Why porn might actually be good for you

In the past, studies have suggested such consumption is harmful, with the rise in porn viewing often linked to a decrease in desire for genuine sexual encounters.

For example, in his book The Brain That Changes Itself, the psychiatrist Norman Doidge writes that his patients who watched porn experienced "increasing difficulty in being turned on by their actual sexual partners, though they still considered them attractive.” These patients said they had to fantasise about porn scenes to get turned on.

However, a new study suggests that porn consumption by males may not have such a detrimental affect on their appetite – or capacity – for sex.

Scientists at the University of California asked 280 men to record their porn viewing habits while tracking their libido.

They found that there was their a positive correlation between the amount of time spent viewing porn and the desire to have sex.

Men who watched no porn were found to score just over 40 on the researcher's arousal matrix. In contrast, men who did watch porn scored over 50.

Those who watched more than two hours of porn per week were found to have the highest level of arousal. They had more desire for 'solo-sex' and sex with a partner.

"This pattern suggests that those who view more visual sexual stimuli (VSS) are likely to have a higher sexual drive," researchers Nicole Prause and James Pfaus wrote in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

"Sexual arousal responsivity may not be impaired by viewing more VSS at home, as it actually was related to stronger desire and sexual arousal in two of the three relationships tested."

The study also looked at instances of erectile dysfunction. They found that "erectile functioning with a partner was not related to the hours of VSS viewed weekly".

While the results of the study point to a definite link between porn consumption and sexual desire, they should not be taken as definitive. The men who were asked were all in their 20s, so the results do not offer insight to a broad range of ages.

It's also arguable that men who watch pornography do so due to a higher sex drive than those who don't, so it is natural that they should have more desire for real life encounters.

(telegraph.co.uk)