# The Negative Effects of Pornography



## Fuzzy Logic (Sep 16, 2009)

As part of my attempts to improve myself I have been experimenting with modifying different aspects of my behaviour. Recently I decided to give up pornography for a trial period and I have to say that I have noticed a marked improvement on my ability to concentrate and a drop off in my insomnia as well as less stress (much easier to relax in general). Based on this evidence, I have deduced that pronography has a negative effect on behavioural patterns. I don't know whether this has to do with cognitive elements or simply raised hormone levels but withdrawing from it certainly seems to have benefits if you are suffering from SA.

Of course, I may be an isolated case, but if you do frequently watch such material I would highly recommend withdrawing from it for while just to see if you notice any improvements.


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## MisterJ25 (Nov 5, 2009)

This may be true for me. I use TV and videogames the same way. I distract myself with illusion and I use it as safety from a world I don't understand. As far as porn, I mainly find it more funny more than sexually satisfying. I think it funny out people will have sex on camera like animals. To me it is hilarious and the videos keep me entertained and my misanthropic views of humanity intact.


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## Fuzzy Logic (Sep 16, 2009)

Way ahead of you, I gave up videogames, for the most part, a couple of months ago. These days I only play the odd game on my DS. My xbox has gathered a layer of dust.


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## timmytim7 (Feb 15, 2009)

what do you do with all the free time now???


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## Fuzzy Logic (Sep 16, 2009)

Its not that much more time, I was not an addict or anything. :lol


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## No Surprises (Nov 1, 2009)

I imagine that the only negative consequence that generally follows from pornography use is that which is mediated by irrational guilt regarding what constitutes normal sexual behavior. 

Before you deprive yourself of pornography (an endeavor which is probably doomed to fail anyway), I'd recommend critically analyzing what it is about it that's taking a toll on your mental state. My guess is that the stress has its basis in maladaptive moralizing about what others would think if they knew about your wild sexual fantasies. Don't hold yourself to illusionary standards -- as long as you're not hurting anybody, then there's absolutely no reason to castigate yourself over your flights of sexuality. Just do what you want and **** the rest (no pun intended).


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## BeachGaBulldog (Feb 13, 2007)

I look at porn online, and have for a few years. I don't do it everyday, and can go various stretches without looking at it. 
My number one preferences to "escape" involve watching an old movie and/or reading a book, preferably any aspect of history. When I watch a flick, I literally get lost in the movie. I notice everything. No wonder I have been a film buff since I was a little kid. 
As for video games, I have just never been into them. I have always been hell on wheels when it comes to trivia, though.


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## drealm (Jul 7, 2009)

The idea that you'll be driven to fill the void left by pornography, is great in theory but boring in practice. I've launched stoic crusades before and abandoned TV, films, video games, music, only to find myself doing nothing. Inaction isn't really an improvement.

I do agree pornography can cause problems like zink depletion, death grip desensitization, misogynist values. But when you have no other sexual outlet, these downsides seem reasonable and you're lying anyways to say you'll stop forever.


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## scarpia (Nov 23, 2009)

No way. Porn is the wellspring of life. I suppose I might not need it if I could get sex. but that's not gonna happen. If I didn't look at porn I would never get to see naked woman. I might go insane.


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## Hamster (Sep 3, 2009)

No Surprises said:


> I imagine that the only negative consequence that generally follows from pornography use is that which is mediated by irrational guilt regarding what constitutes normal sexual behavior.
> 
> Before you deprive yourself of pornography (an endeavor which is probably doomed to fail anyway), I'd recommend critically analyzing what it is about it that's taking a toll on your mental state. My guess is that the stress has its basis in maladaptive moralizing about what others would think if they knew about your wild sexual fantasies. Don't hold yourself to illusionary standards -- as long as you're not hurting anybody, then there's absolutely no reason to castigate yourself over your flights of sexuality. Just do what you want and **** the rest (no pun intended).


i've found the less you look at porn and all that other stuff, the less you feel turned on....is this weird? lol


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## izzy (Dec 18, 2009)

Not to mention people get unrealistic views of sex and how our bodies are "supposed" to look like from porn.


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## SOME (Jul 13, 2009)

I remember the Deputy of my school was telling me porn dose indeed have a negative effect on people. I can't remember what he said exactly. 
Something about chemicals in your brian changeing after watching porn so long that you just build up some kinda tolerance to it and wont feel the same sexual excitement you had the frist time. And that you develop unhealthy Fetishes and loose your grasp on reality.

Said those kind of people are the ones who attack and degrade women.

He also said he's seen alot of cases where men will break into womens houses and wear their pantyhose. Walking around masterbaiting...and eating their food.:blank


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## scarpia (Nov 23, 2009)

SOME said:


> I remember the Deputy of my school was telling me porn dose indeed have a negative effect on people. I can't remember what he said exactly.
> Something about chemicals in your brian changeing after watching porn so long that you just build up some kinda tolerance to it and wont feel the same sexual excitement you had the frist time. And that you develop unhealthy Fetishes and loose your grasp on reality.
> 
> Said those kind of people are the ones who attack and degrade women.
> ...


Oh - so THAT'S why I have the irresistable urge to break into women's houses, eat their food, and jerk it while wearing their pantyhose. Golly, I never made that connection before.

The attorney general for president Reagan, Ed Meese did a report on the effects of porn 23 years ago. He concluded that it was messing us all up. Then they tried to ban playboy and penthouse from being sold. They lost the porn war. It is not possible to resist the power of porn. Don't worry about it. It's not bad for you.


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## Down_But_Not_Forsaken! (Jun 21, 2006)

scarpia said:


> ...It is not possible to resist the power of porn. Don't worry about it. It's not bad for you.


Of course it is! The more you view porn, the easier it becomes for you to be enslaved to it's lustful illusions.

Oh, and BTW, if Ted Bundy was alive, he would disagree with you that "it's not bad for you" Read his interview the day before he was executed with 'Focus on the Family' founder Dr. James Dobson -

http://www.tldm.org/news6/bundy.htm

Ray


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## scarpia (Nov 23, 2009)

Down_But_Not_Forsaken! said:


> Of course it is! The more you view porn, the easier it becomes for you to be enslaved to it's lustful illusions.
> 
> Oh, and BTW, if Ted Bundy was alive, he would disagree with you that "it's not bad for you" Read his interview the day before he was executed with 'Focus on the Family' founder Dr. James Dobson -
> 
> ...


Oh Ted - you naughty boy.

Look my porn collection weighs more than I do. If it weren't for porn I would still be a frustrated virgin. Then I would probably have gone insane and been arrested for groping teenage girls at the mall.


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## Some Russian Guy (Mar 20, 2009)

Porn is evil... it made me loose all girl approaching skills...


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## SOME (Jul 13, 2009)

scarpia said:


> Oh - so THAT'S why I have the irresistable urge to break into women's houses, eat their food, and jerk it while wearing their pantyhose. Golly, I never made that connection before.
> 
> The attorney general for president Reagan, Ed Meese did a report on the effects of porn 23 years ago. He concluded that it was messing us all up. Then they tried to ban playboy and penthouse from being sold. They lost the porn war. It is not possible to resist the power of porn. Don't worry about it. It's not bad for you.


Then why the deputy tell me that? :con


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## spaceygirl (Dec 4, 2009)

True, most people are not going to go shoot people after playing a video game nor are most men likely to rape women after watching porn. People will react differently based on a combination of factors. However being exposed/desensitized to violence repeatedly on some level naturally can and probably will have a effect on a person, particularly how you respond to stimulus. I think it is important to be aware of this, because it's when you're not aware of mental or physiological changes that could potentially effect current or future realities and behaviours that problems are most likely to occur. As long as you are aware of the effect porn viewing has on you, you can know if it's healthy/unhealthy for you.


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## huh (Mar 19, 2007)

SOME said:


> He also said he's seen alot of cases where men will break into womens houses and wear their pantyhose. Walking around masterbaiting...and eating their food.:blank


:sus

Sounds like those guys have some other issues to work out...lol.


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## scarpia (Nov 23, 2009)

SOME said:


> Then why the deputy tell me that? :con


Maybe he wants all the porn for himself. I don't like sharing my porn either.


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## IThinkIAmMe (Aug 18, 2009)

*gathers porn into arms*
give it up? \o/ never!
if I'm not laughing at it, I am not living anymore
[and laughing is not code for wanking, I swear]


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## Some Russian Guy (Mar 20, 2009)

The porn is made for the exact purpose of making YOU not want to, umm, a real girl... it's a modern depopulation method... think about it for a moment.


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## rincewind (Sep 7, 2009)

spaceygirl said:


> As long as you are aware of the effect porn viewing has on you, you can know if it's healthy/unhealthy for you.


To put it another way, I think as long as you can maintain a clear distinction in your mind between "pornography" and "reality", there isn't much to be concerned about.


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## Stargirl09 (Dec 14, 2009)

Why on earth do you think there is something wrong with porn? Why do you think not watching or watching porn will make any real difference to your morals and life?

Sex is natural, right? sex is synonymous with pleasure, right? people are going to use media to present sex to the viewing public, right?

Thats what people do, we are animals technically and we gotta keep speading that seed, thats biology. If people get their jollies watching others have sex (and they do, theres always an apetite for it) then why not bloody watch it? Whats wrong with that?

If someone goes out and rapes or murders after watching porn chances are it was in them already, would you murder from watching porn? no, because your morals are fully developed thats why you have the conscience to question your behaviour.

If I had a laptop, believe me I'd be watching porn non-stop, its been a LONG time since I've (why did I write that? cringe!) and unlike daily titty tabloid newspapers, there's no such mainstream market for red blooded women to see, say, balls at least.


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## rincewind (Sep 7, 2009)

Stargirl09 said:


> Why on earth do you think there is something wrong with porn? Why do you think not watching or watching porn will make any real difference to your morals and life?


At the risk of turning this thread into an argument, as far as I can tell a lot of the opposition to pornography and masturbation is religiously motivated. I don't believe I've ever heard an atheist organisation complaining about it 



Stargirl09 said:


> If someone goes out and rapes or murders after watching porn chances are it was in them already, would you murder from watching porn? no, because your morals are fully developed thats why you have the conscience to question your behaviour.


I agree. It's the equivalent of blaming violent video games for school shootings and similar incidents.


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## No Surprises (Nov 1, 2009)

Some Russian Guy said:


> The porn is made for the exact purpose of making YOU not want to, umm, a real girl... it's a modern depopulation method... think about it for a moment.


One could just as easily make the opposite argument (i.e., that porn makes one hypersexual and therefore liable to engage in violent sexual behavior), and indeed, that argument was already made in this very thread.

Look, chances are, if you're a physically healthy human being who isn't currently in the midst of an acute psychological crisis or spaced out on SSRIs, you have sexual urges nearly every single day -- perhaps even several times a day. From a perspective of pure logistics alone, it's an unrealistic proposition that one could have their appetite fully satisfied purely through sexual intercourse, even if they had a willing partner. Unless you're aiming for some high-minded asceticism, or you literally have an entire harem of sweethearts waiting on hand and knee to conjure your each and every every whim into a living reality, you'll have to jerk it off every now and then just to keep up with your natural drives, no matter what. It's that simple.

The sole function of pornography is to help facilitate this process.

Now, is it possible that it could sometimes have the unintended consequences of instilling sexually aggressive tendencies or inspiring dissociative drives that cause one to lose interest in normal sexual intercourse? Certainly. I mean, I'm skeptical of such theories based on my own personal experience, and I've never seen any empirical data to support them, but I'll readily admit that they're at least plausible in some scenarios.

If you're afraid that your use of porn is indeed causing distress and disability by these means, then it may very well be worth quitting and seeing whether you experience any improvement. Again, I wouldn't expect much; in all probability you'll just continue to mentally fantasize along the same lines of the porn that you'd previously been viewing, and you'll realize that by blaming pornography for your problems, you'd just been putting the wagon before the horse, so to speak -- but if you actually think quitting porn will help, then go for it.

More often than not, what I believe happens is that people point to pornography as a cause of their negative life circumstances, when it really isn't a factor at all, or they've gone out of their way to make it a factor by unjustifiably criticizing themselves for viewing it.

The first process would go something like this: "God, I'm a miserable failure... and I love to look at porn... hey, I bet the porn is what's ruining my life!" They subsequently quit the porn only to find that they're still a mess -- perhaps even more so, now that they're depriving themselves of one of their few pleasures in life.

The second process, on the other hand, would go something like this: "God, why am I into such ****ed up porn? I'm a ****ing weirdo and I don't deserve to live -- I should cut myself!" After quitting the porn, provided they don't continue to guilt themselves for having analogous mental fantasies, their quality of life may very well improve. In this sense, quitting pornography may actually be helpful for them, but what they'll have failed to realize is that it wasn't the porn that was bringing them down; _they were bringing themselves down._ If they had just stopped beating themselves up in the first place, they could have had their cake and ate it too.


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## contranigma (Jun 24, 2009)

Down_But_Not_Forsaken! said:


> Of course it is! The more you view porn, the easier it becomes for you to be enslaved to it's lustful illusions.
> 
> Oh, and BTW, if Ted Bundy was alive, he would disagree with you that "it's not bad for you" Read his interview the day before he was executed with 'Focus on the Family' founder Dr. James Dobson -
> 
> ...


Why the [email protected]#$ would anyone listen to anything Ted Bundy said! He was a psychopath who killed dozens of women! He was lying through his teeth, he was just trying to save himself some time from the death penalty by acting like a victim. That interview was a total ploy.


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## contranigma (Jun 24, 2009)

Stargirl09 said:


> Why on earth do you think there is something wrong with porn? Why do you think not watching or watching porn will make any real difference to your morals and life?
> 
> Sex is natural, right? sex is synonymous with pleasure, right? people are going to use media to present sex to the viewing public, right?
> 
> ...


I think there is enough free porn on the internet to find what suits women's interests too. There are lots of scenes that show just as much of the guy. Or you could watch gay porn. I don't get why women wouldn't be turned on by gay porn. Men like lesbian porn.


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## Cosmin (Mar 16, 2007)




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## bowlingpins (Oct 18, 2008)

^ ruthless haha. That is why dogs > cats.


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## VIncymon (Apr 16, 2009)

Stargirl09 said:


> Why on earth do you think there is something wrong with porn? Why do you think not watching or watching porn will make any real difference to your morals and life?
> 
> Sex is natural, right? sex is synonymous with pleasure, right? people are going to use media to present sex to the viewing public, right?
> 
> ...


:clap Its always funny when I read comments like this. So many of the women I know in real life, go to great lenghts to create the image of not needing / wanting sex.

Pamela Anderson, Demi Moore anyone ? cheers .......


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## ready (Sep 2, 2009)

No Surprises said:


> I imagine that the only negative consequence that generally follows from pornography use is that which is mediated by irrational guilt regarding what constitutes normal sexual behavior.


Normal sexual behavior, to me, involves relations and normal sexual relations with other human beings. I don't want to get into an argument about morality and such, so I'll stick with one point. Telling SAers that pornography is normal is not good for their development and mental health. It encourages sitting by yourself and satisfying yourself and doesn't encourage going out to get involved in healthy relationships with others, which is what I'm sure most SAers want. When I stay off of this self-indulgent activity, I have a lot more energy to improve myself and take steps forwards towards what I really want. Since I'm actually moving forward, I feel a lot better.


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## nothing to fear (Mar 23, 2005)

i didn't read through the posts so i apologize if this has been repeated.


for me the main negative effect was relying on it to be able to masturbate and actually finish. considering how often we get sexual urges and how it's really only been half a century that porn in video form has been around, i don't think it's natural or necessary to always need that sort of visual stimulation. it took me some time to successful be able to do it without porn, but with enough practice using my mind and imagination ended up working far better than using porn. there would always be too many distractions (adjusting the volume, sitting upright in a chair, annoying things in porn, etc) and having complete control over what you see/imagine in your mind is much more fulfilling and enjoyable.

i think it is good to work on that for when you have sexual relations with another person. it can also help control how long you last which can be important with you are with someone else.


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## nothing to fear (Mar 23, 2005)

as for any moral reasons, nothing is inherently wrong with watching people have sex. it's a completely natural act and an urge that usually everyone experiences.

however, with any habit you gain pleasure from there is always the risk of negative consequences. 
i think to avoid experiencing any for porn, you should have a balance of real-like knowledge or experiences, or at least some sense of what they are like. it would be quite awful if someone who watched porn actually believed that all women should have perfect tans, perfect/proportional bodies, be completely waxed (ouch!), have those type of skills, etc etc. similarly that the males are expected to act like how they do during sex in porn. most viewers are likely or should be aware that is not always reality. even if you don't have sexual experience, you might still have some awareness.

there's also the potential to become addicted to the release to the extent that it seriously interferes with your life in both the sexual/relationship aspects and others. i'm sure there are many who end up watching a lot when they have nothing to do and i certainly have since when i'm home and bored i used to turn to it a lot, but it's different when you _always _chose to stay in and watch porn when you have opportunities to see friends, significant others, have things to get done, etc., and have outbursts or feel intense distress when you can't access any.



contranigma said:


> I think there is enough free porn on the internet to find what suits women's interests too. There are lots of scenes that show just as much of the guy. Or you could watch gay porn. I don't get why women wouldn't be turned on by gay porn. Men like lesbian porn.


haha, i can think of many reasons why. you can clearly see they have no interest in women so it's not like i can even pretend they might be interested in pleasuring me. male bodies can be beautiful but there needs to be some act involved to actually get off, and it's just not that hot to watch them otherwise if they are still clearly into dudes and wouldn't even glance over if i was there.

i admit i still chuckle at the term 'lesbian porn'. even though it's easiest to describe girl-on-girl scenes, from what i see most of the time they are clearly not lesbians. bi would be the better term, but even so, they might not actually be into girls and it could all just be for show.
it's all just fantasy/acting, anyway.
i suppose the above contradicts the previous paragraph, but it is different since the audience for 'lesbian' porn is even more straight people rather than just lesbians. the sites i've browsed are towards those who are straight or bi, but i can think of hardly any instances when i've come across videos there were only of guys together.


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## No-Sturm-und-Drang (Jan 21, 2009)

I think its just the dependency on something to make you happy. You have to be able to find things that entertain you as a whole, instead of entertain you for an hour or so and make you feel like crap after.


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## james25 (Jan 1, 2010)

The only problem with porn is that it can be addictive. (That's setting aside any problems the industry creates for people who work in it, like porn actresses.)


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## Cosmin (Mar 16, 2007)

Researchers were conducting a study comparing the views of men in their 20s who had never been exposed to pornography with regular users. But their project stumbled at the first hurdle when they failed to find a single man who hadn't seen it.



> _Chandler:_ The weirdest thing happened to me today. I went to the bank, there was a lady teller, and she didn't ask me to do it with her in the vault!
> _Joey:_ Same sort of thing happened to me. Female pizza delivery guy comes over, drops off the pizza, takes the money, and leaves!
> _Chandler:_ What? No "nice place; I bet the bedrooms are huge"?
> _Joey:_ No!
> _Chandler:_ You know what? I think we need to turn off the porn.


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## Hamster (Sep 3, 2009)

bowlingpins said:


> ^ ruthless haha. That is why dogs > cats.


...you mean cats > dogs?

and honestly, am i the only one here afraid of porn/sex? lol


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## contranigma (Jun 24, 2009)

nothing to fear said:


> the sites i've browsed are towards those who are straight or bi, but i can think of hardly any instances when i've come across videos there were only of guys together.


Most tube porn sites have a gay section in which all the videos will be purely dudes doing dudes


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## leonardess (Jun 30, 2009)

.....there are negative effects?


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## rincewind (Sep 7, 2009)

myhalo123 said:


> Pornography by itself isn't necessarily bad or violent video games or anything else. It's the cummulative effect it has on society that is the problem.
> 
> These things don't have a direct link like:
> 
> ...


That was exactly my point. You can't blame violent video games for school shootings because there always other contributory factors, typically far more influential than the games themselves. Likewise, if anyone starts committing sex crimes, it's not going to be solely because they watched pornography.


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## Dempsey (Jun 27, 2009)

How much porn was the OP watching?


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## Oneiros (Oct 18, 2009)

Porn is awesome. Why would you want to stop watching it? Who cares about having good concentration. And WTF, watching less makes you more relaxed? You weren't watching enough, that sounds more like the problem. More would also increase your ability to sleep, since you'd be more satiated and have MUCH better dreams.

Porn FTW.


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## mixolydian (May 23, 2009)

This guy is smart ^, I agree with him


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## Dempsey (Jun 27, 2009)

Oneiros is wise I would listen to him.


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## AussiePea (Mar 27, 2007)




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## Oneiros (Oct 18, 2009)

Ospi said:


>












pwned.


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## complex (Apr 22, 2009)

Ospi said:


>


BAHAHAHAHA! This made my morning!!! :yes


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## ready (Sep 2, 2009)

Cerberus said:


> Bingo. This is the main problem with any form of entertainment. If someone fails to make a distinction between some form of entertainment and reality, problems can ensue. Someone watching the tv show friends might think they're social life is lacking, even if they have a close group of friends, because they're shenanigans don't reach that level of fun in the tv show or whatever.
> 
> Something similar goes on with porn. If someone who watches a lot of porn fails to make that distinction, they could have unrealistic standards of what their mates should look like, what sounds they should be making, and so on. hah
> 
> Of course, many people fail to make that distinction. For example, many people enlist in the military due to movies, books, and video games that portray it, whether in a negative or positive light (I came across one guy who said he joined partially because of Full Metal Jacket).


What follows looks like I disagree with you to some degree, but after reading your reply and choice of words, I agree with what you are saying.

Conscious distinctions are easy to make, but what about subconscious effects of whatever you are exposed to? The person watching "Friends" got the enjoyment of what they were watching, but now they have to deal with the desire for shenanigans of that level. They can make a distinction consciously between the TV world and the real world, but what makes that conscious distinction stick into the subconscious is time and training. If the person continues to watch "Friends" and doesn't have time to process whatever is being taken in, isn't exposed enough to the "normal" to help make that disctinction, etc., then there can be negative effects. Replace "Friends" with porn, and now you have desire for whatever they are doing, perhaps, no feedback from the woman you would normally have the real relations with and whatever else follows from that, etc.


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## kenny87 (Feb 22, 2009)

porn is so hard to give up. Many years ago you could pull it off but nowadays you can't watch a movie, tv show, commercial, go outside, go to a store, read a magazine, ect. without seeing something sexual. Its everywhere and even if you try to give it up you will encounter something that sets off the urge again. And the longer you resist the urge the easier it is to get drawn back in.


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## John_in_SF (Mar 1, 2009)

Resistance is futile. As proof I offer the proliferation of the human species. You exist because sex is so irresistible.

Of course you can overdo porn just like you can overdo eating, sleeping, drugging, etc. For me the principal negative effects are chafing and decreased sensitivity. Then I stay away for a while.

It also depends a lot on what fantasies you indulge. The domination/humiliation scenes generally turn me off. The last time I really liked that sort of thing was as an immature teenager. But it is so _de rigeur_ in straight porn.


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## kiwikiwi (Jul 27, 2009)

...


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## KumagoroBeam (Sep 15, 2008)

contranigma said:


> Or you could watch gay porn. I don't get why women wouldn't be turned on by gay porn.


gay porn ftw.


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## eagleheart (Jun 14, 2007)

Hamster said:


> i've found the less you look at porn and all that other stuff, the less you feel turned on....is this weird? lol


no, everybody is different.

By contrast for some people it could turn them into a hypersensitive quivering mass of... well... something I guess.

Well anyway I think it's pointless, don't try to tell men to stop watching porn,


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