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Lifestyle

14th May 2017

New study shows porn has this specific negative effect on men (but not on women)

Bad news, fellas

Rory Cashin

SEX!

Okay, now that we have your attention, let’s talk about… PORN!

We’re all grown ups here and what you do in your spare time is entirely between you and your box of Kleenex.

However, a new study suggests that pornography has a very specific negative effect on us. Unless you’re a woman, then it’s having very little effect on you at all.

Around 300 men and women aged between 20 and 40 took part in these surveys and the results showed there was a strong correlation between men who watched porn frequently and those who reported a lack of sexual desire, as well as erectile dysfunction.

The female participants, however, had little to no negative reaction on their sex drives from watching pornography.

Of the men surveyed, 20% said they watched porn three to five times per week, while 4% admitted that they preferred masturbating to porn over having sex with a partner.

So what is the primary reason for the negative effect on men? Well, it seems to come down to the fact that men feel pressured into being porn stars in their own bedrooms.

According to Dr. Joseph Alukal, director of male reproductive health at New York University, the fantasy of porn can have a real-life effect if you feel that your at-home antics aren’t living up to what your brain perceives to be the norm.

“They believe they’re supposed to be able to do what goes on in these movies, Dr. Alukal says. “And when they can’t it causes a great deal of anxiety.”