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If you are anxious and worried about boners before we answer the question of how to get rid of a boner? let us first look at the science behind this phenomenon. This guide is your friend.
Can you name a more iconic duo than Sherlock and Dr. Watson, Mario and Luigi, Key and Peele, Batman and Robin?
Easy, a man and his phallus friend when it is awake.
This same friend of yours can also become your enemy in worse circumstances. Having a boner (or erection as commonly known) when intending to, like during sexy times, you will be grateful for your buddy. Imagine having one out of nowhere during a family gathering; it is a highly inappropriate situation to get a boner, but it can happen to the best of us.
Such unwanted erections may not necessarily be caused due to sexual arousal. It is a normal body function for men, especially young boys, to experience such unwanted erections. There is a term for this random unwanted erection- spontaneous erections.
1. How Does One Get A Boner?
Inside the penis anatomy, there are tiny blood vessels that expand during sexual, arousing thoughts or due to other stimulants. A spongy tissue (corpora cavernosa) gets filled due to the blood flow, and your penis becomes engorged, firm, and enlarged, forming an erection.
While the brain does play a role in mentally stimulating sexual arousal, much of the heavy lifting is done by your spinal cord.
Testosterone plays a vital role in erectile function. In most men, fluctuating levels of testosterone can be a cause of spontaneous erections.
2. How To Get Rid Of A Boner
It is a highly uncomfortable situation when you get an unwanted boner, and you awkwardly attempt to hide it from public view to avoid embarrassment.
“What if someone noticed it and got the wrong idea about me?”
It is natural to have such thoughts because most people aren’t aware that erections can also occur without any sexual stimulation. Sometimes the owner does not have control over it.
Worry not! I will guide you through different methods you can use to get rid of an erection or how to get rid of a boner.
2.1 Take A Walk

When the blood flow is concentrated in your penis region, walking can help blood circulate away from the penis. Helping your buddy to return to its flaccid state1.
But sometimes, given the situation and circumstances, it might not be possible for you to take a walk. In that case-
2.2 Do Gentle Exercise

Flexing your muscles can help you to get rid of an unwanted erection.
You can also divert the blood away from your penis by doing light exercises such as push-ups, pull-ups, jumping jacks, or even simply stretching your arms and legs. This is extremely useful when getting rid of the erection you get in the morning, also known as the morning wood.
You need not stand up and flex your guns out with the Johnson up and awake for everyone to cheer. While sitting, you can subtly flex the muscle of your arms or, better yet, the calf muscles if you aren’t alone and cannot do light exercise.
2.3 Temperature Manipulation

Cold temperatures can cause blood vessels in the penis to shut down, causing difficulty in getting an erection or help in answering your question on how to get rid of a boner.
Therefore, a quick cold shower can easily help you eliminate an erection. If you find taking a cold shower a hassle, you can alternatively try running down cold water onto your wrists and even splashing it on your face, or, better, gulping down a cold drink.
For some people, a cold shower might not do the trick. In that case, taking a nice warm bath may help you calm your nerves down, and as a result, you can get rid of an erection.
2.4 Distract Your Mind

Shifting your focus away from your erection can sometimes remarkably help you lose your erection without much effort.
You can distract your mind by attempting mental math in your head- like basic calculations or reciting simple tables. If you, like me, have an aversion to math problems, you can even distract the mind by talking with someone. If having a normal conversation while having erections is difficult for you, try distracting your mind with, what I like to call, anti-boner thoughts.
Anti-boner thoughts include thinking about non-sexual thoughts and nouns. For example, water, paper, clouds, and rain. Or think of delightful things such as pretty flowers, adorable puppies, or kittens if you are a feline admirer.
This is also the only time when your past embarrassing memories will come in handy how to get rid of a boner.
2.5 Dress For The Occasion
If you expect the erection to show up beforehand, avoid wearing tight clothing that might reveal the erection extensively.
Instead, wear a long shirt that will help you hide the erection and wait it out even if you are unable to get rid of it at that moment. Or, if possible, tuck it in your waistband to conceal the awkward bulge of the erection.
2.6 Inflict Mild Pain

Administering slight pain by pinching yourself on your arms or thigh can help calm down your erection. Some people suggest pinching on your cojones is a good way to relieve an erection, but I personally wouldn’t recommend such an extreme measure.
For the masochists 2scrolling through this list, you might want to steer clear of this method.
2.7 Bop The Tip

This might sound a little weird and unusual. Still, it is a practice that is utilized mostly in the medical profession, wherein when a patient has an erection, the nurse lightly bops the tip of the penis with a spoon, and the erection magically disappears.
2.8 Rub One Out
Having sex is another ideal and intended way to relieve erections. Still, it is not an option every time you get an erection, and a considerable number of men are also devoid of this option.
Ergo, one of the best healthy, non-harming, and surefire ways to get rid of an erection is to rub one out (masturbate). Not only do you derive momentary pleasure, but you also make sure your buddy stays aloof, especially when you are expected at a meet-up or get-together.
Make sure you do not attempt this anywhere outside your home.
3. Prolonged Erections

Sometimes all things that may seem fine at the top might have some repercussions underneath. It is important that you routinely monitor the well-being of your penis.
We will briefly go through signs and indications that may require you to seek professional medical advice, which, if left untreated, can cause serious consequences for your penis health conditions.
3.1 Priapism

If you are experiencing unusually long painful erections lasting more than four hours, you should speak to a doctor immediately.
Priapism 3is a serious condition wherein the person affected experiences severe pain in their penis, which can cause permanent damage to your penis if not treated quickly.
While uncommon, consulting a healthcare professional with prompt treatment with the help of sexual medicine, painful erection can be easily treated.
4. Debunking The Myths
Several false myths about the penis are still propagating around, mostly due to a lack of sex education. Ergo4, as a true mate, I will debunk them for you while also teaching you to wield your lightsaber.
- The average penis size
Most men believe that if they are not bigger than 6 inches, it is the end of the world. The fact is that the average penis size lies around 5 inches (when erect).
- Big shoe size implies a big penis
The shoe size has nothing to do with your penis size. You do not have to pretend to buy bigger shoes anymore.
- Curvy is abnormal
Just because your penis has a curve that slightly bends your penis toward the right, left, up, or down does not mean you have an abnormal penis. It is totally normal not to have a straight penis. A wise man once said, “Love comes in all shapes and sizes.”

- Enlargement products
You might have “stumbled” across many such penis enlargement products that claim to transform your Steve Rogers into Cap’n America. Those products are outright scams. Unless you get the surgery done, there is no other way to add those extra inches.
- Masturbation causes blindness
The number of people that believe this is scary. There is absolutely no way you can go blind due to masturbation. Maybe you can get blinded….by the pleasure that too figuratively, not literally.
5. Conclusion
We not only saw how to get rid of a boner but also went through useful information about your penis.
It is important to teach kids about their genitals. This will also help them prepare for puberty, wherein they will experience many drastic changes that may overwhelm them or make them uncomfortable in their own body.
Sex-ed can also help the kids to identify any underlying medical emergency related to their genitalia. Although not a basis for a sex-ed, this “how to get rid of a boner” guide is certainly a step towards it.
FAQs
1. Why would someone want to get rid of a boner?
A: There are various situations where someone might want to get rid of a boner, such as when it occurs at an inappropriate time or place, or when someone wants to hide or manage their arousal in a public or professional setting.
2. Is it normal to get a boner at random times?
A: Yes, it’s completely normal for males to experience erections at unexpected or random times. Erections can happen due to various reasons, including hormonal fluctuations, physical stimulation, or even just due to the body’s natural physiological processes5.
3. Is it unhealthy to try to get rid of a boner?
A: Trying to get rid of a boner is generally not unhealthy. Erections are a natural bodily response and do not cause harm. However, forcefully trying to suppress or manipulate them frequently may lead to discomfort or frustration. Being gentle with your body and respecting its natural processes is essential.
- Abdessater, Maher, et al. “Hard flaccid syndrome: state of current knowledge.” Basic and clinical andrology 30.1 (2020): 1-7. ↩︎
- Sowersby, Chelsea-Jade, Marianne Erskine-Shaw, and Dominic Willmott. “Masochist or murderer? A discourse analytic study exploring social constructions of sexually violent male perpetrators, female victims-survivors and the rough sex defense on twitter.” Frontiers in psychology 13 (2022): 867991. ↩︎
- Bivalacqua, Trinity J., et al. “Acute ischemic priapism: an AUA/SMSNA guideline.” Journal of Urology 206.5 (2021): 1114-1121. ↩︎
- Carrera, Constanza S., et al. “Leaf structure and ultrastructure changes induced by heat stress and drought during seed filling in field-grown soybean and their relationship with grain yield.” Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências 93 (2021). ↩︎
- Checa, Javier, and Josep M. Aran. “Reactive oxygen species: drivers of physiological and pathological processes.” Journal of Inflammation research (2020): 1057-1073. ↩︎
Last Updated on by Sathi Chakraborty, MSc Biology