Decades of studies from respected academic institutions, have demonstrated significant impacts of porn consumption for individuals, relationships, and society. "What’s the Research" aims to shed light on the expanding field of academic resources that showcase porn’s harms in a variety of ways. Below are selected excerpts from published studies on this issue.
The full study can be accessed here.
Pornography and Heterosexual Women’s Intimate Experiences with a Partner
Authors: Jennifer A. Johnson, Matthew B. Ezzell, Ana J. Bridges, and Chyng F. Sun
Published: September 2019
Peer-Reviewed Journal: Journal of Women’s Health
Background
Pornographic media characterized by discordant images of sexual pleasure and aggression are increasingly formulating young heterosexual women’s sexual scripts.
Yet there has been little work done on the downstream role of pornography consumption; how does pornography use relate to heterosexual women’s thoughts and feelings during sexual experiences with a partner?
Methods
We surveyed 706 heterosexual women (18–29 years of age) in the United States, associating consumption of pornography with sexual preferences, experiences, and concerns.
As part of a larger, multinational study, our sample included 706 respondents. Inclusion criteria were as follows: residing in the United States, female gender, 18–29 years of age, heterosexual orientation, and having had at least one prior sexual experience.
Results
Although most heterosexual women have seen pornography (83%), a little less than half (43.5%) use it for masturbation, half of whom use it one time per month or less.
Among female consumers who were sexually active, higher rates of consumption for masturbation were associated with increased mental activation of the pornographic script during sex—heightened recall of pornographic images during sex with a partner, heightened reliance on pornography for achieving and maintaining arousal, and a preference for pornography consumption over sex with a partner.
Furthermore, higher activation of the pornographic script during sex, rather than simply viewing pornographic material, was also associated with higher rates of insecurities about their appearance and diminished enjoyment of intimate acts such as kissing or caressing during sex with a partner.
These findings suggest that pornography consumption may relate to female consumers’ sexual experiences indirectly and indicate that pornographic thoughts during dyadic sexual encounters may not improve heterosexual women’s sexual experiences with a partner.
The full study can be accessed here.
Your Support Matters Now More Than Ever
Most kids today are exposed to porn by the age of 12. By the time they’re teenagers, 75% of boys and 70% of girls have already viewed itRobb, M.B., & Mann, S. (2023). Teens and pornography. San Francisco, CA: Common Sense.Copy —often before they’ve had a single healthy conversation about it.
Even more concerning: over half of boys and nearly 40% of girls believe porn is a realistic depiction of sexMartellozzo, E., Monaghan, A., Adler, J. R., Davidson, J., Leyva, R., & Horvath, M. A. H. (2016). “I wasn’t sure it was normal to watch it”: A quantitative and qualitative examination of the impact of online pornography on the values, attitudes, beliefs and behaviours of children and young people. Middlesex University, NSPCC, & Office of the Children’s Commissioner.Copy . And among teens who have seen porn, more than 79% of teens use it to learn how to have sexRobb, M.B., & Mann, S. (2023). Teens and pornography. San Francisco, CA: Common Sense.Copy . That means millions of young people are getting sex ed from violent, degrading content, which becomes their baseline understanding of intimacy. Out of the most popular porn, 33%-88% of videos contain physical aggression and nonconsensual violence-related themesFritz, N., Malic, V., Paul, B., & Zhou, Y. (2020). A descriptive analysis of the types, targets, and relative frequency of aggression in mainstream pornography. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 49(8), 3041-3053. doi:10.1007/s10508-020-01773-0Copy Bridges et al., 2010, “Aggression and Sexual Behavior in Best-Selling Pornography Videos: A Content Analysis,” Violence Against Women.Copy .
From increasing rates of loneliness, depression, and self-doubt, to distorted views of sex, reduced relationship satisfaction, and riskier sexual behavior among teens, porn is impacting individuals, relationships, and society worldwideFight the New Drug. (2024, May). Get the Facts (Series of web articles). Fight the New Drug.Copy .
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