Today’s access to pornography is very simple and easy. But the ease of accessing this adult porn content has led many people in turn to question and worry about how pornography affects our minds, relationships, and culture.
A new study concluded that watching porn does not seem to harm partners’ feelings of contentment and fulfillment in their relationship. This is in an attempt to delve deeper into this topic to understand the link between (romantic) emotional relationships and the consumption of pornographic content. The study also found that the percentage of watching pornographic clips varies greatly from one person to another, and the meaning of these films may differ for different couples (partners).
Psychiatrists and sexual behavior experts in Canada asked 217 couples, including 140 in a mixed-sex relationship and 77 in a same-sex relationship, to fill out a 35-day diary to understand their pornography use and its link to feelings of self-sufficiency in their relationship.
The results showed that at least one person in the relationship, 80% of couples, watched porn at least once during the 35-day period. The percentages were set as follows: More than 97% of men associated with men, 75% of men associated with women, 56% of women associated with women, and 40% of women associated with men announced viewing pornography at various levels. Participants reported viewing pornography at an average rate of 3.45 days out of the 35, although this percentage ranged from 0 to 31 days.
The study revealed that women, regardless of their partner’s gender, watched more pornographic films when they had more sex with their partner. Watching porn has also been linked to an increase in sexual desire in them and in their partners.
As for men with women, an increase in porn viewing was generally associated with a decrease in sexual activity with their partner. As for men associated with men, the opposite was found, as increased viewing of pornographic films was associated with an increase in sexual activity with their partner.
“Some studies suggest that porn viewers prefer sexual arousal from pornography to arousal from their partners, but this has not been accurate for women and men in relationships with same-sex partners,” the study authors wrote in their paper. Thus, in some couples, watching pornography may create a lustful atmosphere that paves the way for sexual activity with, or be a part of, a partner. ”
But, according to all subscribers, following porn was not associated with increased satisfaction in their relationships at all. Regardless of the individual’s use of pornography or his partner’s use of it, sufficiency and overall satisfaction in relationships were not affected by this in all types of relationships.
The study concluded that: “The pursuit of pornographic content was not related at all to the percentage of satisfaction and relationship satisfaction among all participants.”
However, the limitations that limit the conclusions of this research must be mentioned. For example, the data were collected according to what the participants themselves reported. Also, the participants in this study had volunteered on their own to participate in the research. So we can assume that this study attracted people who were more open to pornography or couples who were not shy about viewing pornography. The study period was also relatively short (just over a month).
With that in mind, the study provided insight into pornography use and made it clear that it is not necessarily the bogeyman (the scary thing) that is portrayed as him (at least in terms of its effect on relationships).
