Benefits Of Porn

Benefits Of Porn

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Porn has got a bit a bad rep over the years. From accusations that it’s rewiring people’s brains and perceptions on sex, to causing erectile dysfunction.
Then there was the time when the government banned porn that focused on female pleasure . That wasn’t great either.
Luckily, other research suggests that it might not be as bad you think. We’ve compiled together some of the scientifically suggested benefits of pornography that might put you a little at ease.
Here are six reasons why pornography might be good for you after all.
There might be evidence to suggest that porn can lead to an actual sex addiction (though that’s argued, a lot, among experts). But for those whose sex drive might be a little on the low side, maybe it could help.
This study by the University of California found that a positive correlation between the time spent watching porn and the desire to have sex.
‘This pattern suggests that those who view more visual sexual stimuli (VSS) are likely to have a higher sexual drive,’ researchers wrote in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.
The same study also looked at porn’s effect on erectile dysfunction. It found no relationship between the numbers of hours watched weekly and erectile functioning with a partner.
So if you’re having problems getting hard in the bedroom, then your porn habit isn’t to blame.
You wouldn’t be blamed for thinking this a common benefit of most sexual activity . But yes, watching porn can do it too.
Looking at sexy pictures can help to decrease stress, according to research by the Carnegie Mellon University .
When your body gets stressed, it produces a hormone called cortisol that might disrupt the brain’s problem-solving abilities.
So in case you were wondering why you got a mind-blank everytime you panicked or felt really stressed during an important exam or interview, that’s why – it’s cortisol’s fault.
But the study found that men who looked at hot pictures of women performed 50 per cent better on a math portion of a stress test compared to guys who looked at non-sexual photos.
Researchers concluded therefore looking at the pictures reduced the stress response in the brain.
Porn can be a way to discover your sexuality in a way that has fewer emotional or health consequences on you or other people.
‘Porn can really help you explore what your likes and dislikes are,’ Dr. Madeleine Castellanos, New York psychiatrist and sex therapist, told Mic .
‘You can really discover what resonates with you sexually.’
It can be then become a tool to broach the subject of your kinks with a sexual partner, so ‘I saw this which I’d like to try…’ becomes part of a relationship.
For some, the realms of hardcore porn might be a place they don’t dare roam. Whips and chains can be a bit frightening.
But turns out, it might actually reap more benefits than problems.
This Danish study of both men and women found a positive relationship between the amount of hardcore porn watched and impact on participants’ sex lives, attitudes towards sex, their perceptions and attitudes towards members of the opposite sex.
With the prevalence of slapping and ejaculating on women in the fantasies of men who watch porn according to University of Arkansas , you might be right to be concerned it can be a bit derogatory towards women.
But the growth of the ethical porn movement could help us put our minds to rest.
The Ethical Porn Partnership , for example, is a coalition of porn producers, performers, consumers and supported committed to creating responsibly-made porn.
So you can watch porn comfortably without feeling you’re contributing towards the sexual degradation of women. Huzzah.

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Posted January 22, 2010

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Reviewed by Devon Frye

For the past several decades, a debate has raged as to whether or not pornography yields deleterious effects at the individual or societal levels (increased negative views toward women, for example, or increased rate of sexual crimes against women).
In many instances, those who have sought to link pornography to countless ills have been ideologically motivated, as the aggregate scientific evidence hardly supports such conclusions. (See chapter six of my book, The Evolutionary Bases of Consumption , for some relevant references on pornography.)
In today's post, I'd like to briefly report on two recent studies that shed light on the matter. In a paper published in 2009 in the International Journal of Law and Psychiatry , Milton Diamond reviewed a very broad number of studies that have explored the supposed ill effects of pornography. Subsequent to his extensive review, Diamond concludes:
"Indeed, the data reported and reviewed suggests that the thesis is myth and, if anything, there is an inverse causal relationship between an increase in pornography and sex crimes. Further, considering the findings of studies of community standards and wide spread usage of SEM [sexually explicit material], it is obvious that in local communities, as nationally and internationally, porn is available, widely used, and felt appropriate for voluntary adult consumption. If there is a consensus against pornography, it is in regard to any SEM that involves children or minors in its production or consumption. Lastly, we see that objections to erotic materials are often made on the basis of supposed actual, social, or moral harm to women. No such cause and effect has been demonstrated with any negative consequence."
This is yet another review of the literature that seems to find no societal ill effects of pornography.
What about at the individual level? Are women who view pornography terrorized beyond redemption? Do they descend into a well of despair and self-doubt about their sexuality ? Do men become misogynist monsters upon viewing pornographic material? Do they develop debilitating penis insecurities at the sight of well-endowed male porn actors?
Let's see what Gert Martin Hald and Neil M. Malamuth found in their 2008 paper, titled " Self-Perceived Effects of Pornographic Consumption ." (I should mention that Neil Malamuth is a highly regarded scholar of pornography who has often argued for its supposed ill effects. Hence, if there exists a possibility of an a priori bias here, it would likely be in hoping to find that pornography yields negative consequences.)
In their survey of 688 young Danish adults (316 men; 372 women), Hald and Malamuth found that respondents construed the viewing of hardcore pornography as beneficial to their sex lives, their attitudes towards sex, their perceptions and attitudes towards members of the opposite sex, toward life in general, and overall. The obtained beneficial effects were statistically significant for all but one measure across both sexes.
Now here's the kicker: A positive correlation was obtained between the amount of hardcore pornography that was viewed and the impact of the benefits reaped. This positive correlation was found for both sexes. In other words, the more that one watched porn, the stronger the benefits—for both sexes! There you have it.
This post should not be construed as my being in favor of pornography, as my personal opinion is irrelevant to the matter at hand. Rather, I am reporting on recent data regarding this debate and in so doing I wish to highlight the fact that ideology should never trump scientific evidence.
Gad Saad, Ph.D., is a professor of marketing at Concordia University and the author of The Evolutionary Bases of Consumption and The Consuming Instinct.

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We all harbor secrets. Some are big and bad; some are small and trivial. Researchers have parsed which truths to tell and which not to.

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Pornography can reboot a couple’s sex life. It can give you ideas, or help you get in touch with what turns you on.

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Candida Royalle is a creator of feminist pornography and the author of " How to Tell a Naked Man What to Do ."
Watching pornography is not inherently harmful to men or women. But I would offer some caveats. There are people who probably shouldn’t view porn, like those with poor body image or those who have been sexually victimized. Depending on your choice in viewing, you can develop unrealistic expectations about sex or what people like or how you’ll be expected to “perform.” And watching with someone requires true consent.
When none of these red flags are up, pornography can certainly have benefits. Counselors sometimes suggest it to help people become comfortable with a particular fantasy they or their partner may have. Pornography can reboot a couple’s sex life. It can give you ideas, or help you get in touch with what turns you on.
Porn can deliver you there at best, or disgust you at worst. It all depends on what you choose to watch. With the availability of porn online, it’s possible to sample enough porn quickly that you don’t have to find yourself watching wall-to-wall hard-core sex if it’s plot driven erotica that appeals to you. You’re only a victim of bad porn if you let yourself be.
And a word about sex or porn addiction. I don’t believe in it. Unlike a chemical substance, like opiates, you can’t become “addicted” to sex or porn; you can become a compulsive viewer. In this case, it’s not the porn that’s the problem; it’s the compulsive personality. If it weren’t porn being used to act out one’s compulsive nature, it might be food or some other behavior.
As for whether it’s harmful or beneficial to the performers, let’s take women first. There are some who choose to perform because they like sex a lot and they consider it a great way to earn a living. Then there are those who are drawn to porn as a way of acting out subconscious psychological issues – looking for daddy’s love or punishment for being a bad girl. For many, it’s probably a little of each. Even women with the best mental health will face some downsides from this work. Our culture consumes porn at record numbers, but the women who perform are still judged harshly.
I’m not sure the male performers get out completely unscathed either. While they may not be judged as harshly as the women, ultimately they’re viewed as freaks who make their living with their anatomy. John Holmes’s fate is the ultimate cautionary tale.
Perhaps if we weren’t still so consumed with guilt and shame about sex, neither watching nor performing in these films would carry the weight it does. But then, perhaps we wouldn’t be so interested in them, either. If the fruit were not forbidden, would anyone care to take a bite?
Many still see sexual material as a social ill, but there are rising voices in its defense: feminists, psychologists and the women and men who watch it.
Read More »

Candida Royalle, creator of feminist pornography

Chyng Sun, co-director, "The Price of Pleasure"

Mireille Miller-Young, professor of feminist studies

Gail Dines and

Robert Jensen, co-founders, Stop Porn Culture

Debby Herbenick, Center for Sexual Health Promotion

David Loftus, author, "Watching Sex"

Ana Bridges, professor of psychology, University of Arkansas

up next:
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The Positive Side of Pornography

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