The Long, Hard Truth About Why You Get Boners

While some folks hurl the word boner at a guy after theyve made a silly mistake, when it comes to penises, a boner means having an erection (aka hard-on, stiffy, pitching a tent, woody, fatty, full chub, or full mast). Boners are specialthere really is nothing like them. No other part of a mans external body expands two to three times its size on a (near) daily basis. Not to mention that boners sometimes happen at the most random times for the most bizarre reasons.

Here we break down everything to know about bonersjust in case youve been having some questions about why and how youre getting erect.

What happens to your body when you get a boner?

Small arteries in the penis dilate when you get a boner, causing increased blood flow to the penis, explains Jed Kaminetsky, M.D., a Board-Certified Urologist and Medical Advisor. The blood fills two champers of spongy tissue inside the penis, causing them to swell, making your penis erect.

As more blood flows into the penis it will get tumescent or semi-rigid," Kaminetsky says. "To achieve maximum rigidity, the veins in the penis compress, not allowing blood to flow out."

Why do boners happen?

Usually, an erection happens in response to sexual excitement. In young men, just the sight or thought of a pretty woman can elicit an erection, Kaminetsky says.

As men age, direct stimulation may be required, and sometimes, older men may even need more than direct stimulation, which is when medications like Viagra come into play.

What are other reasons besides can cause boners?

Not all erections are a result of sexual arousal. There are a number of reasons why you may experience an erection that have nothing to do with being turned on.

Morning Boner

Often referred to as morning wood, many men wake up with an erection. This is associated with peak testosterone levels in the morning and can be related to sexual dreams or 'reflex' erections, explains Kaminetsky.

Reflex Boner

Reflex erections can occur due to sudden stimuli, for example, being scared or frightened, says , M.D., a urologist and urogynecologist at Garden State Urology. They have also been known to occur during times of stress or anxiety," he adds.

Sleeping Boner

"All healthy men get nocturnal erections which are erections that occur during the REM phase of sleep ," says Ingber. We still dont know exactly why this happens, but we do know it has something to do with nitric oxide (NO) getting released during this phase of sleep.

Incidental Stimulation Boner

Some men can get erections due to tactile stimuli of the genitals, which are not at all sexual in naturefor example, wearing tight clothing, which rubs the genitals during walking, says Ingber. So be careful when wearing those skinny jeans in public. You dont want to accidentally put on a show for strangers.

Emotional Boner

An emotional boner usually has to do with some sort of significant emotional response, which triggers an erection, explains Ingber. This can be extreme sadness, anger, or even happiness and love. For whatever reason (even us experts can't fully explain it), these emotional responses can trigger a reflex erection to occur. So you could have an emotional boner at the thought of marriage (love) or at the end of Old Yeller (sadness). It can be quite embarrassing, as it may not have anything to do with a sexual thought, says Ingber.

A Seek-Medical-Attention Boner

Priapism is when you have an erection that lasts for more than four hours (just like the Viagra commercial warns!). The term is named after the Greek god Priapus, a minor fertility god, who was always depicted with a raging, oversized boner.

"Priapism results in severe pain and an eventual emergency room visit, says Ingber. Priapism can be caused by many things including erectile dysfunction medications like Viagra, antipsychotics like Trazadone, illicit drugs like cocaine, and even blood disorders like sickle-cell disease," he says. Treatment typically involves injecting medicine into the penis to help with detumescence (getting soft).

What should you do if you have a boner when you dont want one?

Sometimes you get a boner at the wrong time. This is a common trope in numerous high school movies, where a teen gets called up to speak in front of the class, but he doesnt want to stand up from his desk because he has a boner that simply wont go away. (FYI, you can always tuck your penis up into your underwear elastic band. In my humble opinion, its the best way to conceal a boner, though obviously, its not a perfect method.)

If youre in a situation where you really dont want an erection, but for some unlucky reason have one, Kaminetsky recommends thinking of something that does not cause a state of arousal: For example, you can picture your grandmother or a sporting event." He adds that physical stimulation to a different part of the body, like gently biting your tongue or finger, can also reduce arousal and lead to the loss of an unwanted erection.

What should you do if you cant get a boner?

Lets say you have the opposite problem and are struggling to get a boner when you really want one (like when youre about to have sex). Not to worry! Here are to help you obtain and maintain an erection, and heres that details everything to know about erectile dysfunction.