A lot of people really do not like porn. While it used to be seen as a harmless, if not slightly gross, it is now viewed as a dangerous tool in society, with many people claiming to pornography promotes misogyny, sexual violence and leads to people partaking in riskier sex. Not only this, but as the campaign against pornography continues to gain traction, it has also been blamed for the current epidemic of erectile dysfunction and destroyed relationships.
Such is the hostility towards porn, the state of Utah recently declared porn as a "public health crisis." While the arguments against porn are fairly strong, the scientific facts behind the effects that porn can have on your love life are actually quite different. Here's five of the most interesting.
Porn is not addictive.
The 15-year-old me would argue with you about this. When you're a teenager, porn is undoubtedly "addictive". As soon as you would hear your parents slam that door, you would bolt it to your desktop and load up one of the thousands of free porn websites out there. However, Neuroscience research has revealed that what goes on inside the brains of porn "addicts" is not what you would expect from someone who genuinely has an addiction.
Porn doesn't result in misogyny
Despite the often "questionable" gender roles that we regularly see in pornographic videos, a recent Canadian study found that those who watched adult films were stronger supporters of gender equality than those who don't. In addition, research has found that, rather than being linked to increased rate of sexual assault, porn use is actually related to less sexual violence.
Porn doesn't mean riskier sex
Yep, despite what you have heard, research in Germany shows that porn users are no more likely to bin condoms than those who watch porn infrequently. However, porn users are more likely to try new things in the sheets, which is never a bad thing.
It also doesn't mean penis problems
While we are told that regular porn watchers are likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction as they get older, two recent studies have challenged this. The research found that men who watch more porn don't seem to be any more likely to have erectile difficulties compared to men who watch less porn.
Porn is GOOD for relationships
A recent study has found that couples who watch porn together tend to be more sexually satisfied than those who don't. Although there's not confirmed the reason why, it's more than likely because porn is an easy way to inject some novelty into your sex life.
While these bits of research suggest that porn isn't as harmful as some people fear, there can be no doubt that it can have its negative effects on certain people. So while we're not saying that you should stop watching porn, maybe take it easy, yeah?
