Few things are truly universal. But while people across the world speak different languages, eat different foods, and even feel different emotions, millions across the world watch porn. Despite being so widely consumed, porn is maligned as the source of society’s ills. It’s even been labeled “public health.” There are seldom any specifics attached—just a vague sense that seeking out porn on the internet is somehow morally bad or wrong. A smaller number of readers are worried they’ll get arrested for viewing it.
Overview
Just like it took decades for science to prove that smoking cigarettes was harmful, we are learning a similar lesson with porn in our society today. Science and research are proving that porn harms the brain, damages relationships, and is also linked to prostitution and sex trafficking.
Porn is a fantasy that is proven to make it harder for users to have real loving relationships. In real life, real love requires a real person. Research has found that after being exposed to porn, people were more critical of their partner’s appearance and displays of affection. Research has also found that after individuals are exposed to pornography, they rate themselves as less in love with their partner than those who didn’t view porn.
Frequent porn use is even associated with feeling cynical about love in general, having less trust in romantic partners, and feeling like relationships are confining.
I’ll break the suspense: Porn, as an abstract concept, is not morally bad or wrong. Technically, it’s also not illegal for teens to watch it. It is illegal for an adult to show minor pornography, and any form of watching or distributing child porn is illegal, as it well should be. (This is also why texting one’s own nude selfies is legally risky, depending on the state you’re in.)
Even though porn is legal and easy to get these days, I still think you should be careful when you watch it. Porn can be a great way to explore fantasies and stoke arousal, and plenty of people watch porn with no adverse effect on their lives. But there are some moral, emotional, and educational mines in porn that you should try to avoid whenever you can.
People Enjoy Porn
Many people can enjoy porn regularly or just check it out once in a while without concern. Others don’t like it or find that it’s more trouble than it’s worth. Porn has transformed over the past few decades, due to the availability of the internet and faster web connections. It is also becoming more immersive than ever before. Take virtual reality. Earlier this year, researchers pointed out that VR changes the experience of porn from detached observer to protagonist. They warned that this has the potential to blur the line between reality and fantasy, perhaps damaging relationships and encouraging harmful behavior.
But what does the evidence actually say about how porn may or may not be affecting people? Can research provide any answers? The truth is that it is a difficult question for scientists to study. The nature of porn dictates that researchers must either rely on people self-reporting their porn habits or show it to them in laboratory settings that are unnatural. (And no doubt, slightly awkward, too.) That said, there is a growing body of literature that can provide hints.
Everything You Need to Know About Porn
Addiction
Addiction is frequently mentioned as one of the numerous detrimental effects of porn. It involves an obsession with sexual thoughts, feelings, or actions that can create distress and have a detrimental impact on a person’s employment, relationships, and other aspects of their life. As a result, frequent porn consumers seek more hardcore material. Furthermore, because they’ve developed such a high tolerance for the porn they’ve been seeing, many have to combine sexual desire with aggressive impulses.
That is why so much hardcore porn contains violence against women. In a 2012 poll of 1,500 men, 56% claimed their porn tastes had gotten “increasingly severe or deviant.” Because frequent porn consumers’ brains soon become accustomed to the porn they’ve already seen, they must progress to more extreme types of porn to be aroused.
Body & Brain
According to a 2014 study, watching porn may diminish a portion of the brain associated with pleasure. The Max Planck Institute in Berlin examined the brains of more than 60 men while they viewed pornographic images and interrogated them on their porn viewing habits. The striatum, a portion of the brain that makes up the reward system, was found to be smaller in people who viewed a lot of porn, implying that they could need more graphic content to feel aroused.
However, the researchers were unable to determine whether respondents with smaller striatums were prompted to watch more porn, or if their regular porn-watching caused it to shrink – although they “believe” the latter. Porn, like narcotics and other addictive substances, floods the brain with dopamine-like compounds.
Over time, the brain becomes overwhelmed by the constant barrage of hormones and develops a reliance on pornography. As a result, the video they were viewing before no longer seems as thrilling, and many porn viewers seek out more porn or more intense film to experience the same sensation. The chemical emission from routine healthy activities eventually becomes insufficient to register. This makes the user feel unhappy or nervous anytime they don’t view porn for a while.
Sexual Behaviour
Porn has been shown to make people more open-minded and comfortable with sex, but one study revealed that it may make people overly comfortable.
According to a survey of 265 males, homosexual men who view more sexually graphic porn when condoms aren’t used are less likely to use protection themselves. If the pornography they saw included condoms, they were more inclined to use them as well.
While watching porn or reading a sexual book can teach you a thing or two, it should not be considered a replacement for sex education, which is something different. Remember that porn is purely fictitious. It was not designed to educate anything about human relationships, sexual growth, or sexual health, thus it is unlikely to bring any enlightenment in those areas. If you have any concerns regarding your sexual health, consult a doctor or other healthcare expert, such as a trained sex therapist.
Regular Consumption Can Be Harmful
While porn may not be bad, regularly watching a lot of porn and getting lost in the dream of it all may lead to unrealistic expectations.
You may begin to view your own body more critically. You may begin to anticipate your sex partner to act like a pornstar or to do things that do not interest them. Porn can be a source of tension in a love relationship if you and your partner are not on the same page about it. A porn habit can seriously impair a person’s ability to provide genuine, unselfish, and meaningful love. With all of this new research, society must accept that pornography is destructive. Science and study show that porn is bad for the brain, bad for relationships, and bad for society as a whole.
Views On Sex With A Porn Twist
Researchers have frequently discovered that persons who have watched a large quantity of porn are more likely to begin having sex earlier and with more partners, as well as participate in riskier types of intercourse, putting them at a higher risk of sexually transmitted illnesses. The number of sexual partners in a scene ranged from one to 19, with an average of three, according to a study of popular porn flicks. And the sex actions in porn are frequently demeaning or brutal.
A study of popular porn videos found that 9 out of 10 sequences depicted a woman being hit, beaten, or otherwise mistreated, and the outcome was almost always the same – they either didn’t mind or seemed thrilled about it.
Here are several indicators that you may be having problems with your porn use:
- You’re devoting more time to it than you’d want.
- It is interfering with your work or relationships.
- You believe you have no control over your porn consumption and are troubled by it.
- Your sexual expectations have grown irrational.
- Difficulty having pleasurable solo or coupled sex.
- You feel ashamed or guilty about seeing or otherwise participating in porn. If you find yourself in such a situation, you will require assistance.
Conclusion
It all boils down to what you think is right for you, not what other people think. If you enjoy porn and it doesn’t cause any issues in your life, then, by all means, enjoy it to your heart’s content. If you believe porn is wrong for you, there’s no reason in the world to expose yourself to it. That’s also a valid choice. Porn isn’t for everyone. If you already have a poor body image or worry about sexual performance, you may consider examining your motivations to use it more carefully.
Related Articles
- PORN ADDICTION WITHDRAWAL: Symptoms & How to Best Manage it
- HOW TO STOP PORN ADDICTION: Best Easy Steps to Follow in 2022
- RECOVERY FROM PORN ADDICTION: Best easy guide
FAQs
What is porn addiction?
Porn addiction is defined as a relationship or participation with porn that delivers quick advantages or relief while limiting your interest in other key relationships and activities.
Is it OK to look at porn?
Legally, it is determined by your age as well as the rules of your state or country. People over the age of 18 in the United States have the legal right to view porn. However, in the United States, children under the age of 18 are not permitted to access any form of sexually explicit content, including porn that an adult would be permitted to view. If you are underage, be aware that you are breaching the law and may face prosecution.
Why do people watch pornography?
There are numerous reasons why individuals watch porn. Curiosity, boredom, comfort, a need to feel powerful, peer pressure, wants for closeness, escape, fantasy indulgence, a need to feel, coping and self-medication, and sexual arousal and masturbation are some typical examples.
