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 Use, Two Forms of Dehumanization, and Sexual Aggression: Attitudes vs. Behaviors
Authors: Yanyan Zhou, Tuo Liu, (Harry) Yaojun Yan, and Bryant Paul
Published: May 2021
Peer-Reviewed Journal: Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy
Abstract
Sexual objectification is a common pornographic theme. Research shows that sexual objectification leads to the expression of aggressive attitudes and behaviors toward women.
Based on a survey study of 320 male participants, this study re-conceptualizes sexual objectification in terms of two forms of dehumanization. Evidence suggests men’s pornography use is positively associated with both forms, but mechanistic dehumanization of women is more associated with aggressive attitudes while animalistic dehumanization is more associated with aggressive behaviors.
Findings indicate how objectifying pornography use may relate to aggressive attitudes and behaviors and inform the future education campaigns and interventions to reduce sexual aggression.
Methods
A confidential online survey was conducted between October 2018 to March 2019, using Amazon Mechanical Turk…
A total of 320 male participants completed the study. Participants’ ages ranged from 18–35.
Results
Results indicate that the frequency of pornography use is positively associated with both mechanistic and animalistic dehumanization of women.
The more male participants were exposed to pornography, the more likely they mechanistically dehumanize women. Similarly, the heavier pornography users were also more likely to animalistically dehumanize women… The current study shows an interesting double dissociation of the two forms of dehumanization as distinct predictors of both aggressive attitudes and behaviors against women.
Pornography use is associated with both mechanistic and animalistic dehumanization. The two types of dehumanization are also highly correlated with each other.
Consequently, men who use more pornography are more likely to see women as close-minded, impassive, cold, or mechanical, much like instruments or robots. They are also more likely to see women as uncivilized, irrational, unsophisticated, or lacking self-constraint, like animals or beasts.
The two types of dehumanization combine to provide male pornography viewers with a specific sexual script in which women either are denied their full agency and human nature, or only have agency only within the narrow role of a wild sexual creatures that lacks characteristics of human uniqueness.
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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