An honest discussion on the effects of porn

[chuckman1]

Many people go either the radical pro or anti porn camp. I think available free porn is good for society. However lately I try to watch it less because I really think it effects my thought process in a way I don't like. Watching too much can cause me to over sexualize something in my head or I could keep on thinking about something said in the porn the next day and wish I could just get it out of my head. I've heard something like it makes it harder for people to get it on without constant stimulation.

What are your experiences? Any facts? Does porn have adverse effects and if so how do you minimize these when you're not getting laid. This is a subject i feel needs more honest moderate discussion.

 

[Olas]

I can't report any negative consequences myself. It makes masturbation easier, and if I didn't do that I'm be thinking about sex a lot more, but I don't think it affects me much outside that. That being said I don't really care at all about romantic relationships, so I probably wouldn't notice things others might in that regard.

 

[Thaluikhain]

In of itself, I don't see anything wrong with porn.

However, the industry as it currently is can be very murky, a lot of people without proper sex education are learning from porn, and a lot of porn is misogynistic to a greater or lesser extent.

 

[Dizchu]

Yeah I have to mirror thaluikhain. The worst thing about porn is the way the industry that produces the live-action stuff (which is the first thing I'm guessing that comes to many peoples' minds when they think of pornography). Also the fact that as a result of widespread taboo nature of sex and sexuality, there is a massive divide between mainstream society's prudishness and the extremity of a lot of porn. Coupled with poor sex education, this can result in damaging perceptions about sex.

As for myself? I think porn's done me a lot of good, in a way. I've kinda become desensitised to sex in a good way. Don't get me wrong, I still get excited when girls are into me but I have found that with a consistent way of "addressing" my urges, I objectify people less and I commodify sex less. If all I wanted was an orgasm I could do that myself. It makes me appreciate the non-sexual parts of sex like intimacy and trust, as well as a sense of worth.

I think of it this way. Getting off to porn is like fast food. It satisfies an urge quickly, tastes nice, but is ultimately nothing special. Having sex for real is like dining at a fancy restaurant. More expensive, the gratification isn't as immediate, but it feels a lot more valuable and special. I don't go out to a nice restaurant merely to satisfy an urge, but to have an experience.

The problem (to me) is when people rely on "fancy restaurants" for the same things they go to McDonald's for, and have the same expectations.

 

[Therumancer]

Porn is just another form of entertainment, I see nothing particularly wrong with it. I feel it mostly gets a bad rap because of the old days when it was just starting out, a lot sleazier, and a lot more dangerous. It's become mainstream, and porn studios have higher standards and more protection in a general sense, it isn't an environment where they have to be tied to crime or unsavory elements just to get by.

I personally do not think porn does anything to anyone, and people claiming it awakens something are looking for excuses for issues they don't want to deal with.

Really to me it seems the mystique about porn is for the young, once you get old enough where porn is readily available, you find it, and then after a while it's just kind of "meh" and it becomes hard to see what the big deal was all about. People have sex, big shock, sometimes it can be fun to watch and fantasize that's also a big shock (hopefully conveying the sarcasm).

 

[Hieronymusgoa]

For some time I thought my porn consumption might be troubling (timewise). Then I realised I might be a bit harsh on myself since I am still fully capable of having sex with people on a regular basis (without having weird expectations by the improbable statistics of muscles and big junk in porn) and regarding how I spend my free time: I am still busy enough with gym, cooking/baking, meeting friends, tv shows, games and so on (ah...and work).

It even has a "cathartic" aspect for me since unsafe sex (or "barebacking") is quite a problem in the gay community and since nowadays I watch 90% BB-porn I can get my fix there and am not as annoyed at using a condom all the time in reality. Of course that is not the same but for me that is enough of a replacement to work.

 

[DefunctTheory]

No good study has been able to find a solid, statistically relevant correlation between pornography and negative effects to viewers: Its never been found to increase rape, increase incidence of sexual dysfunction, cause social problems, or otherwise detrimentally affect individuals. That's telling, considering how many government and religiously motivated studies there have been (A fuck ton).

Obviously pornography can be part of a negative life style - People do overuse it and have problems, like watching it at work, or preferring to watch it then try to find a real sexual relationship. But blaming pornography is like blame fatty hamburgers - Its not really the problem. The problem is in the user's life style and habits, not the product.

Though, yes, there does seem to be an industrial problem at the moment with the treatment of actors and actresses. But that's a problem with the industry, not the product.

I shit you not, my captcha is Man Hands

The hell?

 

[Sigmund Av Volsung]

Porn just makes me feel lonely if I go overboard. Not in the sense that "I need to have sex with a real person", just that it makes me a bit sad that I'm not in a relationship. And of that component, the part that I lack that general intimacy.

Otherwise, my perspective is fairly good. If anything, it de-mystifies sex and just makes me see as a bodily process. It's something that you just get out of the way, but otherwise, I don't see it as something special. Effectively it's just two pieces of meat rubbing against each other until they can't rub anymore

I think that's healthy to keep in mind.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I like porn but I don't like porn stars, if that makes any sense. You know those videos where the girl is trying way too hard to act slutty, looking at the camera every 5 seconds like "Oh my god we're totally having sex"? Not a fan. I want people who're into it, not just putting on a show because that's the job.

 

[Lufia Erim]

I only watch amateur homemade porn. So videos of average people doing real things. It's easy to tell the difference. Then i get sad/envious because my gf wouldn't do half of the things i see.

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

a lot of people without proper sex education are learning from porn

This is what I'm wondering about. Porn is unrealistic and I suppose people know that to an extent in the same way they know not to mistake reality shows for... reality, but coupled with the lack of proper sex education makes things a bit more concerning. The most obvious is how large the guys tend to be, but some of the acts depicted in porn are unhealthy if done improperly in actual sex and of course they completely ignore the use of condoms, foreplay and lube. Also they're acting, so the responses are exaggerated.


*Insert rant about my home country here*

 

[Ihateregistering1]

I think it's like just about any other form of entertainment: there's nothing inherently wrong with it, but improper or too much use can cause issues.

Yes, I do think that if someone relies on it entirely for learning about sex, it can be harmful, but you can apply that to just about any type of entertainment. I think someone once said "watching porn and believing that all sex is like that would be like watching a Jet Li movie and believing he can really beat up 40 guys at once". In other words, it's not porn's fault that some people can't distinguish between fantasy and reality.

This is just my theory, but I think that in something of an oddball way, porn can actually be good for some guys. As someone who was sort of raised this way, I know that one of the effects of the "put women on a pedestal" idea is that you're led to believe that women don't really like sex that much, and when they do actually want it, it's all candles and rose petals and soft music and romance. Porn (especially when you learn that some women actually do it for fun and not out of necessity) sort of shows that "guess what? Women are human, and sometimes they want to be dirty and just have sex for fun".

I also don't believe that it 'discourages guys from going out and trying to meet women", as I've heard argued before. I've yet to meet a single guy (who wasn't in a relationship) who says he would rather masturbate to porn than have sex with a flesh and blood woman.

 

[Saetha]

Weeellll what about alternative forms? Erotica, hentai, stuff like that? I've always been skeeved a bit by live-action stuff. It feels too voyeuristic and... real.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Like all forms of media, pornography could potentially have deleterious effects on uncritical minds. Ordinarily I would consider such individuals to be in a minority, but after perusing these forums for the last couple of years I am beginning to wonder.

Too much masturbation can cause sensitivity issues, but that's a sidebar issue.

The industry itself regularly engages in some pretty shady practices, and I don't think "porn star" should be high on anyone's dream career list. So some people might hesitate to consume the products they create based on that.

Beyond that, it's just porn. It is what it is. By itself, in a vacuum, it's neutral.

 

[Phasmal]

Not into it, myself. Even when I was younger I much preferred just to read dirty fan fiction from time to time. Real porn just... bleh. No. And then you get into issues about consent and trafficking and if the people really want to do it and even with amateur stuff you don't know that both parties are okay with it being online. So no. I don't dig it.

And I think far too many young guys see it as an instruction manual and that just leads to a whole lot of other ridiculousness.

EDIT: As for non live action porn I'm fairly neutral on that.

I only watch amateur homemade porn. So videos of average people doing real things. It's easy to tell the difference. Then i get sad/envious because my gf wouldn't do half of the things i see.

Eh, that might be a bad effect.

 

[Lufia Erim]

Not into it, myself. Even when I was younger I much preferred just to read dirty fan fiction from time to time. Real porn just... bleh. No. And then you get into issues about consent and trafficking and if the people really want to do it and even with amateur stuff you don't know that both parties are okay with it being online. So no. I don't dig it.

And I think far too many young guys see it as an instruction manual and that just leads to a whole lot of other ridiculousness.

EDIT: As for non live action porn I'm fairly neutral on that.

I only watch amateur homemade porn. So videos of average people doing real things. It's easy to tell the difference. Then i get sad/envious because my gf wouldn't do half of the things i see.

Eh, that might be a bad effect.

Probably. the porn i watch isn't from actors or professionals so sometimes i feel like I'm missing out.

 

[Cold Shiny]

Porn desensitizes you and makes you devalue actual relationships. How do I know this? Because it happened to me, so badly that I literally struggle to see women as anything more than toys, its pathetic. My porn addiction ruined me so badly that I just can't value sex anymore, it doesn't mean anything to me.

So yeah, bad.

 

[DefunctTheory]

Porn desensitizes you and makes you devalue actual relationships. How do I know this? Because it happened to me, so badly that I literally struggle to see women as anything more than toys, its pathetic. My porn addiction ruined me so badly that I just can't value sex anymore, it doesn't mean anything to me.

So yeah, bad.

Are you insinuating that pornography is bad and detrimental to millions, perhaps even a billion, people who view it, or that you personally had a problem with it, for whatever additional reason?

Not into it, myself. Even when I was younger I much preferred just to read dirty fan fiction from time to time. Real porn just... bleh. No. And then you get into issues about consent and trafficking and if the people really want to do it and even with amateur stuff you don't know that both parties are okay with it being online. So no. I don't dig it.

And I think far too many young guys see it as an instruction manual and that just leads to a whole lot of other ridiculousness.

EDIT: As for non live action porn I'm fairly neutral on that.

I only watch amateur homemade porn. So videos of average people doing real things. It's easy to tell the difference. Then i get sad/envious because my gf wouldn't do half of the things i see.

Eh, that might be a bad effect.

Probably. the porn i watch isn't from actors or professionals so sometimes i feel like I'm missing out.

Are you sure? Most 'amateur' porn is actually professional pornography. In many of the cases where it is technically amateur, its usually just the female, the male being a pornographic actor who convinced an attractive woman he met to make a sex video for profit with him (For bargain prices), or from a company that does that same.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

Porn desensitizes you and makes you devalue actual relationships. How do I know this? Because it happened to me, so badly that I literally struggle to see women as anything more than toys, its pathetic. My porn addiction ruined me so badly that I just can't value sex anymore, it doesn't mean anything to me.

So yeah, bad.

I'm sorry to hear that happened to you, but the fact that it happened to you doesn't make it universal. This would be like an alcoholic saying that anyone who drinks alcohol ever will wind up destroying their lives from alcohol abuse, because that's what happened to them.

I only watch amateur homemade porn. So videos of average people doing real things. It's easy to tell the difference. Then i get sad/envious because my gf wouldn't do half of the things i see.

Eh, that might be a bad effect.

I dunno, I think that could be arguable. I mean, ultimately, porn is basically fantasy (largely male fantasy). I don't think seeing a woman in a porn video do something you wish your gf would do is much different than a woman watching (or reading) a romance movie/novel and wishing her bf did romantic gestures like those she's reading about or seeing. In a case like this (obviously depending slightly on what exactly it is these characters are doing) we're not even talking about "I wish my gf looked like that", this is just actions that theoretically anyone can do.