Excessive Porn Watching May Cause Sexual Dysfunction In Men, But Not Women
Your porn habits may be taking a serious toll on your IRL sex life. A survey conducted by researchers at New York University found that men who watched an excessive amount of porn were more likely to suffer from sexual dysfunction, or simply put, any problem that inhibits sexual satisfaction. Alternatively, there was no correlation between pornography watching and sexual dysfunction in women.
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For the study, men and women between the ages of 20-40 completed the survey about pornography use, and there were some clear differences among the sexes, the biggest being that female sexual dysfunction and pornography habits didn’t appear to be linked. But men who preferred masturbating while watching other people have sex, as opposed to you know, actually doing it, were more likely to be sexually dissatisfied. That’s probably not the biggest shocker you’e heard all day. However, only 3.4 percent of the respondents preferred porn over the real thing.
The survey also revealed that the majority of females, 61 percent, claimed not to use pornography, and out of those who did, 25 percent watched it weekly. Many watch it on their laptops, about 68 percent said the internet was their primary access, but smartphones were popular among 55 percent of the women who watched porn.
About one-quarter of the guys polled reported watching porn less than once a week, while another quarter claimed to partake in the activity only once or twice a week. Avid viewership, 6-10 viewings a week, was reported by five percent of the guys, and only 4.3 percent porn at least 11 times a week.
"Visual stimulation will often increase sexual arousal in both men and women, but when the majority of their time is spent viewing and masturbating to pornography, it is likely they will become less interested in real-world sexual encounters," says study co-author Dr. Joseph Alukal, M.D. and professor at New York University, in a statement. “These studies suggest the issue may be trivial in women, but not so for men, and could lead to sexual dysfunction.”
Alukal further explains that sex isn’t all about the physical. A large part of sexual satisfaction is psychological and he says it’s important for doctors to factor that in when treating patients for sexual dysfunction. Alukal presented his research at the 112th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association last Friday.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, sexual dysfunction is categorized into four main problem areas: desire (no interest), arousal (problems getting excited), orgasm (not achieving climax) and pain during sex. Typical treatment options include medications, like the widely known Viagra, therapy, and mechanical aids. Certain medical conditions like diabetes and heart disease could put a damper on your sex life, but stress and depression are common culprits too, meaning it’s important to practice a little self care. Unless watching porn is your go-to method for unwinding, you might want to rethink that.
See Also:
Who Is Having Less Sex? Americans (Including Millennials), Despite Science That More Sex Is Better
5 Most Popular Sex Searches On Google, From Addiction To Smell Questions