I have been listening to the agonies and ecstasies of recovering porn addicts for several years. Over and over, a common pattern appears: As users manage to abstain from porn and cut way back on masturbation, their desire to connect with others surges. So does their confidence, their ability to look others in the eye, their sense of humor, their perception of their “manliness,” their concentration, their optimism, their judgment, their attractiveness to potential mates, and so forth. Even those formerly suffering from severe social anxiety are more often than not emboldened to explore new avenues for social contact: smiling and joking with work colleagues, online dating, meditation groups, nightspots, and so forth. In some cases it takes months, but often the shift is so rapid that it catches them by surprise. …

…Introverts, and those who didn’t develop healthy bonds as infants, may be particularly at risk for social anxiety due to frequent masturbation. Isolation lets them control their exposure to awkward and unsatisfying interractions. Reaching for the escape of masturbation (or other stimuli) can then become a substitute for socialy acquired self-knowledge and emotional regulation

… Frequent masturbation may replace this basic human need with escalating desire and orgasm (without the health-giving touch of affectionate intercourse). When porn/masturbation becomes compulsive, it can tend to keep healthy relationships in the future indefinitely, perhaps because it modifies the brain, its physiology, and the signals it bleeps. For many, these changes may show up as debilitating social anxiety.

Was the Cowardly Lion Just Masturbating Too Much- – Reuniting