Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTheoriesRisk FactorsSymptomsEffectsManagementWhen to Seek Care
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Theories
Risk Factors
Symptoms
Effects
Management
When to Seek Care
What constitutes a normal amount of porn consumption varies from person to person, making it difficult to definedysfunction.
Pornography addiction is not officially recognized in theDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition(DSM-5), but many researchers consider pornography consumption dysfunctional for some people. Other terms suggested include “sexual compulsivity,” “hypersexuality,” “dysregulated pornography use,” “problematic pornography use,” and “compulsive sexual behavior disorder.”
For ease of use, this article will primarily use the term “porn addiction” while acknowledging the lack of formal recognition of the term.
This article will discuss theories about porn addiction, the symptoms and effects of porn addiction, how to deal with porn addiction, and when to consult a healthcare provider.
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Theories About Porn Addiction
Although many researchers acknowledge that porn use can be dysfunctional for some people, there doesn’t yet exist a definition for the disorder or agreed-upon criteria for determining it. This is largely because there is a lack of evidence and empirical research in this area.
Is Porn Addiction Similar to Alcohol or Drug Addiction?Current research doesn’t support classifying porn addiction in the same category as drug or alcohol addiction.
Is Porn Addiction Similar to Alcohol or Drug Addiction?
Current research doesn’t support classifying porn addiction in the same category as drug or alcohol addiction.
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) acknowledges behavioral addiction in the DSM-5, and recognizes gambling disorder within the “non-substance-related disorders” subchapter of the “substance use and addictive disorders” chapter.
“Internet gaming disorder” is included in the DSM-5 under conditions for further study. While some researchers believe porn addiction should be included similarly, the APA states that other excessive uses of the Internet—such as viewing porn online—are not considered comparable to Internet gaming disorder.
While inconclusive, several theories have been proposed to describe or explain porn addiction. These are outlined below.
Supernormal Stimuli
This theory suggests that some internet activities—such as porn use—can deliver never-ending stimulation and activation of thebrain’s reward system, creating what scientist Nikolaas Tinbergen called “supernormal stimuli.”
Supernormal stimuli is a phenomenon in which artificial stimuli override an evolutionarily developed response.
For example, in one experiment, male butterflies tried to mate with artificial butterflies that had larger and more colorful wings instead of with actual butterflies. This type of supernormal stimuli may activate the natural reward system at higher levels than our ancestors typically encountered, giving it the potential to switch into an addictive mode.
This theory has been suggested to be applicable to pornography and other areas of excessiveness, such as highly engaging video games and unnaturally sweetened foods.
Self-Perception of Dysfunction
Some research has found that the quantity of porn use may not be as predictive of sexual dysfunction as how the user feels about their porn use.
Those who perceive themselves as having an Internet porn addiction may be more likely to experience negative impacts andsexual dysfunction, regardless of the amount or frequency of porn consumption.
Negative Impacts
It’s been suggested that porn addiction can be classified as any use of pornography that leads to or creates significant negative personal, vocational, or interpersonal consequences for the porn consumer. This means the person feels they cannot regulate or control their porn consumption and that their porn use interferes with their everyday life.
In addition to compulsivity and interference, emotional distress—such as guilt, shame, and regret—about porn use may also be considered a defining characteristic of porn addiction.
The use ofemotional distressto identify porn addiction needs to be nuanced since moral judgment or disapproval can be an influence.
Compulsions
A 2013 study suggested that men who have difficulty resisting the use of porn may have dispositions that make them more vulnerable tocompulsive problemsin general. Specifically, the traits of neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and obsessional checking behaviors were found to correlate with high pornography use.
Some research suggests hypersexual behavior, including porn addiction, does not neatly fit into a classification of compulsion, but rather may combine aspects of compulsive disorders (involving anxiety reduction) and impulsive disorders (involving gratification).
Risk Factors of Porn Addiction
Some risk factors for porn addiction may are:
Cultural Influences Over Porn Addiction
Research on porn addiction is primarily performed using questionnaires. Participant answers may be skewed because of the taboo nature of porn addiction.
Symptoms of Porn Addiction
There is no set of agreed-upon criteria for what constitutes porn addiction. Some proposed symptoms of porn addiction are:
Porn Addiction vs. Sex AddictionLike porn addiction,sex addictionis not recognized in the DSM-5 but is often referenced unofficially. It may also be called:HypersexualityHypersexual disorderCompulsive sexual behaviorSexual impulsivity"Sex addiction" is an umbrella term that can include a broad array of sexual behaviors, solo and partnered, including porn addiction.
Porn Addiction vs. Sex Addiction
Like porn addiction,sex addictionis not recognized in the DSM-5 but is often referenced unofficially. It may also be called:HypersexualityHypersexual disorderCompulsive sexual behaviorSexual impulsivity"Sex addiction" is an umbrella term that can include a broad array of sexual behaviors, solo and partnered, including porn addiction.
Like porn addiction,sex addictionis not recognized in the DSM-5 but is often referenced unofficially. It may also be called:
“Sex addiction” is an umbrella term that can include a broad array of sexual behaviors, solo and partnered, including porn addiction.
Effects of Having a Porn Addiction
Excessive porn use has been associated with problems in romantic partnerships, but it isn’t clear-cut.
Some research has found that engaging in porn use can cause:
In addition to relationship difficulties, the effects of a porn addiction may include:
Some research suggests that adolescents who have frequent exposure to sexually explicit material may:
More research on pornography use is needed, particularly related to adolescents, gender, LGBTQ+ individuals, cultural factors, and other understudied populations.
Are There Benefits to Watching Porn?
Some research has found that porn use can improve sexual quality.
How to Deal With a Porn Addiction
How to manage porn addiction is under-researched, and many of the studies that do exist have flaws that make the results unreliable.
Some experts feel the approach should be individualized based on what drives that person’s behavior, because there is a lack of evidence on how best to manage porn addiction in general.
While no plan is conclusively recommended, approaches that are being explored as possible management techniques for porn addiction include:
Goals for management can range from harm reduction to complete abstinence.
When to Consult With a Healthcare Provider
If you feel you aren’t able to manage your porn use and it is causing you distress or interfering with your life, you may find it helpful to consult with a professional such as a:
Several screening tools exist, such as the Internet Sex-Screening Test (ISST) and the Problematic Pornography Use Scale (PPUS), which your provider may use if they feel it would be useful.
Summary
Porn addiction is not recognized in the DSM-5, but many experts believe problematic or dysfunctional porn use exists. Porn addiction does not have a clear definition or diagnostic criteria, but several theories exist, including that it could be an overlap between compulsive and impulsive disorders.
Porn addiction can have a negative effect on relationships, sexual function, and other areas of life, such as employment. Research on these effects is conflicting, particularly on how porn is associated withsexual dysfunction.
There is a lack of quality research on how best to manage porn addiction. Some strategies may include CBT, psychodynamic psychotherapy, and ACT.
10 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychological Association.Is pornography addictive?de Alarcón R, de la Iglesia J, Casado N, Montejo A.Online porn addiction: what we know and what we don’t—a systematic review.JCM. 2019;8(1):91. doi:10.3390/jcm8010091Hall P.The moral maze of sex & porn addiction.Addictive Behaviors. 2021;123:107054. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2021.107054George M, Maheshwari S, Chandran S, Rao TSS.Psychosocial aspects of pornography.Journal of Psychosexual Health. 2019;1(1):44-47. doi:10.1177/2631831818821535Love T, Laier C, Brand M, Hatch L, Hajela R.Neuroscience of internet pornography addiction: a review and update.Behavioral Sciences. 2015;5(3):388-433. doi:10.3390/bs5030388Whelan G, Brown J.Pornography addiction: an exploration of the association between use, perceived addiction, erectile dysfunction, premature (Early) ejaculation, and sexual satisfaction in males aged 18-44 years.The Journal of Sexual Medicine. 2021;18(9):1582-1591. doi:10.1016/j.jsxm.2021.06.014Sniewski L, Farvid P, Carter P.The assessment and treatment of adult heterosexual men with self-perceived problematic pornography use: A review.Addictive Behaviors. 2018;77:217-224. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.10.010Kamaruddin N, Wahab A, Rozaidi Y.Neuro-physiological porn addiction detection using machine learning approach. IJEECS. 2019;16(2):964. doi:10.11591/ijeecs.v16.i2.pp964-971Grubbs JB, Stauner N, Exline JJ, Pargament KI, Lindberg MJ.Perceived addiction to Internet pornography and psychological distress: Examining relationships concurrently and over time.Psychology of Addictive Behaviors. 2015;29(4):1056-1067. doi:10.1037/adb0000114Sharpe M, Mead D.Problematic pornography use: legal and health policy considerations. Curr Addict Rep. 2021;8(4):556-567. doi:10.1007/s40429-021-00390-8
10 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychological Association.Is pornography addictive?de Alarcón R, de la Iglesia J, Casado N, Montejo A.Online porn addiction: what we know and what we don’t—a systematic review.JCM. 2019;8(1):91. doi:10.3390/jcm8010091Hall P.The moral maze of sex & porn addiction.Addictive Behaviors. 2021;123:107054. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2021.107054George M, Maheshwari S, Chandran S, Rao TSS.Psychosocial aspects of pornography.Journal of Psychosexual Health. 2019;1(1):44-47. doi:10.1177/2631831818821535Love T, Laier C, Brand M, Hatch L, Hajela R.Neuroscience of internet pornography addiction: a review and update.Behavioral Sciences. 2015;5(3):388-433. doi:10.3390/bs5030388Whelan G, Brown J.Pornography addiction: an exploration of the association between use, perceived addiction, erectile dysfunction, premature (Early) ejaculation, and sexual satisfaction in males aged 18-44 years.The Journal of Sexual Medicine. 2021;18(9):1582-1591. doi:10.1016/j.jsxm.2021.06.014Sniewski L, Farvid P, Carter P.The assessment and treatment of adult heterosexual men with self-perceived problematic pornography use: A review.Addictive Behaviors. 2018;77:217-224. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.10.010Kamaruddin N, Wahab A, Rozaidi Y.Neuro-physiological porn addiction detection using machine learning approach. IJEECS. 2019;16(2):964. doi:10.11591/ijeecs.v16.i2.pp964-971Grubbs JB, Stauner N, Exline JJ, Pargament KI, Lindberg MJ.Perceived addiction to Internet pornography and psychological distress: Examining relationships concurrently and over time.Psychology of Addictive Behaviors. 2015;29(4):1056-1067. doi:10.1037/adb0000114Sharpe M, Mead D.Problematic pornography use: legal and health policy considerations. Curr Addict Rep. 2021;8(4):556-567. doi:10.1007/s40429-021-00390-8
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Psychological Association.Is pornography addictive?de Alarcón R, de la Iglesia J, Casado N, Montejo A.Online porn addiction: what we know and what we don’t—a systematic review.JCM. 2019;8(1):91. doi:10.3390/jcm8010091Hall P.The moral maze of sex & porn addiction.Addictive Behaviors. 2021;123:107054. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2021.107054George M, Maheshwari S, Chandran S, Rao TSS.Psychosocial aspects of pornography.Journal of Psychosexual Health. 2019;1(1):44-47. doi:10.1177/2631831818821535Love T, Laier C, Brand M, Hatch L, Hajela R.Neuroscience of internet pornography addiction: a review and update.Behavioral Sciences. 2015;5(3):388-433. doi:10.3390/bs5030388Whelan G, Brown J.Pornography addiction: an exploration of the association between use, perceived addiction, erectile dysfunction, premature (Early) ejaculation, and sexual satisfaction in males aged 18-44 years.The Journal of Sexual Medicine. 2021;18(9):1582-1591. doi:10.1016/j.jsxm.2021.06.014Sniewski L, Farvid P, Carter P.The assessment and treatment of adult heterosexual men with self-perceived problematic pornography use: A review.Addictive Behaviors. 2018;77:217-224. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.10.010Kamaruddin N, Wahab A, Rozaidi Y.Neuro-physiological porn addiction detection using machine learning approach. IJEECS. 2019;16(2):964. doi:10.11591/ijeecs.v16.i2.pp964-971Grubbs JB, Stauner N, Exline JJ, Pargament KI, Lindberg MJ.Perceived addiction to Internet pornography and psychological distress: Examining relationships concurrently and over time.Psychology of Addictive Behaviors. 2015;29(4):1056-1067. doi:10.1037/adb0000114Sharpe M, Mead D.Problematic pornography use: legal and health policy considerations. Curr Addict Rep. 2021;8(4):556-567. doi:10.1007/s40429-021-00390-8
American Psychological Association.Is pornography addictive?
de Alarcón R, de la Iglesia J, Casado N, Montejo A.Online porn addiction: what we know and what we don’t—a systematic review.JCM. 2019;8(1):91. doi:10.3390/jcm8010091
Hall P.The moral maze of sex & porn addiction.Addictive Behaviors. 2021;123:107054. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2021.107054
George M, Maheshwari S, Chandran S, Rao TSS.Psychosocial aspects of pornography.Journal of Psychosexual Health. 2019;1(1):44-47. doi:10.1177/2631831818821535
Love T, Laier C, Brand M, Hatch L, Hajela R.Neuroscience of internet pornography addiction: a review and update.Behavioral Sciences. 2015;5(3):388-433. doi:10.3390/bs5030388
Whelan G, Brown J.Pornography addiction: an exploration of the association between use, perceived addiction, erectile dysfunction, premature (Early) ejaculation, and sexual satisfaction in males aged 18-44 years.The Journal of Sexual Medicine. 2021;18(9):1582-1591. doi:10.1016/j.jsxm.2021.06.014
Sniewski L, Farvid P, Carter P.The assessment and treatment of adult heterosexual men with self-perceived problematic pornography use: A review.Addictive Behaviors. 2018;77:217-224. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.10.010
Kamaruddin N, Wahab A, Rozaidi Y.Neuro-physiological porn addiction detection using machine learning approach. IJEECS. 2019;16(2):964. doi:10.11591/ijeecs.v16.i2.pp964-971
Grubbs JB, Stauner N, Exline JJ, Pargament KI, Lindberg MJ.Perceived addiction to Internet pornography and psychological distress: Examining relationships concurrently and over time.Psychology of Addictive Behaviors. 2015;29(4):1056-1067. doi:10.1037/adb0000114
Sharpe M, Mead D.Problematic pornography use: legal and health policy considerations. Curr Addict Rep. 2021;8(4):556-567. doi:10.1007/s40429-021-00390-8
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