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Porn, the common term for pornography, is difficult if not possible to define. Regardless, here are a few definitions to consider.
- Porn is defined as “sexually explicit videos, photographs, writings, or the like, produced to elicit sexual arousal.”1
- Porn is “material or representations designed to arouse or give sexual pleasure to the individual who reads, see, hears, or handles it. What is considered to be pornography is in constant flux, as society’s view of what is social acceptable, and what is considered vulgar or immoral changes.”2
- What is criminal porn is subjective, prompting U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, in his concurring opinion in Jacobellis v. Ohio decided 6/22/1964, to write, “But I know it when I see it…”
No matter where or how you consume porn – at work, on your phone, on cable, on TV, DVD, or elsewhere – the effects of porn on the viewer could be nothing or something depending on many factors. If porn has some effect on an individual, it could be positive, negative or make barely a ripple of difference.
Many questions about porn have not been resolved, and perhaps never will, but the sourced articles below comment on aspects of porn.
Footnotes: 1. dictionary.com, accessed 4/6/2018; 2. legaldictionary.net, accessed 4/6/2018
- This Study Explains The Difference Between Healthy And Unhealthy Porn Users
“As reported by Science Of Us a recent study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine has identified three different types of porn user: the recreational, the compulsive, and the distressed.”
Olivia Ovenden, esquire.com/uk, 8/3/2017
- 5 Ways Watching Porn Can Make You A Better Partner
“We’re big fans of porn for women—that is, effective masturbation material that doesn’t exploit actors or portray women in negative and harmful ways. But the other side of the pro-porn coin is how watching it can affect your actual sex life and relationships. But while you can have too much of a good thing, watching a lot of porn isn’t a problem unless it’s harming you.”
Suzannah Weiss, glamour.com, 4/10/2017
- People More Likely To Divorce After They Start Watching Porn, Says Study
“Married people who start watching porn are twice as likely to be divorced in the the following years as those who don’t. And women who start watching porn are three times as likely to split, according to a working paper presented at the American Sociological Association on Aug. 22. However, porn appears to have a less negative impact on marriage if couples watch it together.”
Belinda Luscombe, time.com, 8/23/2016
- Is Porn Good For Us Or Bad For Us?
“People continue to ask the same questions about porn that they have for decades: is porn good for us or bad for us? Is it immoral or is it empowering? Damaging or liberating? Asking these questions inevitably leads to an intense clashing of opinions and little else.
One question that is not being asked: What is porn doing to us and are we OK with that? There is a growing body of research that says watching porn may lead to some not so desirable individual and social outcomes both in the short and long-term.”Philip Zimbardo, PhD, psychologytoday.com, 3/1/2016
- Evidence Mounts: More Porn, LESS Sexual Assault
“Those who claim that porn incites rape are mistaken.”
Michael Castleman, MA, psychologytoday.com, 1/14/2016
- 10 Reasons Why You Should Quit Watching Porn
“With the ubiquity and easy access to porn these days, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that people are beginning to study the effects of it on our sex lives. … Scientists at Cambridge University recently studied the brain scans of porn addicts and found that they looked exactly like those of drug addicts. …”
Scott Christian, gq.com, 11/20/2013
- Porn Is Not the Problem — You Are
“Complaining about the dangers of porn distracts from personal responsibility.”
David J Ley, PhD, psychologytoday.com, 5/20/2013
- What Is The Influence Of Pornography On Rape?
“Here are two articles published at the end of 2009 with the opposite conclusions about the influence of pornography on sexual assault.”
David Lee, calcasa.org, 3/19/2010
; (Broken link removed 4/2024)