Does edging and fapping make you less confident in general?

I don't have any, but I think It's just the truth.

 

Well orgasm releases beta endorphin, which is an opiate that, like other opiates, has some negative effects on the male androgens (male hormones). Particularly, it causes decreased expression of androgen receptors in the brain. Testosterone and dihydrotestosterone binding to these receptors in the brain create confidence, energy, drive, etc - and so with decreased receptor expression, there are fewer receptors for these to bind to, and confidence, energy, libido etc all decrease.

With masturbation this is far worse than with sex, because a healthy sex life is correlated to vastly higher base testosterone levels, which will counter the lesser amount of available receptors. To top this off, sex is usually less frequent than masturbation, and so receptor density stays high, and testosterone levels even higher. With masturbation however this isn't the case, and so this causes problems.

Now as for edging etc, if you've already edged, it's better to quit while you're ahead, stop edging, and avoid going past the point of no return, since many of the negatives of masturbation all stem from this beta-endorphin release. Even the temporary low energy from PMO comes from a temporary spike in prolactin, which only occurs on orgasm itself. That doesn't mean that you're in the clear because you just edged though.

Is edging fine? NO! Absolutely not. However the reasons edging are bad are different. For one, edging can lead to going over the each and full blown PMO, so that's one reason to avoid it. Another is that while masturbating, dopamine is being released, and more importantly than dopamine - another compound, known as delta-fosB, which is responsible for wiring in our habits and addictions. Every time you masturbate, you are strengthening your addiction/habit. So every time you edge, you are making it much harder on yourself to quit, and will need a longer time to recover etc. If you are also watching porn, then this is doubled, since the amount of dopamine and delta-fosB release with watching porn is ridiculously high in comparison.

Now as the reward circuits get stronger, and more of that pleasant rewarding dopamine high gets pumped into your brain, your priorities shift. No longer do you care about the other things in your life, all you care about during those moments is finding the next video to jerk off to, or finding a new kink, or whatever. This messes up the priorities in your brain, as your sex drive is now rewired to seek images online rather than to meet real partners and form real relationships. As a result you get a distorted image of the opposite (or same, depending on your sexual orientation) sex, you lose confidence when around them, you lose the desire to spend time with them etc. This also carries over to other areas of your life, like taking care of your health, working on your career, etc. The more often you edge/masturbate, the more strongly hard-wired this habit becomes, and the higher priority it will begin to take over everything else in your life.

 

@JesusGreen, the opinion you have about edging having the lesser effect compared to masturbating to orgasm is wrong! Out of all sexual behaviours, the most impactful is edging. It is literally the worst thing you can do! Please do not spread misinformation about edging. I refer you and others to the words of the scientist Gary Wilson on this specific point:

http://www.yourbrainonporn.com/what-if-i-use-porn-without-orgasm

 

I should probably clarify that my point was if you have already edged, it is better to stop, than to use that as an excuse to go past the point of return. The latter is worse than if you stop where you are and don't continue to make the problem worse.

If however you make the choice to continue edging, that's just as bad as if you were to orgasm - albeit, as I said, for different reasons, since all three of the unholy trinity contribute to the negatives of PMO in their own way. Orgasm for its negative effects on the endocrines (specifically the androgens), porn and edging for their psychological effects and effects on the limbic system (i.e. the reward and pleasure centers).

Will edit my post to make that a bit more evident in my wording. Edit: There we go, done ^^