Are people who grew up naked really more relaxed in life?

Replies

• NP

  

  Nude Paul

  Feb 19, 2026

  Being raised as a nudist, I've always been comfortable with my body and never cared who sees me nude. In 6th grade we had locker rooms with open showers and everyone was required to rinse off. I was 2 years into puberty with good penis growth, but my body was hairless (by choice), While many of my peers were prepubescent with small, hairless penises, I looked prepubescent with a hairless more "mature" penis. They would try to keep their junk covered the whole time, but I walked to the shower, showered and walked back to my locker nude the whole time. As an adult Iv always been a home nudist, but often felt it was "appropriate" to get dressed around certain people. 9 years ago I moved to land in a rural area with no neighbors and became a full time nudist, inside and outside. I only put on clothes when I leave my property. Everyone who visits, whether friend, family or stranger is aware I will be wearing nothing but a smile. I have a coded gate entrance as well as a sign on my very long driveway that says, Clothing optional beyond this point. I can honestly say I have never been more relaxed, happy, stress free and self-confident in my

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• SA

  

  Stone Andy

  Feb 20, 2026

  I'd like to think that growing up naked or nudist leads to a more relaxed, easy spirit in life, but reality is always nuanced. I grew up in a Swedish family in the Midwest US and got mixed messages about nudity. Our home wasn't prudish regarding nudity, and "modesty" was defined more in terms of not bragging rather than hiding your "privates" (a stupid term if there ever was one). However society said nudity was shameful. If I'd grown up in a nudist community (rather than an evangelical one), it might have been easier.
  I learned to think of the personal, society, professional, social, etc. in different silos with conflicting ideals and mixed messages. I believe that's normal for immigrant kids and those who are "othered" on the basis of factors including race, skin tone, sexual orientation, etc. They're tough to navigate as a kid, especially without supportive parents, though they're the foundation for a more defined sense of self as an adult. My sons, now in their early 20's, grew up with similar conflicts after our divorce. It's all life - good and bad.
  On another forum I'm familiar with a nudist family in Florida with a large home and swimming pool on 5 acres of land built for an optimal nudist lifestyle including nudist kid and family parties where the local community seems to just adapt and leave their clothes at the door regardless of if they ever considered nudism as a lifestyle. It all sounds wonderful - and not Midwestern.
  We create our reality. I choose to live in an apartment in a suburban area which lacks privacy but offers convience. I don't have the funds to purchase a lot of land, but if nudism were my top priority I could find a solution. I like to think I'm more relaxed than how I grew up, but I'd rather be relaxed with pants on in a group of textiles than primarily isolated and naked. I accept how the local culture generally thinks "nudity=sexual=inappropriate," and local nudism requires "nudity - any possible sexual context = appropriate nudism." My thinking is "people as sexual beings + / - clothes = people as sexual beings."
  America when will you be angelic? When will you take off your clothes? ~ Alan Gingsburg

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• BI

  

  Bill

  Feb 20, 2026

  [quote] ... My question is are People who geht raised naked more relaxed and more self-confident and have less issues growing up than dressed raised people or Is that just the perspective of a few people, such as my friends?[/quote] Short answer is - your friends have gotten it right! Long-winded answer - most trustworthy surveys on the subject do conclude that children brought up with regular, unforced nudity in their lives have a much easier time with so many of the things that otherwise can create pitfalls in a young person's upbringing. Your friend mentioned a few of the positive items that are commonly brought up, but I'll add a few more important ones: Gaining a more real view of everyone around them during social nude experiences, coming to understand that clothes DON'T make the 'man' (or woman); having sun and wind on every part of their body brings serenity and vitamin D and vitality to mind, body & spirit; learning how much better they sleep when naked, with no clothes worn in bed lowering the body temperature and increasing REM dreams, and that can help them reset and better prepare their young minds for the chaotic world they wake up to; direct contact with the genuine sort of people who follow the path of nudism - individuals who don't fit into any typical box - free-thinkers and explorers of the Universe, both inside and out. And honorable mention goes to doing a shitload less laundry! Yeah, gotta wash those those bed sheets more often, but it's well worth it. I don't get along with every nudist I meet, but respect between two - often quite disparate - people is strengthened when we both see each other's true self, and the humility that comes with that grounds us all, equalizes us, and helps teach us to be gentle with each and every other being, and hopefully, gentleness for the world on which we reside. It's the only one we got!

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• AL

  

  AlexOriginal Poster

  Feb 20, 2026

  Thank you very much for your feedback. It's very interesting and has made me think about myself, as I also experienced my parents' divorce, which caused me to withdraw and go through a phase of wearing the same clothes for several years.

  Do you think your sons will pass on the experience of growing up like this?

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• AL

  

  AlexOriginal Poster

  Feb 20, 2026

  [quote]I'd like to think that growing up naked or nudist leads to a more relaxed, easy spirit in life, but reality is always nuanced. I grew up in a Swedish family in the Midwest US and got mixed messages about nudity. Our home wasn't prudish regarding nudity, and "modesty" was defined more in terms of not bragging rather than hiding your "privates" (a stupid term if there ever was one). However society said nudity was shameful. If I'd grown up in a nudist community (rather than an evangelical one), it might have been easier. I learned to think of the personal, society, professional, social, etc. in different silos with conflicting ideals and mixed messages. I believe that's normal for immigrant kids and those who are "othered" on the basis of factors including race, skin tone, sexual orientation, etc. They're tough to navigate as a kid, especially without supportive parents, though they're the foundation for a more defined sense of self as an adult. My sons, now in their early 20's, grew up with similar conflicts after our divorce. It's all life - good and bad. On another forum I'm familiar with a nudist family in Florida with a large home and swimming pool on 5 acres of land built for an optimal nudist lifestyle including nudist kid and family parties where the local community seems to just adapt and leave their clothes at the door regardless of if they ever considered nudism as a lifestyle. It all sounds wonderful - and not Midwestern. We create our reality. I choose to live in an apartment in a suburban area which lacks privacy but offers convience. I don't have the funds to purchase a lot of land, but if nudism were my top priority I could find a solution. I like to think I'm more relaxed than how I grew up, but I'd rather be relaxed with pants on in a group of textiles than primarily isolated and naked. I accept how the local culture generally thinks "nudity=sexual=inappropriate," and local nudism requires "nudity - any possible sexual context = appropriate nudism." My thinking is "people as sexual beings + / - clothes = people as sexual beings." America when will you be angelic? When will you take off your clothes? ~ Alan Gingsburg[/quote] Thank you very much for your feedback. It's very interesting and has made me think about myself, as I also experienced my parents' divorce, which caused me to withdraw and go through a phase of wearing the same clothes for several years. Do you think your sons will pass on the experience of growing up like this?

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• AL

  

  AlexOriginal Poster

  Feb 20, 2026

  [quote]... My question is are People who geht raised naked more relaxed and more self-confident and have less issues growing up than dressed raised people or Is that just the perspective of a few people, such as my friends? Short answer is - your friends have gotten it right! Long-winded answer - most trustworthy surveys on the subject do conclude that children brought up with regular, unforced nudity in their lives have a much easier time with so many of the things that otherwise can create pitfalls in a young person's upbringing. Your friend mentioned a few of the positive items that are commonly brought up, but I'll add a few more important ones: Gaining a more real view of everyone around them during social nude experiences, coming to understand that clothes DON'T make the 'man' (or woman); having sun and wind on every part of their body brings serenity and vitamin D and vitality to mind, body & spirit; learning how much better they sleep when naked, with no clothes worn in bed lowering the body temperature and increasing REM dreams, and that can help them reset and better prepare their young minds for the chaotic world they wake up to; direct contact with the genuine sort of people who follow the path of nudism - individuals who don't fit into any typical box - free-thinkers and explorers of the Universe, both inside and out. And honorable mention goes to doing a shitload less laundry! Yeah, gotta wash those those bed sheets more often, but it's well worth it. I don't get along with every nudist I meet, but respect between two - often quite disparate - people is strengthened when we both see each other's true self, and the humility that comes with that grounds us all, equalizes us, and helps teach us to be gentle with each and every other being, and hopefully, gentleness for the world on which we reside. It's the only one we got![/quote] Thank you for your feedback, and obviously you share the same opinion as my friends *lol* And yes, I've also noticed that nudists behave respectfully when standing naked in front of each other, despite everything.

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• SA

  

  Stone Andy

  Feb 21, 2026

  [quote]Thank you very much for your feedback. It's very interesting and has made me think about myself, as I also experienced my parents' divorce, which caused me to withdraw and go through a phase of wearing the same clothes for several years. Do you think your sons will pass on the experience of growing up like this?[/quote] It's hard to say how my sons will end up now that they're in their early 20s. One lives independently in Florida and the other one with his mother in Wisconsin. My "Florida boy" liked Haulover Beach after I introduced him to it, but I don't know if he goes there on his own. My other son follows his mother's lead, and she has body issues. Neither is shy about nudity. I never berated nudist resorts to them, how they basically hate us, but I wouldn't be surprised if they came to the same conclusion about "nudists" (eg. resort visitors as we have no public beaches for hundreds of miles). Here in the Midwest they're a narrow social clique that's likely best to either marry into (so you'll have a required female chaperone) or avoid. Let's just call ourselves pants casualists instead.

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• FA

  

  Fabienne

  Feb 22, 2026

  [quote]... My question is are People who geht raised naked more relaxed and more self-confident and have less issues growing up ... [/quote] I guess in general this is applicable, but Individually, there are of course considerable variations, depending on many factors. I think social interaction has a stronger effect than only the fact wether you run around dressed or not.

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• AL

  

  AlexOriginal Poster

  Feb 22, 2026

  [quote]... My question is are People who geht raised naked more relaxed and more self-confident and have less issues growing up ... I guess in general this is applicable, but Individually, there are of course considerable variations, depending on many factors. I think social interaction has a stronger effect than only the fact wether you run around dressed or not.[/quote] Thank you for your feedback, and I agree with you, of course, that there are always individual differences, but I was more interested in the fundamental perspective.

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• JA

  Jasmin

  Feb 24, 2026

  If I may add something: I've been mostly naked since I was five, when I went to live with my aunt and grandfather. My cousin is six months older, and we already had a nudist household because of the circumstances.
  So I had a naked childhood and adolescence with my cousin, and it never felt strange to us. My aunt always gave us sex education very early on whenever we had questionsincluding about growth and sexuality.
  We went through a stage of interest and curiosity and didn't experience anything like shame about our bodies. And we didn't experience any judgment or condemnation. It was simply the naked truth, without any secrets.
  I think that's why we can put everything into perspective much better today and don't have to uncover any secrets or see any attraction in nudity.

  In short: Our bodies came into contact with our natural destiny as sexual beings very early on. Nothing was forbidden or taboo. This allows us to choose our partners in a self-determined and loving way today. Instead of the impulsive and judgmental approach that's currently so prevalent in my generation.

  Due to the prevailing hysteria surrounding the tabooing or prohibition of sexual activity from an early age, society has created unnecessary pressure that manifests itself in the indiscriminate choice of sexual partners and the lack of meaningful relationships among young people and their parents.
  This is also logical, because there's a lot of catching up to do in terms of human development. It's frightening how casually words like "body count" are used these days, without questioning whether the mindset behind them isn't quite dehumanizing. For me/us, nudity is no longer linked to sexuality. Nudity and sex are bodily sensations that one can share or not. It has nothing to do with a romantic bubble, but is a special form of encounter and communication between our souls.
  This realization was made tangible for us as naked children from a very early age. Sooner or later, everyone realizes this. Usually around age 60, my aunt says.
  So we're simply dealing with a phase shift. Children from nudist families simply skip 50 years of sexual identity formation and can use their energy in other ways and in a more targeted manner, because not everything revolves around sex and the availability of sex.

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• KE

  

  Keith

  Feb 24, 2026

  what you have said and expressed is so true and should be understood it can and does happen and it's said what society deems right or wrong it should always be up to the those involved in whats right and whats wrong for them and their family

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• AL

  

  AlexOriginal Poster

  Feb 24, 2026

  [quote]If I may add something: I've been mostly naked since I was five, when I went to live with my aunt and grandfather. My cousin is six months older, and we already had a nudist household because of the circumstances. So I had a naked childhood and adolescence with my cousin, and it never felt strange to us. My aunt always gave us sex education very early on whenever we had questionsincluding about growth and sexuality. We went through a stage of interest and curiosity and didn't experience anything like shame about our bodies. And we didn't experience any judgment or condemnation. It was simply the naked truth, without any secrets. I think that's why we can put everything into perspective much better today and don't have to uncover any secrets or see any attraction in nudity. In short: Our bodies came into contact with our natural destiny as sexual beings very early on. Nothing was forbidden or taboo. This allows us to choose our partners in a self-determined and loving way today. Instead of the impulsive and judgmental approach that's currently so prevalent in my generation. Due to the prevailing hysteria surrounding the tabooing or prohibition of sexual activity from an early age, society has created unnecessary pressure that manifests itself in the indiscriminate choice of sexual partners and the lack of meaningful relationships among young people and their parents. This is also logical, because there's a lot of catching up to do in terms of human development. It's frightening how casually words like "body count" are used these days, without questioning whether the mindset behind them isn't quite dehumanizing. For me/us, nudity is no longer linked to sexuality. Nudity and sex are bodily sensations that one can share or not. It has nothing to do with a romantic bubble, but is a special form of encounter and communication between our souls. This realization was made tangible for us as naked children from a very early age. Sooner or later, everyone realizes this. Usually around age 60, my aunt says. So we're simply dealing with a phase shift. Children from nudist families simply skip 50 years of sexual identity formation and can use their energy in other ways and in a more targeted manner, because not everything revolves around sex and the availability of sex.[/quote] Hello, may I ask what this has to do with my question?

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• AL

  

  AlexOriginal Poster

  Feb 24, 2026

  [quote]what you have said and expressed is so true and should be understood it can and does happen and it's said what society deems right or wrong it should always be up to the those involved in whats right and whats wrong for them and their family[/quote] Hello, may I ask what this has to do with my question?

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• ME

  Member

  Feb 24, 2026

  Wow, Jasmina, it's great that you had the courage to speak out. I've had similar experiences, if not the same ones. We really don't need to worry about our worth or exhaust ourselves on social media platforms. Our lives are much calmer, and we're self-aware. There's a completely different value system when you're raised naked because nothing revolves around judgments and standards anymore. We have nothing to hide and don't need to mask and conceal ourselves behind status symbols like branded bags or shoes. We use all the energy that the textile-obsessed youth wastes on this for peaceful coexistence. It would be great if other young people would also share their perspectives. Many boast about having grown up naked. And I don't understand why, once again, only the older generation seems to have something to say about it. Why don't you ask your children and grandchildren what they think? Our Joana from the book SMS, A View into Life of Nudist Families: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FYRJXHLR (English) was also such an icon. "Family First" was her motto. What motto do clothed teenagers have? "I have to be better than the others?" Do you see the difference? And dear author of the original question: Yes, we are totally unstressed and free from the competitive mindset that creates stress. Because we were raised naked AND, consequently, were able to develop an early sexual identity that fosters exactly that!

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• JA

  Jasmin

  Feb 24, 2026

  Dear Alex, I didn't want to simply answer your question with "Yes." That would look rather silly, wouldn't it? Or did you expect it to be exactly that? "YES, your friends are right." Why, and why? I tried to provide the only logical explanation that seemed right to me. Which Charliese has now summed up perfectly. (Thank you for that.)
  And I took the liberty of answering as someone affected, someone who can judge because I live within this model. Or did you only want to discuss this with peers, people without children? It's ALWAYS about finding your sexual identity and developing a distinct sense of self. Without a fixed place in your body and consciousness, you'll always be stressed and searching for your purpose or your worth.
  Because this place has remained empty in most individuals in modern society, due to prohibitions, stigmatization, and the taboo surrounding our most natural expressions, nudity, people start looking for it externally. And especially on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. A fatal mistake and an evolutionary dead end. Never before has so much knowledge been lost, and never before has the world seemed so small.
  When my grandfather was little, there were vast, unexplored jungles and ocean depths. Today, there's a Starbucks and a McDonald's. But we have the internet, right? Or so you think. What happens when it's shut down?

  Okay, nobody wants to hear that. So, yes.

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• KO

  

  koala53

  Feb 25, 2026

  Bit of a silly question. You be yourself anyway you like and prefer, people don't have to look at you. We might have to put up with people who don't or can't speak properly or play loud music, but that is normal as well. I've probably been nude with lots of gay or lesbian people at a resort or beach and not knowing doesn't make any difference to a good conversation or friendship. It's my choice to do something about it or not, if I'm approached for sex or anything particularly intimate like swapping sun cream applications. Same thing for anyone else on this planet. 1038 25022026

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• MA

  

  Marlies

  Feb 25, 2026

  Because of the lack of a shame barrier, people are much more relaxed.

  The sooner it's overcome, the better. Then it's easier to apply and be applied lotion. I would consider myself a late bloomer, but I can easily pass this relaxed attitude on to those in my care and their parents.

  Even little Hans can still learn something in this case (I hope you know the saying: "What little Hans doesn't learn, big Hans will never learn." That doesn't apply here. You just need someone to take you by the hand (thanks Conny) or you can pull yourself out of the mess).

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