A sex toy company is offering to pay people $1,000 to masturbate as part of their market research. Lovehoney is recruiting ten members to join its new Orgasm Advisory Board, where members will test out and advise on new sex toys.
The chosen panel will receive $1,000 for a year’s service and a monthly package of sex toys worth up to $250.
All adults 18 and over in the US and Canada are eligible to apply, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation and sexual experience level.
Experience is not a requirement – Lovehoney says it doesn’t matter ‘if you have never masturbated or have a full-blown sex room’.
The lucky ten will have to review the sex toys they are sent every month, participate in focus groups and fill out surveys
Lovehoney’s US sex map reveals that California, New York and Texas spend the most on sex toys
They will get chance to be part of the creative process of designing Lovehoney’s sex toys by offering real feedback in focus groups.
Masturbation prompts the release of feel-good hormones — like oxytocin and endorphins — which boost your mood.
The lucky ten will have to review the sex toys they are sent every month, participate in focus groups and fill out surveys.
They will also have to create content to share online to promote the brand.
Lovehoney is setting out on a 16-city recruitment tour, starting out in New York and Los Angeles on May 6, 2023.
Also on the tour is Cheyenne, Wyoming, the city which bought the least amount of sex toys last year.
Sarah Tomchesson, Lovehoney’s resident sexual wellness advisor, said: ‘We created the Orgasm Advisory Board to increase our connection with consumers.’
She added: ‘Self-pleasure is still stigmatized and taboo in so many places.
‘Because of this, we wanted to take our recruitment initiative to the streets, meet people where they are and educate them about the benefits of masturbation.’
Masturbation is still very much a taboo topic — so it can be tricky to work out whether you’re doing it too much or too little.
In recent years, there has been an idea that access to pornography has led to too much masturbation, causing a wave of sexual problems and warped views of sex.
But a recent study suggested abstaining from pleasuring yourself is also bad — and could raise the risk of anxiety, depression and erectile dysfunction.
There is no scientifically-determined number for how often a man or woman should masturbate.
But medical professionals do urge people to undertake the habit occasionally, saying it can help to reduce stress, improve self-esteem and even, for men, reduce the risk of prostate cancer.
When people masturbate, it prompts the release of feel-good hormones — like oxytocin and endorphins — which boost mood.
There is also no figure for how often someone should have sex. But scientists have suggested to DailyMail.com that about once a week is best.