Curated from: Learn - shy

None of us are strangers to the narrative that porn is “bad for you”, be it from overbearing parents who try to control your internet usage or sex education classes that promote abstinence and … not much anything else. Aside from religious or conservative reasons, are there any scientific or factual justifications as to why porn might be bringing more pain than pleasure? 

Body Image Issues | Erectile Dysfunction | Neurological Findings | Strained Relationships | Unhealthy Sex Lives | Societal Impacts | Porn Industry | Ethical Porn Sites

The Impacts of Porn on the Body

Body Image Issues

There is no debate over the pervasiveness of the media on influencing the viewpoints and perceptions of different social commentary, while also shaping our standards of beauty and concepts of attractiveness. Porn is certainly no exception. Through the repeated media exposure of performers with body types that meet conventional ideas of what is sexually appealing, porn can promote an unrealistic image of beauty. This can perpetuate any issues of self-esteem (if their own bodies do not look like that, or if their partner’s body does not look like that of a porn star) among impressionable, younger audiences, especially if porn is the first encounter with sex for them. 

Erectile Dysfunction 

A PSA to the males out there, watching porn might be one of the more sex-negative activities you could engage in! The more porn consumed, the more psychological conditioning takes place where you get used to what previously aroused you, and would need something more intense to have an erection. 

A close analogy would be if you do the same workout for a specific body part constantly, its effects will get limited over time as your muscles there get used to the sensation from this workout. In general, this is not healthy, and when it comes to real sex, the intensity might not be as strong as what you see on-screen, which can cause struggles in getting erect with a partner. The end result: performance anxiety. 

The Impact of Porn on the Brain

These findings are also scientifically backed! During an experiment conducted by Dr Valerie Voon of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge, the team found that there was greater brain activity in three distinct regions (see image below) among people who exhibit compulsive sexual behaviour. 

These regions were involved in handling reward and motivation, anticipating rewards and craving, and processing emotions. These three processing regions are also more active in those with substance abuse issues when shown ‘cues’ linked to their drug of choice. But unlike drug and gambling addictions, Dr Voon’s research showed that porn decreases sensitivity and leads to habituation — the desire for novel stimuli, comprising more hardcore images. 

The Impact of Porn on Relationships 

Porn sells the fantasy of sex, and it is very easy to end up believing that sex should be the way it is in porn, especially if that is where people would be receiving their sex education from. And as mentioned earlier, porn can cause psychological conditioning that makes sexual arousal for the viewer difficult without it, or they might end up losing interest in engaging in sex with their partners’ if they are unable to perform as what the actors did. This can cause rifts as the partner on the receiving end may feel sexually inadequate, straining the relationship due to decreased sexual satisfaction and emotional closeness. 

Promoting Misconceptions of Healthy Sex 

Healthy, positive sex lives involve loving and celebrating the fullness of intimacy, and not just the physical aspects of it. Porn mainly promotes sex as just a performance to derive physical pleasure. It is graphic, explicit, and fetishizes the human body as an object to be used and exploited to satiate one’s needs whether or not the other person is enjoying it. This disregards the emotional and psychological aspects that contribute to fulfilling relationships, both in life and in the bedroom. We believe that sex should be viewed as an extension of expression and love, and a really fun AND consensual part of committed, loving relationships. 

The Ethical Impacts of Porn on Society 

Normalising Sexual Violence

In the realm of porn videos where sexual abuse is often dressed up as fantasies and kinks, the lines of morality are increasingly blurred. For example, one of Pornhub’s top-viewed “Video of the Week” in 2019 was called “My Stepbrother Brazenly Took Advantage of My Helplessness”, and as can be inferred from the title, the actress was raped by her stepbrother in the film when she needed help after getting stuck in a washing machine. The scene involved her repeatedly asking him to stop as she was in pain. This video received more than 7 million views. 

Studies have also been conducted that support these trends towards sexual violence. In a study of male college students in the US, it was found that those who watched mainstream porn were more likely to commit rape or sexual assault if they knew they would not be caught, as compared to those who had not seen porn in the previous year. The same study also found that consumers of porn were less likely to intervene if they observed a sexual assault taking place. 

And these statistics are also intricately linked to what material is out there for consumption. In an analysis of more than 300 porn scenes, researchers found that 88% contained physical aggression, and the target’s response to the aggression was that of pleasure or neutrality — signifying to their audiences that violence is not only acceptable but also enjoyed by the victim, and more importantly, that is is alright to be aroused by someone else’s violations. 

The Porn Industry

A common counterargument to the points made above would be one that centers around how the characters in porn are paid actors following a script, who would have known what was required of their role, so in terms of legality and ethics, it is acceptable. 

This is where the lines are blurred even further, and this is what the filming process is like at a typical porn film set. The industry’s way of trying to prove consensuality and avoiding liability if anything happens on set is by filming interviews with performers before and after a job in “consent” and “exit” interviews. A shoot is not complete and performers are not paid until the exit interview, in which performers confirm the acts were consensual. Often, the director who just filmed the scene will interview the performer, asking questions like, “Did you have a good time?” and “Were you raped or abused?” and “Would you shoot with us again?” A performer’s paycheck is essentially held hostage unless they answer “correctly”, making it hard for actors to speak out against any transgressions committed to them. 

Additionally, in real life, true consent can be withdrawn at any moment during sexual activity (!! a good reminder for everyone), but that is often not the case for porn actors who are required to fulfil contracts that were signed prior to the actual shooting. This makes it hard for them to revoke consent even if the situation becomes uncomfortable or dangerous. For more information, do check out this incident of a porn actress who spoke out more about the dangers of the industry. 

With all this in mind, how can regular people consume porn ethically? 

Although there is no way to truly know what goes on behind the scenes, here are some players in the industry that aim to disrupt it through the promotion of ethical porn! 

 1. Cheex

A website and blog that includes carefully curated erotic films from independent artists and production companies, where the stories chosen are meant to stimulate fantasies instead of necessities for satisfaction. Their aim is to create a community for everyone who is curious about sexual stimulation, with the purpose of education alongside pleasure. With a modern, aesthetic design that looks more like that of a lifestyle magazine, this is the one porn site you would not be hurrying to delete from your search history! 

2. MakeLoveNotPorn and Lustery

Link to MakeLoveNotPorn   |   Link to Lustery

Both these sites focus on real-life sex between couples, where couples around the world are invited to upload their own videos. The benefit of this is that consent between partners is much easier to be established, and viewers can also sample what sex between regular people would be like. The lack of a “storyline” and focus on the emotional aspects of sex between real couples is also a much better representation of what viewers can expect when it comes to their own bedroom episodes. Both these platforms pay the uploaders based on the views their videos get, and uploaders are free to remove their videos from the net whenever they want to. 

3. OnlyFans

Yes, while you might have your views on OnlyFans due to how it’s portrayed in the media, this subscription-based service is much more ethical than you might think! For instance, you pay directly to the creators, and creators have the autonomy to post whatever they want to and are comfortable with. This helps to establish better boundaries, and avoids manipulation from the bigger players in the industry. 

Overall, while you might have your own relationship and experiences with how porn has impacted your life for better or for worse, we hope that this piece gives you a clearer and more unbiased understanding as to why porn might not be that great for you, your partners, and society at large. The next time an authority figure in your life faults you for your consumption of porn, surprise them by agreeing that you also think porn is bad for you, and maybe surprise us too by sending this article to them 😉!