Over 100 quick stats and findings from an ever-growing body of research that details the effects of porn for individuals, relationships, and society.
Some experts have determined four major brain changes common to addicted brains—sensitization, desensitization, hypofrontality, and a malfunctioning stress system— all of which can be found in cases of pornography consumption.
A UK survey found that 44% of males aged 11–16 who consumed pornography reported that online pornography gave them ideas about the type of sex they wanted to try.
Women whose partners consume porn tend to experience more psychological distress, feel more objectified, have poorer body image, and are even more likely to develop eating disorder symptoms.
While not all porn features physical violence, even non-violent porn has been shown to be associated with negative effects like increased sexual aggression
Research has found that therapy is an effective way to treat problematic pornography consumption.
Research shows that “teen” is one of the most consistently popular porn themes, and that this theme is 1) becoming increasingly popular, and 2) includes the portrayal of underage characters.
Research shows that those with an interest in extreme or degrading porn are more likely to reenact porn scenes during sex with a partner.
According to an analysis of over 130,000 porn titles, “teen” is the most common word used in porn titles.
One study shows that approximately 45% of teens who consumed porn did so in part to learn about sex.
Qualitative research reveals that young women often feel pressured to play out the “scripts” their male partners had learned from porn —they feel badgered into having sex in uncomfortable positions, faking sexual responses, and consenting to unpleasant or painful acts.
A 2021 study analyzed videos from popular porn sites and found that porn featuring Black people tends to perpetuate harmful racist stereotypes, disproportionately emphasize violence and aggression, and often depicts Black people as “worse than objects.”
Research suggests that porn can influence women to be more submissive in sexual encounters.
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