We wear underwear every day, but we rarely ask ourselves why we wear it at all. Underwear has many advantages and benefits compared to not wearing underwear. However, wearing the wrong underwear can have a negative impact on our health. So what is the reason behind wearing underwear?
The reason for wearing underwear is to protect the outer clothing from sweat, leakage of urine, and seminal fluid. For women, it also protects against blood leakage during menstruation. Underwear also protects our private parts as it is absorbent, so it prevents bacteria from forming on our skin.
Underwear is important for our health, hygiene, and well-being. Continue reading this article as I will tell you what the reasons for wearing underwear are. How underwear has evolved over time and whether not wearing underwear increases testosterone in men.
What is the reason behind wearing underwear?
Underwear is important for our health, hygiene, and well-being. But to achieve this, we need to choose the right shape of underwear and the right material. Underwear should be comfortable and of good quality for your health, and as a third option, you can also add aesthetics.
By far the most comfortable materials for underwear are natural materials. Cotton is the most common, but you can also wear underwear made from bamboo, silk, wool, and linen. Cotton is the most common material because it is comfortable, soft, stretchy, widely available and easy to work with.
In previous posts, I have made some comparisons between the most common materials, polyester and nylon, and cotton and polyester. You can read the full comparisons by clicking on the links.
For men, there are three main types of underwear. These are boxers, boxer briefs, and briefs. Of these, boxer briefs are the most popular for men. This is because they give enough space to the intimate areas and are also snug enough not to disturb us when wearing them.
Wearing brief underwear for a long time has a negative effect on male fertility. I suggest you read more about how brief underwear negatively affects fertility here.
For women, there are also three types of underwear that are the most popular. These are bikinis, briefs, and cheeky.
Compared to thongs, these three forms of underwear offer support and comfort when worn and cover a large part of the body. You can find out more about how to choose the right shape of underwear for women and men here.
What was the original purpose of underwear?
The original reason for underwear was as a status symbol and a sign of power, starting in the time of ancient Egypt. Before that, underwear had been worn since 40.000 BC. But underwear was an outer garment that served as protection, and people wore nothing underneath.
The development of underwear has been prolonged. The underwear we wear today is less than 100 years old. However, the development has been interesting and has been gradual. It all started with the wealthy upper classes who could afford such garments. Over time, however, underwear for men and women became more common.
In the Middle Ages, the ruler Henry VIII wore underwear, then called beriers (loose-fitting garments), to which he added a front flap to make urination easier.
Women and men wore such underwear for many years until the Renaissance in the 1400s when women started wearing underpants. Women wore full-length pants to be more comfortable and not feel cold when riding a horse. Underwear was mostly made of treated or untreated cotton or linen during this period.
Does not wearing underwear increase testosterone?
Not wearing underwear increases testosterone because underwear does not put pressure on the testicles. The brief shape of underwear puts pressure on the testicles, reducing the concentration and number of sperm in the testicles, so not wearing underwear increases testosterone.
5-8% of people choose not to wear underwear. There may be several reasons, but the most common and obvious reason is the feeling of freedom. Your private areas breathe better because they are more exposed to air. They are not under pressure from underwear, which can reduce fertility in men.
Research at Harvard University has shown that men who wear brief underwear have lower concentration and sperm counts. Compared to men who wear looser underwear or no underwear at all.
If you are planning a family in the near future, avoid wearing brief underwear. After just 30 days of wearing, sperm concentration and quantity will increase by up to 20%.
Instead of brief underwear, you can wear looser boxers or give up underwear altogether. But, not wearing underwear does have some disadvantages.
We sweat during the day, accidentally passing urine, seminal fluid, from our private areas. If you wear underwear, all this is absorbed by your underwear, which needs to be quick-drying so that bacteria don’t start forming on your skin. If you don’t wear underwear, your outer clothes will soak it all up, which can be uncomfortable.
If you want to feel more freedom with your underwear, I suggest wearing boxers.