Porn May Be More Complicated Than We'd Thought

We have more news in what seems to be the debate of a generation: Is porn bad for your sex life, or good? We've seen multiple reports, studies and bouts of research on the topic in the past year, all seeming to contradict one another. In this most recent study, it looks like porn can actually enhance a man's performance in the sack. Confused? So are we.

It's difficult to know what to believe. Can a little bit of porn be a boon to your bedroom routine, is it not all that important in moderation, or are we to believe it's the addictive reality-bending monster lurking on the other side of the bed? Let's first draw attention to the point that all people are different; though there are plenty of horror stories out there and there may be some small justification for concern, just because your friend's boyfriend became dependent and couldn't function sexually without porn doesn't mean all people will become entrenched in its dirty embrace for eternity. But the relatively large number of articles released on the topic indicate serious interest within the community. So for the sake of science, let's break down a few of the most thorough, telling studies out there and see if we can come to any conclusions. If Porn Star Sandy is laying ruin to your sexcapades, after all, she's gotta go.

This newest study, published in Sexual Medicine, finds that viewing "sexual stimuli" (because diplomacy) doesn't lead to erectile dysfunction but instead renders a man more sexually awakened, more excited and rearing to go. Mmmkay, you don't say. Straight men are straight men; yes, breasts are going to get them excited. But the way this study is being presented has more to do with the long-term viewing of porn. Supposedly, guys who get down with their laptops more often develop a greater appreciation for having sex with their actual partners over time.

Which is all well and good, but then we have findings that go in an entirely different direction. The term "sexual anorexia" reared its gross little head just a couple years ago when several studies found that porn was effectively desensitizing those watching, forcing them to go to greater, more explicit lengths in order to get aroused in an actual sexual setting. In other words, people were watching porn, taking it as the gospel and expecting their actual sex lives to reflect the nasty habits of the digital porniverse. Porn has also been correlated with a higher divorce rate.

It's also true that the dearth of sexual education in America lends to a misunderstanding of what sex really means. After all, as a kid, if no one is telling you anything about real life except Kink.com, you're going to have some confusion as to what it's finally going to be like once you do it.

What these conflicting findings indicate, ultimately, is that the way porn affects each individual is going to be highly dependent upon their experiences, grasps on reality, personalities and propensity for addiction in the first place. So before we shun Porn Star Sally, let's give her the benefit of the doubt; she may be throwing us a bone here.