I think of being with a real or imagined woman that I like well enough that I just get giddy as we stare into each other's eyes. We can be naked and unembarrassed together, looking at each other's bodies, knowing that we are going to make love, and get excited together about it, touching and being touched in a thousand ways that feel good. Toward the end, I imagine the feeling of my penis entering her vagina and starting the movements of intercourse. After that, all my feelings and responses become subconscious and automatic. It isn't long until I'm starting to squirt semen.
- age 51, Arizona
This Week's Wackiest Response:
Used panties, panties, panties, panties, panties, panties, panties, panties, panties, panties, panties, panties, panties, panties, panties, panties, panties, panties, panties, panties, panties, panties, panties, panties, panties, panties! Oh – did I mention panties?
- age 32, Connecticut
When I was younger, I'd run sexual fantasies through my head or think about what was shown in the pornography I was looking at while I was masturbating – but now, I'm bored with all that, so I tend to limit myself to appreciating the physical sensation of it all.
- age 20, United Kingdom
Having sex – particularly anal and oral sex with an older woman (usually over 25, at least). The thought of having sex with someone so much older than me is often very helpful to me in achieving a great orgasm. I am a virgin and have only had a girl masturbate me, which she did very awkwardly. Having someone who is experienced teach me things is what I fantasize about. I know this would be illegal, but hey – it's only a fantasy, right?
- age 14, Alabama
While I often fantasize about my partner, or other females and males in any combination or permutation, I most often think about myself – how I look and feel when I masturbate; how I might look to someone else, were they watching; whether I'd feel aroused if I were watching myself as some kind of out-of-body experience. I like the idea of masturbation as a genuinely autoerotic experience rather than as a substitute for partnered sex. For me, masturbation is a different kind of sex. This may be more common than is widely supposed, given the large number of people who masturbate despite being in a satisfying sexual relationship (or who just find it easy to get laid when they want to).
- age 46, United Kingdom
I think about people who have seen me naked, male and female. I picture their faces when they first laid eyes on my package – from school and camp showers to former girlfriends. I get off on that!
- age 17, Vermont
A few months ago I got drunk with a friend and we masturbated in the same room together. We were looking at porn on my laptop during a business trip and he pulled out his penis and started stroking. I joined in. We never touched each other but were sitting side by side. Since then, I fantasize about his penis and how it looked during that session. I think about this almost every time I masturbate.
- age 34, Indiana
When I start, I don't really think about anything. As I progress, my mind thinks about other guys. Not the act of them doing it, but how weird it is that what I do is what almost every guy does. Then I guess, as I really start to feel it, I picture myself having sex with girls. Images of female body parts continue to flash through my head. Then I finish and all sexual urges and images are gone.
- age 19, Oregon
I simply reflect on what a miracle masturbation is – to feel so great and to be available to me anytime I want!
- age 68, Texas
Whenever I discuss this topic with friends, I always tell them what I think is a typical response – that I fantasize about the guys I like. But actually, I think a lot about mild domination and bondage with some nameless, unknown characters thrown in. I would feel guilty if I put people I know into these situations because they may not be as open to it in real life, even if they're only in my fantasy. I think I'd get some odd looks if I told my friends the truth about my thoughts.
- age 16, Canada (female)
I like to fantasize that a beautiful sexy woman with a sultry voice is watching me intently, and urging me on.
- age 54, West Virginia
I think either about having tantric sex with fit girls (that's what I think about the most) or about me masturbating boys and masturbating with them. I'm not bi or gay; I'm perfectly straight. I just know it's normal for boys to fantasize about and actually masturbate with other boys.
- age 14, United Kingdom
I just think of my husband masturbating, preferably as he is standing up.
- age 54, United Kingdom (female)
I think either about having sex with my girlfriend or about masturbating with other guys – or sometimes, even having a circumcised penis. I am uncircumcised.
- age 16, Indiana
Most often, I masturbate using only my hands – but occasionally, I use some vagina substitute, such as a pillow. Especially in the latter case, I try to concentrate on the sensations of my body, because fantasizing about a woman would be too much at odds with what my body tells me. (In no way does a pillow feel like a woman's body! Still, it can be quite pleasurable to touch.) For the same reason, when I masturbate with only my hands, I do not fantasize about sexual intercourse. Either I just concentrate on the experience my hands are providing and receiving, or I make up a fantasy where not *my* hands but a woman's hands are doing those things to me. Or, a woman is looking while I do it, maybe masturbating herself, maybe videotaping – or I do it on stage in front of a lot of women.
- age 54, Denmark
I'm bisexual, so I usually think or fantasize about whatever guy or girl I have a crush on at the time. Sometimes, I fantasize about a nonspecific hot guy or girl, or a celebrity (most often Halle Berry or Johnny Depp).
- age 17, Ohio
Although I occasionally think about the joy of masturbating with a friend, I usually focus upon the physical sensations I experience when I'm alone – beginning with an erection and not ending until my body calms down following orgasm. Specifically, I think about the feeling of my erect penis in my hand and how silky it is when covered in my copious pre-ejaculate. I also reflect on how swollen my penis feels when I haven't ejaculated for several days. I delight in seeing and feeling my penis throb when I remove my hand after stroking for several minutes. The fullness of my testicles as they draw closer to my body never fails to delight me, as do the delicious sensations throughout my groin the longer I "edge." I also think about how wonderful it is to prolong the session, knowing that my ultimate orgasm will only be that much longer and stronger. In short, I think about what a beautiful gift masturbation is, and how I hope others can enjoy themselves as much as I do.
- age 62, Michigan
I only ever think about one thing – the sight of my friend's genitals, which I have seen briefly in the school showers. He is of Chinese origin, and although he has a very small penis and absolutely no body hair, he has just started growing a lot of very bushy, dark pubic hair. I think about this when I masturbate and I can then reach orgasm within seconds.
- age 15, Sweden
If you mean "common" in the sense of ordinary, I'd say it's thinking about how pleasurable vaginal intercourse feels and how much I wish I could be having coitus instead of masturbating. If you mean common in the sense of "frequency," I'd say it's how neat I think my penis is, and how wonderful it is to be in a state of sexual arousal and by anatomy's design, be utterly unable to conceal it.
- age 27, Illinois
I think about previous heterosexual experiences, being with male friends as a teenager, and a recent mutual experience with a same-age cousin as an adult. We are both married. A few months ago, we shared a hotel room together and decided to relive the experiences we enjoyed with each other as teens – a most satisfying diversion.
- age 61, Oregon
This is embarrassing to admit, but I think about being watched – by a guy. When I lie back in bed at night and masturbate, I get this fantasy of having a guy standing there watching me do it. It's not any guy that I know; it's just some male seeing me play with myself. He stares at me as he sees how I do my private thing and knows I'm really hooked on masturbating. Sometimes I imagine it's my older brother (30), or a guy from work, or my boss. And I'm quite embarrassed, but I can't stop. At other times, my fantasy is that somebody put a hidden webcam in my bedroom and my masturbation sessions are broadcast on the Internet. Anybody – I don't know who – could be watching me.
- age 24, Arizona
I think of a girl crouching over me as I masturbate and her orgasm going all over me. I am feeling her breasts.
- age 16, Arizona
My thoughts cover a range of things as I go through a masturbation session. Often, I think about whatever aroused me initially, such as pornographic material – but then my thoughts stray to past sexual experiences or people I would like to be masturbating with. As my excitement grows, my thoughts seem to concentrate on the feel of my erection in my hand and of how I would like to taste my own penis in my mouth. I begin fantasizing about how I used to shoot semen onto my chest and face when I was younger. The closer I get to orgasm, I think more and more about how good it will feel as my semen erupts and how it will taste as I lick it off my hand. I guess I'm pretty self-centered when I masturbate.
- age 57, Ohio
I think about being nude with other boys and us playing with each other. I do think about girls, too, when I masturbate. I don't know why I think more about boys – perhaps because I have been naked around boys all my life. But my closest thing to a sexual encounter with a female is being seen in only jeans with an inch of my briefs exposed.
- age 14, Arkansas
I think about a bread truck driver from Detroit. We knew each other in a barracks outside Honolulu in World War II. On liberty, we spent hours in a hotel room, naked, masturbating each other and ourselves. He was the most intimate friend I ever had. We slept together in each other's arms. Sometimes we kissed. We agreed that we loved each other, but still, didn't consider ourselves homosexual. After the war, we both married and eventually stopped writing. Now, he is gone. When I masturbate, I imagine him beside me and I wish it were true.
- age 81, Texas
When I masturbate I think of my best friend who is also a guy, though I also think of my ex-girlfriend. Sometimes I think of them together. This sounds strange, even to me!
- age 19, Tennessee
I almost always try to think if my parents are near, and whether I should keep masturbating when they walk by the bathroom.
- age 13, Oregon
For years, I would think about a girl I liked masturbating me or having oral sex with me – but after ejaculation, I would always feel lonely and disappointed, for nobody was actually there. Now I try to concentrate on myself, instead – on my penis and on the pleasure I'm having. I can thus delay ejaculation much longer, for I'm focusing on my response to stimulation. Sometimes, however, I have a fantasy where I would catch my sister enjoying herself on her bed (we have separate bedrooms). We would talk and start to masturbate in front of each other. This has never happened, and we have never talked about masturbation at all – it's just my fantasy.
- age 22, Italy
I think about other males masturbating. I'm not gay, but while I'm masturbating, the thought of a girl just doesn't turn me on.
- age 14, Massachusetts
I think most about how beautiful my penis and testicles are and how grateful I am to have them as my play toys. I am totally into masturbation as the ultimate form of self-love. I just love the way all this is put together.
- age 46, California
I think about how a girl and I are going to be best friends, both in life and when we are making love – and, that I'm going to do everything I can to make her feel as good as I'm feeling – and, that some day I'll be a dad.
- age 15, Pennsylvania
Past sexual experiences. I can fantasize about fictitious events that I wish could happen, but they require much more energy to maintain in my mind than actual past events.
- age 34, Indiana
I usually masturbate in front of a mirror wearing a swimsuit. I fantasize that my reflection and I are going jet skiing together. That is so exciting I can sometimes ejaculate in a minute or less!
- age 16, Arkansas
When I'm alone, I try to keep my mind free of thought. Concentrating on the pleasure of the waves coursing through my body and trying to locate each surge that passes from one part of my body to another is enough for me. I try to notice each change – such as rate of respiration, pressure of my genital clamping, and involvement of my rectal area. When these are all brought to a fever pitch, I can't control myself and I reach orgasm no matter how I resist. When with someone, I try to pleasure the other person with as much technique as I can provide. I verbalize how I want them to feel and coax them to reach heights they've never experienced before. Sometimes they cannot control themselves and climax with great thrusting, which gives me almost as much pleasure as I gain from my own orgasm. Rather than stopping at orgasm, I try to massage them gently until they have completed, thus giving further pleasure whenever I can.
- age 65, South Carolina
I'm bisexual, but usually I think about other men in their underwear when I masturbate. Call me weird, but nothing is sexier to me than someone in a pair of tighty-whiteys!
- age 15, New Mexico
I most commonly think about missed opportunities to masturbate with certain friends when I was younger. I've had many mutual sessions and love both to be masturbated and to masturbate someone else – but many of my fantasies revolve around sleepovers, camping trips, hotel rooms, and so on, where I wanted to initiate a session but was too shy or scared. The hottest is probably when I was on vacation in Daytona Beach with my best (and very straight) friend. We got to our hotel room and he stripped naked just to relax after a long journey – so I did, too, and we sat around playing cards and having a cocktail. I could sense the sexual tension; I knew he could, too; and I think he was waiting for me to make the first move. But as much as I wanted to, I didn't. I also remember times that mutual sessions did happen and it was just so cool that we all liked the bonding and pleasure that occurs. BR> - age 47, Illinois
I like to think about many things, but I love to imagine just the face of a beautiful girl looking into my eyes, with our bodies together. I also like to think about women's lingerie and how sexy it makes them and how good it feels when rubbed up against me.
- age 19, Louisiana
Ideally I would think of nothing, which seems to make masturbation a richer and more powerful experience. But I usually have some fantasy in mind. My most unusual thoughts may be about the sex lives of characters in a novel I'm writing. (They have more interesting sex lives than I do – and I end up getting a better feeling for them as characters.) When I was a teenager, I'd often think – enviously – of guys in gym class who seemed to have better bodies than mine (especially when I saw them in the shower).
- age 32, Washington
I think of a broomstick with lubricant on it. Honestly, I find that this gives me the best orgasm. However, I am bisexual, and I also sometimes think of my Spanish teacher, whom I suspect to be lesbian. Although I am embarrassed to say it, I have a urine fetish, and I often picture my teacher suspended in the air over me as she urinates onto me. This is just the way I feel.
- age 14, Massachusetts (female)
I'm very straight and happily married – but for some reason, I love to think about great male bodies and penises when I masturbate. I'm not at all attracted to men (as people), but in a fantasy, a toned male body from the chest down is a real turn-on, especially one with a 7- to 9-inch penis. When I'm not in my fantasy mind, and actually around a fit guy, I'm not at all into this fantasy and am even turned off by the thought. But it's different in a closed-eyes fantasy when I masturbate alone. My favorite scene is slowly stroking and even sucking a man when he's covered from the chest up so I don't know who he is and he doesn't know who I am. Seeing him ejaculate powerfully puts me over the edge, and I have an intense orgasm.
-age 38, Michigan
When I masturbate, it's all about me. I want to pleasure myself – my mind and my spirit. I don't really get into fantasizing about another person or others' body parts (not to say that is a bad thing; everyone uses whatever they need to get sexually aroused). I focus on my body – when I touch my skin, I think of how it feels and I talk to myself explain what feels good and where. Talking to myself makes me enjoy masturbation more and encourages me to keep on doing what makes me feel good. When I do this, I always end with a great orgasm.
- age 17, Australia
During my teens, I masturbated often just to relieve myself. I fantasized about girls and their beauty. Now, masturbation is usually a matter of self-love, one way to express and enjoy my sexuality. I just think about my penis and my pleasure.
- age 36, Finland
Actually, I don't think at all. I just "go with the flow."
- age 14, Belgium
Most of all, I think about situations I have been in before. I am fortunate to relive those moments and keep deriving new pleasure from them. I also think about deep, long, passionate kisses. To me, there are few things more truly connecting and passionate than wet kisses.
- age 24, Australia (female)
I think about many things. The main thing I like to imagine is having a 3-way with my girlfriend and a guy friend.
- age 17, Virginia
I tend to think about giving an imaginary person the same pleasure I am feeling myself. I visualize someone in my mind (often an amalgam of people I've thought to be) and away I go. These sessions can last a number of hours using the teasing-the-mind and physical stop-and-go technique.
- age 41, Australia
To arouse myself, I usually fantasize about having sex with my girlfriend in the woods. It is still too cold outside in Norway, so we haven't done that yet – but we often talk about it. Otherwise, I like to fantasize about being "caught" by my best friend while I'm masturbating during a sleepover. It also turns me on to think of a gay friend who fancies me. But I'm certainly thinking mainly of my girlfriend.
- age 23, Norway
I like to think about women giving oral sex to other women, or women giving oral sex to men. Thinking "this is going to be my best orgasm yet" also works for me.
- age 14, Australia
Before masturbating, I work myself up by thinking in exquisite detail about what I am going to do to myself. This includes where I'll be, what I'm to wear, what toys I will use on myself, and how I will make myself feel. When I'm preparing, I concentrate on the moment. I enjoy the touch and feel of things as I prepare. When I begin to masturbate, I fantasize. A favorite is being in a hotel room, calling room service, and being "caught" masturbating by the guy who attends. I imagine I'm very rich and sophisticated and simply tell him to "orgasm me" when he comes in. The actual play goes with the feelings I get, and that drives my fantasy and thoughts.
- age 28, United Kingdom (female)
I think about times when I have walked in on my partner as he was masturbating. Sometimes when I come home and I know he has masturbated, it gets me so hot! I love to catch him in the act.
- age 36, California
I masturbate to memories, usually of particular women who were in see-through clothing or weren't wearing underpants or bra, and who seemed to give me a look. These women were thoughtful and generous! Perhaps they felt sexy in a way that I like to feel. Sometimes I use memories of my wife at a filling station, with her thin skirt blowing high around her thighs, knowing she didn't have anything on underneath – or, of the wife in a couple we're close friends with, who talked about not liking to wear underwear, and whose subtle revelations of her wonderful mount of Venus live on in a number of images in my file of cherished memories.
- age 60, Massachusetts