Porn

You probably clicked on this link out of a devious curiosity, so I am sorry to disappoint. The nature of this article is entirely more serious. Having been raised in a fairly religious household, I was told that pornography was evil and that, contrary to my basic human desires, must refrain from it. This led to substantial internal dissonance as I was caught between my religious upbringing and the powerful desires that pornography so easily instigates. In this struggle, I decided to begin my own research and figure out if there is more to the story than unlimited pleasure and strict abstinence. I have made an incredible number of discoveries that sparked me to begin compiling all the research I could find and create a medium with which to share this information with others. The fruition of this website is something I am quite proud of since this whole project has been over five years in the making. I was going to analyze relationships through the lens of internet pornography as my senior thesis for my undergraduate degree but was advised that I did not have enough time to finish it. Nevertheless, I chose to continue working on it as a side project and have concluded that pornography, through its physical, social, and mental harms, really is the toxic poison for true, meaningful relationships, to say nothing of its spiritual harms. Make no mistake, however, that this analysis includes religious or other biases as I have taken great care to only focus on published research.

Introduction

In the year 2019, the world uploaded 169 years' worth of pornographic videos onto one website. For perspective, former U.S. President Millard Fillmore would still be watching the content that was uploaded to one website in one year if he had started watching it during his presidency in 1852 [1]. The stunning quantity of pornography created and consumed warrants an analysis of how this media attracts such popularity and, since it popularizes the most intimate parts of relationships, if it adversely effects other facets of life, specifically real-life relationships. A thorough analysis of the available literature reveals that pornography addicts consumers by offering an easy, idealized alternative to personal intimacy which undermines real relationships and causes separation and divorce among couples.

Historical Pornography Usage

The author intends to use both meanings of the word historical. The world watches a significant amount of pornography, or Sexually Explicit Material (SEM) as it is referred to in the literature, every year; so much so that the largest SEM websites in the world must break down their internet traffic statistics into minutes in order for people to comprehend and appreciate them. Tube sites, where users upload their own content, garner an astonishing number of visits, in part because the lack of moderation allows for all manner of objectionable content such as Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). Pornhub, the most popular tube site in the world, rakes in over 90 million visits per day. At this rate, it would take just over two months for every person on Earth to visit the site [2]. Similarly, visitors to the site consume an astronomical amount of content. Using Pornhub's 2019 data, the website reports that visitors to the website watched 664,920 hours of SEM every hour. That means over 11,000 hours of SEM videos are watched every 60 seconds. Furthermore, visitors watched over 13 million videos every hour, meaning 216,985 videos every minute [1]. The United States, according to Pornhub's 2019 data, far and away consumes the most content on the site [3], [2]. Internet research organization Webroot calculates that 40 million Americans regularly visit SEM sites [4]. The incredible amount of time that people spend watching pornography and growing concerns over the steady decrease in the average age of first exposure down to as young as 13 [3] have prompted research into the multi-billion-dollar industry to study the effects on people and relationships which will be discussed shortly.

Introduction

One of the reasons that Sexually Explicit Material (SEM) has grown so popular stems from its powerful capitalization of the novelty effect and human neuroplasticity and neurochemistry to form pathways in the brain, the uncheck use of which can lead to addictions. To understand the appeal of SEM, one must understand how this stimulus effects the human brain on a physical and chemical level. In order to understand how this media has garnered so much popularity, addiction theory must also be covered. Additionally, the chemical changes in the brain must be overviewed so that comparisons to the reactions to other normal types of stimuli can be made to highlight how SEM causes measurable changes to the behavior of those who partake in it. Having learned how SEM effects the mind, the harms that these changes do to relationships. These steps will serve as the basis for a discussion of what the literature says about the effect of SEM on real relationships.

Key Terms and Challenges

There is debate in the scientific community about how to categorize problematic SEM use; is it a behavior, a disorder, or an addiction? One strong conclusion is that this is not a “sex addition” since the problematic behavior does not include multiple people, but rather one person and a screen, and more specifically, a screen showing specific types of content [4]. One term posited by Kraus, et al., Compulsive Sexual Behavior, does not specifically encompass the issue since the section proposing that term focuses on hypersexuality, which is not necessary for the SEM and Problematic Pornography Usage (PPU) [4]. The lack of recognition for internet and specifically internet porn addictions represents a failure of the psychology to correctly categorize an ubiquitous and growing trend of SEM usage and the recognition of the problems that stem from it. This has interfered with the proper diagnosis and treatment of those affected. Also, pornography as a term has been used in literature, but it is vague in its meaning, and does not totally encompass the variety of content available on the internet in the modern day. The author has chosen to use the colder term Sexually Explicit Material.

Addiction Model

Sexually Explicit Material triggers the release of powerful neurochemicals that human evolution has built up over centuries. The most powerful stimuli satisfy basic human needs such as eating, engaging in social environments, sex, and other fundamental needs in Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. These activities trigger the release of the most powerful chemicals in the brain like dopamine, which is triggered when people engage in activities proven essential in evolution and elicits an expectation of reward [5]. Maslow categorized the needs of people in a pyramid with the most basic needs at the bottom such as food, water, shelter, and reproduction. SEM taps into the basic need of reproduction by simulating sex which stimulates those neural pathways [6].

When a viewer first encounters pornography, they experience what researchers call the “Binge/Intoxication Stage” where addiction first begins because the stimulus elicits a dopamine rush [7]. Researchers call stimuli that elicit artificially large neurochemical reactions “Supernormal Stimulus” [8]. Pornography could certainly be categorized as such After the initial rush, other smaller stimuli that might otherwise have elicited a Dopamine response, albeit a smaller one than the addictive stimulus, do not. After experiencing SEM, the viewer enters the “Withdrawal/Negative Affect Stage” due to the cooldown of this initial rush. Dopamine receptors in the brain have become “saturated” from the rush of dopamine due to a chemical called Dynorphin. The release of Dynorphin decreases receptivity to neurochemicals like Dopamine but simultaneously increases sensitivity to that stimulus. This effect can lead to lasting tolerance, and to feelings of anxiety, depression, dysphoria, and irritability [9], [7], [10]. The third state of addition, “Preoccupation/Anticipation Stage”, occurs when the dopamine response is temporarily compromised. In this stage of the cycle, the brain has created or reinforced pathways connecting SEM to other areas of the brain, and it has become dependent on the stimulus to maintain baseline levels of Dopamine. This effect manifests itself as a yearning or craving feeling to achieve the high that it previously experienced [11], [9]. Love, et al. find addiction to SEM consistent with this model originally conceived with only drug addiction in mind [9]. When Dopamine is released, another chemical called Delta FOS B creates new pathways to link the stimulus with Dopamine. From an evolutionary standpoint, it makes perfect sense that the pathway of a stimulus should be built connecting the stimulus and the Dopamine reward [12]. This is the body's way of encouraging certain behaviors.

Scientific theories about the human brain have evolved over time, and scientists have broken human desires into two different categories: liking and wanting. Liking means a fundamental and biological attraction towards specific activities like hobbies or pastimes. This could be considered nature. Conversely, people learn how to want based on the neurochemical reactions of the human brain to stimuli, or broadly pursuing things that result in Dopamine release. Examples of wanting include drug dependencies and addiction [13]. This could be considered nurture.

Hijacking Motivation

SEM being addictive is not just theoretical; in one FMRI study of 57 heterosexual males ages 18-48, 31 seeking treatment for Problematic Pornography Usage (PPU) and 26 control subjects were given a series of tests. Exposure to SEM was the reward for answering questions correctly, researchers expected that the PPU subjects would have stronger motivations for getting the question correct. Men seeking treatment for PPU exhibited more activity in the ventral striatum (the pleasure center of the brain) during the anticipatory phase of the test than the control group. Subjects reporting PPU showed higher sensitivity to Sexually Explicit Material (SEM) than control group, showing that PPU alters the motivational process [12]. Gola, et al. also found that strength of fMRI results significantly correlated to frequency of SEM use and masturbation [12]. Of course, correlation is not causation, but indicates a relationship of some sort that must be studied further.

Sensitization to Secondary Stimuli

In broader addiction theory, someone's use of a drug can effect their perception about seemingly unrelated things, places, and people according to Vanderschuren and Pierce. Hard drugs cause an increase in sensitization to the stimuli which manifests itself when an addict encounters environmental factors they associate with the stimuli [14]. For example, a drug addict might subconsciously feel an attraction for a certain place or person related to their consumption of drugs. The researchers also found that this phenomenon contributes to relapses [14]. People with addictions grow more sensitive to the things that they associate with the addictive behavior. In the case of internet pornography, assuming it to be an addictive behavior, any and every computer or phone might be considered a "secondary stimuli". This makes stopping PPU more difficult because participation in modern society is difficult without some sort of internet-connected device. However, this connection depends on labeling internet pornography as an addictive substance, which will be analyzed presently.

Desensitization to Abhorrent Content and Escalating Desires

A hallmark of an addictive substance is its propensity to make a user unsatisfied with the same amount of the substance after a given amount of time or frequency of use. Think of drug users growing a tolerance towards a drug after repeatedly getting high. Users of SEM in one study by Wery and Billieux showed that nearly half of porn consumers had experienced an escalation in their preferred content to material that they reported previously disgusted them [15]. When the novelty aspect of SEM, particularly highly accessible internet SEM, is considered, this finding makes sense. Multiple studies dating back to the mid-2000s observe the propensity of the porn industry to churn out increasingly sensational, depraved, and violent material [16], [17]. For example, a niche of porn that seeks to make actors or actresses appear like children, a phenomenon that was highly publicized in the case of Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition, sparked intense controversy and debate [18]. The escalating nature of internet SEM shown in these studies provides yet another example of similarities between traditionally addictive substances and internet SEM.

Porn on the Brain

SEM use was associated with physically smaller areas of the brain known to be involved in chemical rewards such as the ventral striatum [19]. Kuhn and Jergen emphasized that their singular study does not show a causational relationship between porn use and size of striatum, but rather that more research is necessary to determine the real relationship [19]. A second brain-scan study allowed Banca, et al. to observe similarities in the way drug addicts and sex addicts responded to their assorted stimuli. She also found that normal tasks triggered the sex addicts to relapse [20].

Mental Health Effects

Media consumption shapes self-perceived attractiveness, and dissatisfaction with one's body can lead to harmful behaviors. SEM provides just another avenue for people struggling with their perception of their body, and how it should look. Consuming and creating SEM is a risk factor for developing body dissatisfaction and eating disorders [21]. Ward found by analyzing 135 studies, the negative effects of regular SEM usage in participants daily lives and even in normal but controlled laboratory settings associates with a variety of modern societal problems and phenomena. First, SEM was associated with lowered body positivity [21]. In recent years, advertising and social media's role in setting standards of beauty has contributed to body positivity and eating disorder issues. No one questioned standards of beauty prior to the recent decade and the explosion of the internet, internet-connected phones, and social media. More than ever, people are subconscious about their bodies and dissatisfied by how they look, likely due to the comparisons that they automatically make with others in the virtual medium, of which porn is a prominent category [22]. Second, Ward's research also indicated a strong association between SEM and combative beliefs of the sexes, greater tolerance of sexual violence toward women, and most crucially, the objectification of romantic partners [21]. The last and most important issue of objectification of romantic partners results in less relationship and sexual satisfaction in couples [23]. It is possible that these phenomena are fueled by the greater societal effect of increased SEM consumption and lower average ages of first exposure to SEM when viewers are more impressionable.

Violence and Aggression

An analysis of 4009 scenes from the top categories of two tube sites reveals disturbing statistics regarding the treatment of porn actresses. Almost half (45%) of pornographic videos depict physical violence towards women who make up 97% of the recipients of the violence and who almost exclusively react in neutral or positive manners [15]. Other researchers analyzed 304 popular pornographic videos and found that physical aggression in 88% of the videos and verbal aggression in 48% of the videos [22].

According to several former porn actresses, the agents who coordinate porn actors, actresses, and porn film companies intentionally withhold from the actors or actresses what a porn scene will include until after extensive preparation for the scene has been completed, such as hair, makeup, and videography, to reduce the likelihood of an actor or actress turning down a role [16]. Thus, actors and actresses undergo manipulation to carry out violent sex acts that normal spouses or partners will not. Married men or male partners who view SEM grow accustomed to encountering this violent behavior in intimacy due to SEM's escalating properties. Additional studies show that the violent behaviors are not enjoyed by the spouses or partners of porn viewers who find them “objectionable or demeaning” to the point of filing for divorce [17].

Violence in Porn

An analysis of 4009 scenes from the top categories of two tube sites reveals disturbing statistics regarding the treatment of porn actresses. Almost half (45%) of pornographic videos depict physical aggression towards women who make up 97% of the recipients of the violence and who almost exclusively react in neutral or positive manners [15]. The agents who coordinate porn actors and actresses and porn film companies intentionally withhold from the actors or actresses what a porn scene will include until after extensive preparation for the scene has been completed, such as hair, makeup, and videography, to reduce the likelihood of an actor or actress turning down a role [16]. Thus, actors and actresses undergo manipulation to carry out violent sex acts that normal spouses or partners will not. Married men or male partners who view SEM grow accustomed to encountering this violent behavior in intimacy due to SEM's escalating properties. Additional studies show that the violent behaviors are not enjoyed by the spouses or partners of porn viewers who find them “objectionable or demeaning” to the point of filing for divorce [17].

Relationship Satisfaction

At its heart, SEM replicates sex, and tricks the viewer's brain into believing that they are fulfilling their biological desire to procreate. However, SEM has advantages over real sex, because it is ubiquitously available, novel, and contains unrealistic portrayals of sex. The novelty effect will be discussed later, but the sexual encounters that can be had with virtual people cannot be matched in real life.

A 2019 analysis of 30 nationally representative surveys found pornography to be associated with worse relationship quality for both men and women in both married and unmarried relationships. This study carries special weight because it controlled for other factors that researchers had previously found problematic when studying relationship satisfaction conclusions from similar datasets. While this study shies away from claiming a causal link between pornography and lower quality relationships, it offers a basis for other studies [23].

Other researchers Dorian and Price tracked 20,000 couples and found that watching a single X-rated movie increased risk for being divorced, have an affair, and be less happy both in general and in marriage. Additional risks for men specifically include less happiness and satisfaction from sex [24]. Viewing SEM more than once per month is correlated with decreased relationship satisfaction and dissatisfaction increases with frequency of SEM use [10].

Sexual Satisfaction in Relationships

A growing body of research indicates that sexual satisfaction could be influenced by a phenomenon called Porn-Induced Erectile Dysfunction (PIED), a term coined in the Time magazine [25]. A 2016 study alerts to growing rates of erectile dysfunction in men who's age and other physical factors should preclude them from experiencing Erectile Dysfunction (ED) [26].

As a personal interjection, I am still reading the literature on PIED, but I saw this phenomena personally with a college-athlete friend who told me that he would not watch porn in the weeks leading up to seeing his girlfriend in person so that he would be able to perform sexually. He also told me that there was a time when he did not do that and could not become aroused with her.

Divorce

According to Doran and Price, watching SEM made married adults more than twice as likely to be divorced in six years, cheat on their spouse, and report less happiness in their marriage than control groups who did not view SEM [18]. For women, porn broadly demonstrates physical and verbal abuse, often with positive reactions from the recipient, normalizes multiples partners, which in the context of a committed relationship encourages cheating, and sexual touch without emotional connection. It is not surprising, then, that even if one of the people in a marriage watch a porn movie in a year, that couple is much more likely to have an affair, divorce, and be less happy in their marriage overall [27].

Conclusion

Having explored the literature regarding this taboo topic, it is clear that viewing SEM has negative effects on the viewer, such as developing negative or unrealistic views of intimacy, body image dissatisfaction, anxiety, and depression, all while entrapping the viewer deeper into a cycle of addiction. Underlying effects such as the neurochemical and psychological effects of SEM use were also discussed to explain and frame the discussion. Finally, the effect of the aforementioned harms were associated with the effects SEM has on relationships, which from the literature are only negative outcomes. The trickledown effect of the damage SEM does to relationships, namely divorce and breakups, can negatively effect children of those relationships, however that is outside the scope of this research. In conclusion, SEM has disastrous effects on intimacy and relationships, and those in relationships would be wise to evaluate their SEM use, as SEM and happy, satisfying relationships are mutually exclusive to one-another.

Postscript

The goal of this paper was to present in scientific format and with absolute academic rigor, the literature related to SEM's effect on relationships. I want people to be aware of the subtle harms that mainstream SEM causes to individuals, and more crucially to couples. I have seen firsthand the effect that cutting out porn/SEM has on individuals, and I want people who feel stuck and numbed to experience the excitement and beauty of the world around them instead of being a desensitized slave to their passions. If you found this essay persuasive and are interested in learning more, you can read my subsequent article that has other media I have encountered that is easier to digest than these scientific articles. There are YouTube videos, articles, and analyses that have also informed my opinions on this topic. It also contains my personal experience with cutting porn out of my life and tips I have since I have found it to be a challenging endeavor. Porn Essay 2.

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