This blog is a summary of our published article: Vaillancourt- Morel, M. P., Rosen, N. O., Stulhofer, A., Bosisio, M. & Bergeron, S. (2021). Pornography use and sexual health among same-sex and mixed-sex couples: An event-level dyadic analysis. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 50, 667-681. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-020-01839-z.
In Western culture, many individuals in relationships use pornography or have a partner that does. [1] Pornography provides a wide range of sexual content that may or may not be very accurate when compared to real-life sexual activity. These depictions may contribute to the development of unrealistic expectations of sex [2] that could result in consequences to a person’s own and their partners’ sexual well-being. In fact, there is some research linking pornography use to decreased sexual function and sexual satisfaction, and overall sexual health declines. However, most of the research in this area is inconsistent because it does not examine pornography use in couples, mostly focuses on men, and does not distinguish between partnered sexual activity and solitary sexual activity. [3-5] Therefore, we thought it would be helpful to fill in some of these gaps in the research to gain a more complete understanding of how pornography use plays a role in couples’ sexual well-being.
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What did we do?
We recruited 211 same- and mixed-sex couples who completed short, daily surveys (also known as daily diaries) for a total of 35 days. We looked at the relationship between an individual’s pornography use and their own and their partner’s sexual satisfaction, distress, and function on days when couples had sex. These short surveys asked participants about their pornography use, either with their partner or alone, sexual satisfaction, sexual distress, sexual function, and masturbation.
Our study tested these predictions:
- On days when couples had sex, men’s use of pornography alone would be associated with lower sexual satisfaction, decreased sexual function, and higher sexual distress among them and their partners.
- Women’s pornography use would not be related in their own and their partner’s sexual satisfaction, distress, and function.
- Watching porn together as a couple would be associated with higher sexual satisfaction and function, as well as lower sexual distress in both members of the couple.
What did we find?
Overall, we found that there were only a few links between pornography use on sex days, (whether alone or with one’s partner), and most aspects of sexual well-being. Some of our specific findings were that:
- An individual’s pornography use (without their partner) on sex days was related to their partner’s higher sexual distress and, for women’s use, to their own higher quality of lubrication on that day.
- There was no evidence that using pornography on days when couples had sex- in comparison to sex days without porn use- was related to couples’ sexual satisfaction, ease of arousal/erection, orgasmic function (the ability to have an orgasm), and degree of pleasure.
- Pornography use on days when couples had sex was not associated with a person’s sexual distress, receptivity (which is wanting to engage in sexual activity after their partner initiates), their partner’s quality of lubrication or erection, and the quality of erections for men who used pornography.
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What does this mean?
We know that pornography use among couples’ is a complex area of study that still requires future research. One of the main takeaways from our research is that pornography use on days when couples have sex appears to not have as many negative consequences to their sexual well-being as many may believe. For some individuals, pornography use on sex days may contribute to unrealistic fantasies that emphasize one’s performance and appearance during sex, which may increase their distress. However, women’s pornography use may help them feel more sexually responsive and engaged during partnered sexual activity.
These findings suggest that pornography use generally does not have harmful effects on couples’ sexual well-being. Nonetheless, we encourage open communication about your sexual expectations, needs, and desires to find what is best for you and your partner!
References
[1] Carrol, J. S., Busby, D. M., Willoughby, B. J., & Brown, C. C. (2017). The porn gap: Differences in men’s and women’s pornography patterns in couple relationships. Journal of Couple and Relationship Therapy, 16, 146-163. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-008-9314-4.
[2] Hoffman, H., Janssen, E., & Turner, S. L. (2004). Classical conditioning of sexual arousal in women and men: Effects of varying awareness and biological relevance of the conditioned stimulus. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 33, 43-53. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:ASEB.0000007461.59019.d3.
[3] Blais-Lecours, S., Vaillancourt-Morel, M.-P., Sabourin, S., & Godbout, N. (2016). Cyberpornography: Time use, perceived addiction, sexual functioning, and sexual satisfaction. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 19, 649–655. https://doi.org/10.1089/ cyber.2016.0364.
[4] Grubbs, J. B., & Gola, M. (2019). Is pornography use related to erectile functioning? Results from cross-sectional and latent growth curve analyses. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 16, 111–125. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2018.11.004.
[5] Landripet, I., & Štulhofer, A. (2015). Is pornography use associated with sexual difficulties and dysfunctions among younger heterosexual men? Journal of Sexual Medicine, 12, 1136–1139. https:// doi.org/10.1111/jsm.12853.
