Breaking the Stigma: Gooning Is Normal Now

Gooning is normal now. Just take a quick look at the Google Trends chart below. In just the last two years, searches for “gooning” keywords have skyrocketed, now at a level with other porn-adjacent keywords like “vr porn” and “pmv”, both genres that have been well-established for years. Note: The below Google Trend is from November, 2025.

You’d of course expect at least some of this trend to be due to COVID, with lots of people in more or less isolation, and spending a lot of time online. But that’s years ago now, and the major uptick in search behaviour has been within just the last 18 months. Clearly, gooning isn’t just a passing trend from COVID, but is gaining real traction as an interest, hobby, lifestyle – whatever.

Gooning has been recognized in major publications

Major websites and magazines have also noticed the trend, some with more judgmental overtones than others, of course. This recent piece in Men’s Health on gooning defines the practice in a neutral way, even offering some tips for beginners.

Vice News, never known to shy away from taboo and sexy topics, likewise has covered gooning culture recently. One of the most interesting parts of their piece is the reference to a recent study of gooning culture.

Here are some of the key take-aways.

• 1 in 4 Americans have tried gooning.
• Men are twice as likely as women to goon, with nearly 1 in 2 men having tried gooning. However, there are still 1 in 5 women that have gooned.
• There is of course a generational divide as well, with Millenials and Gen Z being by far the most common gooners. About 1 in 3 from both groups have gooned. However, about 1 in 5 Gen X and Baby Boomers have also gooned.
• Americans, on average, goon once per week. Men average twice per week, while women average once per week.
• High Frequency: 1 in 10 Americans goon 3 or more times per week (1 in 6 men vs. 1 in 17 women).

Of course, not all are neutral or objective.