According to an observational study, habitual porn watching has little or no effect on erectile dysfunction or delayed ejaculation in men. Though contradictory yet, some evidence shows that the link between porn use and sex drive is different for men and women. Enough evidence is present indicating porn watching affects your sex life through decreased sexual satisfaction among partners.
Internet access has become more convenient with the advent of smart screens and economic data packages. This has created a broad framework for the pornography industry. Gone are the days of porn magazines and rental XXXs; porn is accessible at a finger’s swipe in any corner of the world.
Statistics show that about 12% of websites are pornographic. About 35% of all downloads are of pornographic material, which is hosted via these channels. About 40 million U.S adults are regular visitors to these websites. Out of these, men aged 35 to 49 contribute to the enormous data figures of internet porn watchers. Women also contribute to these stats by being one-third of the porn consumer community. The alarming point of all is that internet porn is prevalent also in minors, with the average age of first exposure being 11.
Why are these stat figures important? These are important because porn watching is not without health consequences. That includes our hormonal, mental, psychological and sexual health, the repercussions of which affect our relationships and social behaviors in later life. About 3-6% of the adult population becomes addicted to watching porn.
So how much of ‘porn-watching affects your sex life and sex drive’ is a myth and how much of it is a reality?
The Deal With Porn And Sexual Health
Porn is like the la-la land of sex. With two (or more) perfect bodies embracing and intermingling in erotic positions, the scenes may seem like something from a fantasy. But that is it. To be honest, the honeymoon period of any relationship may have some resemblance to those idealized sex scenes. However with time, everything changes – our bodies, our relationships, our sexual appetite, and other external factors like responsibilities, stress and work.
But porn on its own may not be bad altogether. It may help to rekindle the sex life among the everyday monotony of practical life. It may also provide sexual ideas to experiment with. Porn may help boost sex drive and arousal if used responsibly and with the mutual consent of partners. This can help fuel intimacy in a relationship.
But porn is an act, after all, delivered by performers. With aesthetically-altered perfect body types and much glamorized and schematic sexual settings, porn may make your time between the sheets with your partner seem like a mediocre act in real-time.
Imagine what it would be like for an 11-year old whose first sex education session is a porn video found on the internet. The pre-teen years are a time when a child is at the crossover point between childhood and teenage. He or she is just beginning to understand their body and the ongoing but rampant developmental changes. Wouldn’t watching porn at such a tender age affect one’s self-confidence and expectations from the opposite sex and from themselves? Wouldn’t it give rise to emotional stress, anxiety, confusion and instill abnormal social behaviors later in life? Definitely. Porn watching has its consequences for young impressionable minds.
Truth be told, too much porn watching changes one’s perceptions and expectations from oneself and their partners. Porn watching exceeds its limits when it starts affecting daily routine tasks, interferes with relationships, or makes one feel isolated by inculcating a secretive viewership mode.
What Does The Research Say?
Unfortunately, research regarding the subject matter is still in infancy. Whatever conclusions are available, they are made on account of case reports. That is why not much can be said because casual observations do not merit a conclusion. Most study results are based on self-reporting. There is a requirement for extensive research studies, including either case-control or prospective cohort studies. Then again, using experimental animal models to explore the possible effects of pornography use cannot be recreated. And the scope of experimental research involving human volunteers, which may cater to short-term results, is quite limited.
Besides porn watching, there are other recognized risk factors for sexual dysfunction disorders. So we cannot tag porn watching as the sole factor for causing sexual dysfunctions like erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation.
Here is what we know so far from a research perspective:
- According to a 2018 study, women who have a high acceptance of pornography had little or no effects on sexual satisfaction. In contrast, women reported less relationship satisfaction who did not take porn watching as a beneficial tool. The same study concluded that heterosexual women whose partners use pornography stated to view themselves and the relationship negatively after the disclosure.
- Couples reported a dissatisfied romantic or sexual relationship and a feeling of ‘out of control’ with excessive porn use.
- A survey of a Reddit Community NoFap concluded that porn addiction decreases arousal with the same partner. The survey states that about 64% of individuals reported their tastes in porn have become more extreme with time.
- The same survey reported that out of participants aged 27-31-years on NoFap, 19% suffered from premature ejaculation, 25% are not interested in doing sex with their partner, and 31% find achieving orgasm difficult 34% experienced erectile dysfunction.
While the act of porn may be real, yet it lacks the emotional intimacy required to keep the show together in real life among real partners. Though there is conflicting evidence for excessive porn watching, causing sexual dysfunctions, clinical and observational evidence is enough to prove its detrimental effects on one’s sexual, psychological and social behaviors.
References
