Pornhub data from 2018 shows that the UK holds the number two spot for daily traffic to the website, second only to the USA [6]. Traffic to the site has increased 25% higher during the Covid-19 lockdown [9], and so it appears that pornography use is now commonplace in society. This has led to an increase in scholarly attention [5]. With an influx of empirical research, it might be assumed we possess a greater understanding of the complexities of pornography use, including its potential influence on our romantic relationships and sexual behaviour. However, despite its widespread use, a review of recent pornography research demonstrates that our understanding of pornography psychology is far from complete.
Coming from the Greek words ‘pornae’ (prostitute) and ‘gráphein’ (to record), pornography has been vilified in society. Pornography use is oftentimes followed by fears of turning a generation into sexual delinquents and of ruining marriages. Through the scientific method and empirical data, psychological research will allow us to quantify the negative antecedents of pornography use. However, additional scrutiny of current research leads to asking more questions than it answers. Contrary to public perception, studies have instead suggested that popular media may be unjust in their judgment about pornography, and this is largely due to ‘research lagging behind’ [2] the conclusions made by society.
Unsurprisingly to most, research by Rasmussen, Millar, and Trenchuk (2019) found a higher representation of infidelity in pornographic videos when compared to other online videos, such as a sample taken from YouTube [8]. Within the pornography sample, only 7.9% of videos depicted committed relationships between the actors. However, infidelity was far more common, being depicted in 25.3% of pornographic videos. The remaining videos in the sample did not present any relationship between the actors. The general public may be concerned by these statistics, and a simplistic understanding of the data would suggest pornography consumption will lead to more non-commitment in relationships. However, the authors of the study are quick to highlight these findings do not necessarily translate to behaviour in the sexual or romantic domain. The researchers state, ‘though our findings provide information about the relational messages sent by pornography, they say nothing about the effect of those messages or how consumers might interpret them.’ The researchers are unable to conclude if relationships in pornography can alter consumer behaviour, despite the fact this assertion has been clumsily made in the past. There simply is not enough data to quantify the impact of pornography on our personal relationships.
Further perusal of current academia will continue to attest to our unpreparedness to assert the evils of pornography. This is bolstered by a lack of standardised instruments to measure pornography use in the general population. Openly available, a 2019 study ‘Surveying Pornography Use: A Shaky Science Resting on Poor Measurement Foundations’ [1] highlights the main issues with the psychological study of pornography use. This use of ‘dubious’ measures leads to unsubstantiated comparisons across research in the field. For those from a psychological background, this is a massive methodological red flag, as dubious comparisons will impact cumulative data collection and analysis. The resultant lack of comparative ability across pornography studies means findings from meta-analyses or systematic reviews will be weak from a hypothetical understanding and in terms of statistical power. This will inhibit our ability to understand the influence of pornography as a modern-day phenomenon in society.
The most troubling caveat to pornography research, even before psychological measurements can be utilised, is the lack of a unified academic definition of pornography itself. Highlighted in Kohut et al.’s (2019) study, there is tremendous variability in what is thought to constitute ‘pornography’. When perusing psychological pornography research, there are many different terms to consider, with slight nuances between definitions. Are you looking for pornography research, or perhaps ‘sexually explicit material’? Perhaps the stimuli are written, such as ‘erotica’. Maybe, instead, they are visual, and therefore you need to search for ‘visual sexual stimuli’. It is important to consider the discrepancy between pornography and the presentation of nudity, as the two are not synonymous. It is oftentimes assumed that nudity is a requirement for sexual stimulation – however, few people would suggest the purpose of the Venus de Milo is to stimulate the viewer, despite the nudity in the artwork. Likewise, some pornographic material may include people that are covered – think scenarios with a dominatrix, who are clothed. This nuance in the presentation of nudity is not adequately reflected in the research, demonstrating a dissonance of theoretical understanding between researchers.
What does this lack of definition mean for our general understanding of pornography and it’s supposed impact on human sexuality? Not only are psychologists yet to produce a comprehensive definition of ‘pornography,’ but researchers also lack the tools to measure its use and antecedents accurately. Therefore, any purported negative or positive effects of pornography consumption should be considered with the highest degree of suspicion. The observation of pornography use requires more nuance and complexity than we as a society have previously warranted it. This is reflected by the fact psychology as a field is currently ill-equipped to make robust conclusions on the positive or negative effects of pornography use. As Kohut and Campbell state in their 2019 study considering premature assumptions of pornography use, it is currently ‘virtually impossible’ to make meaningful conclusions across this field of research.’
Asking people to share intimate details about their sexual behaviour and their consumption of sexually explicit material will also seem controversial when considering the nature of this area of research. Other researchers [3] have also criticised the use of self-report in pornography studies. It is difficult to imagine a scenario where participants will unabashedly share accurate data about their porn use. Examples of questions include, but are not limited to: how much porn do you watch and how often do you watch it? What search terms do you use when looking for porn? Do you always use pornography to the point of orgasm? How truthful are you when sharing intimate details about your romantic and sexual relationships? Researchers have also asked if pornography use is a form of infidelity. Have you ever been upset with a partner’s porn habits [2]? Likewise, research has also considered the role of pornography as sex education. These findings would be invaluable to our understanding of human sexuality and are merely scratching the surface of pornography research.
Although perceived as a molehill, pornography research has proven to be a vast mountain of unanswered questions. As Kohut and colleagues state in their 2019 research, ‘it is not an overstatement to claim that measurement is the foundation of empirical scientific inquiry’ [1]. Without a suitable means of measurement, we are in the infancy of pornography research. However, prior to measurement, the field must obtain a homogeneous understanding of pornography as a theoretical concept. Considering that pornography has existed in some form for hundreds of years [7], this absence of a standardised psychological measures for pornography use as striking as it is puzzling. Although it may go against the gut reaction of society and public health consciousness, our assumptions about the negative effects of pornography use are currently unfounded.
Looking beyond the academic realm, the contentious state of pornography research has worrying implications, for the layman’s perception of porn, and to inform policymakers. In this sense, it is psychology’s role to accurately describe phenomena and modify theories that best reflect our lived realities. This is no easy task. Interestingly, some of the most insightful data we have comes from Pornhub itself [4]. 1,250 Covid themed videos have been produced for Pornhub [9] following the self-isolation measures imposed in response to Covid-19. And most remarkably, or perhaps most puzzlingly, as of June 2020, Pornhub has seen more than 18.5 million searches for ‘corona’ themed pornography. Perhaps this is indicative of the fascinating research that is about to take place in the domain of pornography psychology.
Bibliography
1 – Kohut, T., Balzarini, R. N., Fisher, W. A., Grubbs, J. B., Campbell, L., & Prause, N. (2019). Surveying pornography use: a shaky science resting on poor measurement foundations. The Journal of Sex Research, 1-21.
2 – Montgomery-Graham, S., Kohut, T., Fisher, W., & Campbell, L. (2015). How the popular media rushes to judgment about pornography and relationships while research lags behind. The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 24(3), 243-256.
3 – Kohut, T., & Campbell, L. (2019). Premature speculation concerning pornography’s effects on relationships. Archives of sexual behavior, 48(8), 2255-2259.
4 – https://www.pornhub.com/insights/corona-virus
5 – Understanding Associations between Personal Definitions of Pornography, Using Pornography, and Depression
8 – Rasmussen, K. R., Millar, D., & Trenchuk, J. (2019). Relationships and infidelity in pornography: an analysis of pornography streaming websites. Sexuality & Culture, 23(2), 571-584.
9 – https://www.pornhub.com/insights/coronavirus-update-june-18
