I just find it really weird that a kink I had was made into something mainstream. Now every time I want to talk about my favorite activities with dominant women I am going to come across as some weirdo who browses reddit.

Exactly, research has its place, but sometimes people put way too much importance on it. The only research that matters the most is your own personal experience and trial and error. Do it for a few months and see what it's like. That's all there is to it, and this applies to a lot of things too: a new workout regimen, a diet, cold showers, productivity hacks, biohacking, etc. Stop arguing over whether there's scientific evidence for something, and just try it yourself

Absolutely, this “scientism” attitude that elevates peer reviewed research as the only way of learning anything is silly. I mostly see it among non scientists that have made science a sort of religion. As an academic PI, I see how the sausage is made and don’t have so much faith. Moreover, direct observation, personal experimentation, and hunches are how good scientists come up with the ideas for studies in the first place.

With human sexuality in particular there are so many cultural taboos that very little research has been done. Limiting your understanding of your own sexuality to peer reviewed research is just silly, you will miss millions of obvious things, and also miss the fact that people are individuals and experience and respond differently to the same things.

Except “nofap” itself uses a core misunderstanding of biology and neuroscience to justify itself to prospective new recruits to the “community”. It’s only when that is called out that your group then retreats into “science doesn’t matter”.

It’s crap and in bad faith.

What is this core misunderstanding?

I'm not familiar with the arguments used to 'recruit' people, as I've had Reddit blocked on all of my devices for years.