Everyone has an idea about Porn addiction and problems it can cause in any relationship, especially romantic ones. But, how would Porn affect relationships daily is the thing that is of great importance.
People will surely come across the characteristics and habits of porn addiction of their partners regardless of gender, age, as they find it personally uncomfortable.
There is a common statement that you may often hear from young women today, and that is, “My boyfriend is addicted to porn.” It can be a YouTube addiction, too, in a few cases.
It would be quite common for a few couples to watch Porn together. For several, it may appear odd to even find their partner in terms of engaging in this kind of activity.
What does porn addiction do to a relationship?
Porn is not the thing that is bad for any relationship. If people are not exercising any kind of moderation, then it can be quite bad. Mainly for the couples. So, how would Porn affect relationships as it depends on how much the user will be engaging?
It can be quite healthy while watching ethically produced porn and masturbating to it. The most harmless part of one’s sex life, irrespective of whether the individual is single or in a relationship, is what the ruling factor is. The dynamics, however, will be a bit different when it comes to the completely monogamous relationships here.
You will be dealing with two people who are quite possibly having different opinions in regards to Porn along with its consumption. People undergo varied boundaries about what is appropriate and what is lacking in a relationship, and these are the main differences that often lead to tension.
Research is conducted in this regard having conflicting outcomes. There are a few studies that are associated with watching several porn with distinctively less happy relationships and increasingly bad sex between the couples in love.
There are even other studies that are found to have a positive effect on watching Porn while being in a relationship.
It completely depends on people in this kind of relationship. When one half of the couple finds the other, it would constantly be consuming pornographic content leading to the rise of a suspicious mind. Even it negatively affects the self-esteem of people. It will impact intimacy in the relationship in the most significant ways.
How Porn affects relationships
On the manner in which porn affects the relationship, there is a lot of conflicting research on it. There are a few studies to show watching several porn associated with less happy relationships along with worse sex between the couples, whereas there are other studies that have discovered positive effects to watching Porn in relationships.
Research on porn and relationship satisfaction
There are several studies that have found that watching Porn is connected to lower satisfaction in relationships. It would be relating to one of the parties that use Porn in terms of avoiding connecting with their better half as an escape versus linking to their partner.
It is quite hard to mention whether porn is the culprit for an unhappy relationship or whether it has to do with the lack of skills that are related to each other with proper management of conflict and knowing the way to regulate each other emotionally.
For instance, according to 2016 studies on people in relationships have found watching Porn on your own is associated with less satisfaction in the relationship less amount commitment. There are couples where the partners are watching Porn together actually having similar levels of satisfaction to relationship, intimacies, along with commitment as couples where neither partner is watching Porn.
There would be several studies that have linked the usage of Porn using unhappiness in relationships, and there is yet to be any conclusive evidence watching the Porn causing unhappiness in the relationship.
According to a study of 2018, it was checked in with couples for about four years and found that relationships where one person started to watch Porn between the first and the second wave, were twice more likely to be divorced. It would prepare scary headlines, but you should note that the rate at which divorce rates are jumping from 6% among couples who are porn-free to 11% among couples where one person has started to watch Porn.
In the meanwhile, there are other studies that have usually found that watching Porn may improve relationships. According to a 2017 study, it is found that people commonly note Porn to have “no negative effects” on their relationship as people have frequently reported witnessing more positive effects other than negative effects.
Another study has found that a person who looks at any pornographic images had possibly no effect on the way they are attracted to their partner and how much in love there are in.
A huge role is played by how couples feel about Porn and its effects on relationships. According to a study of 2018 discovered among people who accept Porn, watching a lot of Porn is associated with great satisfaction to the relationship. Watching Porn was mainly associated with less relationship satisfaction but for those who are less accepting of Porn.
Research on Porn and sexual satisfaction
There has been a lot of research that has found a connection between watching Porn and being less sexual satisfaction, but likewise, we cannot say for sure whether Porn makes your sex life worse or if people with a less satisfying sex life tend to gravitate towards Porn.
According to a 2012 study of heterosexual couples with men watching Porn, that is linked to a low-quality sex life for both him and his partner as there is an interesting gender effect. There are even women who watch Porn that actually has linked with a better sexual life for her.
There are even studies that have discovered the use of Porn to be linked with better sex lives for couples. There are even studies where people reported to be likely more to have positive effects on their sexual lives than any negative effects. It includes several things like better sexual communication, great sexual experimentation along immense comfort with sex generally.
It is also believed by several people that Porn proves to desensitize the brain to pleasure as it needs a more and more intense amount of stimuli to get aroused sexually.
It is also noted that there is a lot of Porn suggesting women with vulvas will be consistently having orgasms from vaginal sex; that is not true. Porn should never be used as a replacement for quality sex education which is the reason why it is important for parents to speak to their kids about sex before even they find them online. Porn is a kind of fantasy that should be treated accordingly.
Porn, cheating, and secrecy
The easiest way in which Porn can hurt your relationship is due to the secrecy. Keeping secrets of various types from your partner will hurt their relationship, thereby creating a feeling of distance between you and eroding trust over time.
Importantly, when it comes to Porn, there are a few people who can hide the use specifically since they believe that their partner will get upset about it since they know that their partner is not fine with them.
There are a few people who view Porn as a form of cheating or as competition to their sexual life as a couple, and so discovering that your partner is secretly watching Porn behind your back is extremely hurtful.
When it comes to the matters of sex as well as intimacy, transparency is all that is required in a relationship. The Porn is not what is unhealthy here; it includes the lack of honesty along with the willingness that goes behind the back of your partner that will be hurting relationships.
Reality of Porn
Porn will be creating the most highly unrealistic expectations in relationships, primarily as the consumer naturally starts to desire to have those sexual acts along with the behaviors in real life.
In recent history, it has been one of the most detailed studies on porn consumption ever conducted. There are researchers who found that after the consumption of the sexual material on the Internet, both men and women in committed relationships are distinctively less satisfied with the looks of the partner, along with the sexual performance.
They are quite unhappy with the lack of willingness of their partner in terms of trying new sexual activities. There are several partners who do not watch Porn by keeping in mind the fact that it is staged and unrealistic. They even watch Porn by wishing that their partner would be doing the same thing. Porn will surely make them believe that it is what hot sex is all about in the world of Porn.
The Defects in Porn
The produced and the synthetic product of Porn are all unnatural. The repeated consumption of this content will mainly affect the relationship in a plethora of ways. The common effects include avoiding sexual activities by making excuses, detaching during sexual intercourse, and in a few cases, there are repeated requests for using Porn during a sexual act.
There are even surveys that are conducted globally that have shown that Porn often tends to make its viewers accepting of polygamy and have open relationships. Their partner may not be keen enough or may become completely against the ideas such as this. These kinds of differences can easily destroy any lifelong relationships that are often the main cause of any adultery in several other situations.
Eventually, it has led to several emotional disconnections between both of the parties. It is the simplest way in which Porn can hurt any kind of relationship due to the secrecy that surrounds it. It will create a feeling of distance between any couple and also erode trust over time.
Porn vs. Fidelity
There are a few people who would even be considering Porn as a form of cheating. Virtual infidelity is a ground for divorce. The individuals would even be considering Porn to be a competition to their sexual life. Several people will have their own mindset as they discover that their partner is secretly watching Porn, thereby hurting feelings and making them lose trust in their partner.
There are even experts on the topic that would agree as Porn is the worst substitute for their sexual life. It will fail in offering the danger that exists during their sexual activities in real life. Porn will be taking away the securities and bonding that are the most distinctive part of every robust relationship.
To Conclude
You need to speak out to your partner privately and explore together the way you can improve your sexual life is the ideal way in which you can deal with issues. You will not be able to work on this matter individually as you will have to work here as a couple.
There are several healthier options to spice up the things in a relationship to give something new a try that will not place your relationship in danger.
It is important to keep the emotional connection as well as maintain better communication in every relationship. You need to take necessary measures to pull yourself away from this kind of content if pornographic content appears to be affecting it.
You need to do something before it leads to irreversible damages. It can be viewed as an opportunity for exploring sexual needs and understanding each other better but in great moderation, if the topic of pornography arises.
You need to take the first step towards betterment if you see the signs of addiction in yourself. You need to help yourself out by downloading a porn blocker on every device and getting help from a professional therapist.
