacting with disgust, women wanted to know where their masturbatoriums were. Why should men have all the fun?"

#Masturbating At Work: Why #Fapping Is The New Smoke Break https://t.co/9NjpHKhJ4F. #Masturbation pic.twitter.com/h92rQPMl5O

— Ravishly (@ravishlydotcom) February 13, 2016

In a response to the survey by Time Out, Vice interviewed a number of workers in an office, both men and women, who admitted to doing it.

One worker told the outlet: "Back when I worked a true nine-to-five at a law firm I would look for any reason to escape to the bathroom for 15 minutes to get a break from filing papers. Jerking off is a really good way to spend 15 minutes, and sometimes it ended up being the highlight of my day."

One woman said that she felt justified masturbating in the office after she saw 'The Wolf of Wall Street', in which the character played by Matthew McConaughey claimed that he masturbated every day after lunch.

Another woman claimed that she masturbated as an "act of rebellion" but had words of warning for others. "Not because of morals or propriety or whatever, but because masturbation isn’t something you want to do hastily at the same place you hate going to every day," she said.