Porn addiction is real and it can indeed cause sexual dysfunction also known as porn-induced erectile dysfunction. A new study reports that young men who give preference to porn over real-life sexual encounters are highly likely to suffer from sexual dysfunction.
The researchers found that watching too much porn and getting addicted to it makes men become less satisfied with real-world sexual intercourse. The findings of the study were presented at the American Urological Association annual meeting.
The subjects or participants in the study were men who visited San Diego Urology Clinic for treatment. These men have age ranging from 20 to 40 years old. Among the over 300 men, only 3.4% or roughly 10 men preferred porn masturbation over actual sex.
Dr. Matthew Christman, lead researcher and a urologist of Naval Medical Center in San Diego says;
The rates of organic causes of erectile dysfunction in this age cohort are extremely low, so the increase in erectile dysfunction that we have seen over time for this group needs to be explained. We believe that pornography use may be one piece to that puzzle. Our data does not suggest that it is the only explanation, however.
Dr. Christman added that the cause of the problem could be in the biology of addiction. Sex behaviors activate the reward system in the brain just as drugs like cocaine and methamphetamines do. Eventually, this can result in recurrent behavior and self-reinforcing activities.
New Findings Support Previous Studies
This is not the first study of its kind. In fact, previous studies1 have found similar findings. What’s disturbing about it, younger men below 40 years old are affected. Even military personnel who are into watching porn also suffer erectile dysfunction. What’s even worse, it also cause sexual problems in romantic relationships.
Another study2 back in 2015 finds a link between OSA(Online Sexual Activities) and sexual dysfunction.
This study is the first to directly investigate the relationships between sexual dysfunctions and problematic involvement in OSAs. Results indicated that higher sexual desire, lower overall sexual satisfaction, and lower erectile function were associated
with problematic OSAs. The present data suggest that men with problematic involvement in OSAs may have an intense sexual desire that can be related to the development of excessive sexual behaviors and may explain in part the difficulty of controlling this sexual urge. Source
Porn-Induced Erectile Dysfunction
Here’s Gary Wilson of Your Brain On Porn explains erection physiology. He also explains how over stimulation in sex via online pornography can cause erectile dysfunction.
It affects not just older men, but porn-induced erectile dysfunction is common in young men. Additionally, he also talks about how other porn-addicted men have recovered and live a normal life.
This video is a bit long, but it’s worth watching especially if you’re someone who wants to break free from porn addiction. Moreover, if you want to help someone you know who is a porn addict, the information in the video can be helpful.