Why do we watch porn?

Although it is no secret that Pornography can give a biased view of sexual relationsit is no less true that consuming this type of content has become a habit for many – whether they have a partner or not.

When this happens, many couples of porn consumers wonder: if my partner is satisfied with our sexual relations, why does he continue watching pornography? I’m not enough?

Well, according to a team of researchers led by Beáta Bőthe, only 5.94% of porn consumers in their study said they watched porn due to a “lack of sexual satisfaction.”. In other words, most porn consumers watch porn for reasons other than that their partner is not “enough.”

So if that’s true, what are the reasons why people watch porn?

The reasons why we watch porn

With a seemingly limitless appetite, man has been producing and consuming pornography since it became possible. The Romans devoured the love poems and “adultery manuals” of the poet Ovid 2,000 years ago. Today the trilogy of novels about sex like Fifty Shades of Grey, 365 days either despues de They are breaking more and more sales records.

Pornography peaked in the 1960s. Suddenly, magazines on this topic began to occupy the windows of newsstands and also the most remote corners of homes. Now, hundreds of pornographic films and images are available to anyone on the Internet.

Now, what really happens in our brain when we see a body being caressed and touched? How much porn is common to watch? And does it really matter that women watch less porn than men?

Unlike the scarce research on the reasons for viewing pornography, the study on porn viewing behavior is more substantial and is guided by several theoretical perspectives, including evolutionary ones such as sexual strategies theory (Salmon, 2012 ).

1. To emulate casual sex

Because most pornographic film content contains sexual acts and scenes that induce moods and emotions similar to those elicited during casual sex and sexual intercourse (Hald & Malamuth, 2008), It can be argued that pornography consumption serves as a substitute for casual sex.

As such, people who are oriented towards short-term sex may watch pornographic films to satisfy their need for stimulation that they normally receive during casual sex.

2. For the emotions it awakens in us

Porn awakens certain common sensations in us. The problem is in the type, frequency and function of consumption.

Pornographic films are surrounded by a multitude of clichés. Firstly, some argue that they present a wrong image of sexuality, but who still honestly thinks that movies are copies of reality?

No one is convinced anymore that romantic comedies are a reflection of our love life or that family relationships always occur as in Chabrol. Of course, we can recognize ourselves in certain elements, identify with certain situations, but never think that there is everything to take and nothing to throw away. As with anything, even if it’s a little artistic.

3. For sexual excitement or pleasure

According to Bőthe, The main reason people watch pornography is for sexual pleasure. Sexual desire is, of course, natural and healthy.

In a relationship where partners have different drives, pornography is often seen as a way to satisfy that need. But while pornography is produced specifically for titillation, it is not produced with the consumer’s health or relationships in mind.

Porn promises a variety of sex, “hotter” sex and more extreme sex. But while it may promise more porn, more porn doesn’t translate into real-life sex. World-renowned relationship experts and researchers, Drs. John and Julie Gottman, for example, have expressed serious concerns about the effects of pornography on sexual relationships.

With the use of pornography, it may eventually take much more than a normal stimulus to achieve the response that a supernormal stimulus evokes. On the contrary, ordinary levels of stimulus are no longer interesting. So It may be that normal sex becomes much less interesting to porn users.

4. To learn about sex

Another common motivation for watching porn is to learn about sex. For young people, discovering how sex works is a common reason for turning to pornography. In fact, one study shows that approximately 45% of teens who consumed pornography did so in part to learn about sex.

Similarly, survey results also show that one in four 18- to 24-year-olds (24.5%) cited pornography as the most useful source for learning how to have sex. Curiosity is real and porn can seem like the easiest place to explore. But does that make it the best place?

5. To deal with negative emotions

Another common reason for watching porn is to cope with uncomfortable emotions. Specifically, “stress reduction” and “emotional distraction or suppression” appear as motivations for consuming porn. Thus, to escape these feelings, a person may turn to pornography.

It seems like a quick fix for temporary loneliness, but at best it’s a cheap distraction and at worst, porn only fuels those feelings.

Whether it’s to de-stress at the end of a difficult day or to escape emotions that feel too much to handle, Research shows that porn doesn’t actually help in the long run. In fact, research indicates that those who consume porn to avoid uncomfortable emotions tend to have some of the lowest reports of emotional and mental well-being.

6. Out of boredom

While boredom is now described in some circles as a positive state of mind that stimulates creativity, even earning the approval of Steve Jobs, many people prefer to avoid it. Our digital world has done a pretty good job of providing endless amounts of entertainment and distractions for those who can’t stand a moment of boredom.

But consider this definition of boredom: “the aversive experience of wanting, but not being able, to engage in a satisfying activity.” Pornography cannot help with boredom because it leaves a person dissatisfied and disconnected. Sure, at first it’s new and exciting, but as the brain is regularly stimulated by porn, it may get bored of watching the same content. A person may slowly begin to desire more and of different kinds.

An addiction?

When asking ourselves why some people choose to consume pornography, we have to keep in mind that there are people who cannot stop this habit. Because of the ways that viewing pornography can affect the brain, It can be very difficult to leave her. All of these movies are available to consume alone, without the need to buy or order anything anywhere.

Immediate satisfaction on a continuous basis, without any problem in accessing what has already become, for many, a drug. As psychological professionals, we have to take into account this accessibility and ease of access to addiction when it comes to scheduling an intervention.

We have to avoid blaming or moralizing treatment if we finally detect a pattern of porn addiction. It is about promoting audiovisual content that conceptualizes sex not as an immediate, unilateral and sometimes violent need. Accessing other stories of seduction, in which sex is surrounded by warmth and long-term satisfaction, can change the view of these stories on screen.

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