Proponents of the theory linking penile function to porn habits argue that the more porn a man watches, the higher the risk of erectile dysfunction (ED).
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Findings of these studies have traveled far, with many men fearing their sexual performance could be adversely impacted by the amount of adult content they consume. But, recent work being done on the subject has shown there’s no correlation between the two.
‘No Evidence’
Research by Bowling Green (Ohio) State University analysed porn watching and ED risk among a representative sample of 877 men, age 18 to 60. According to Psychology Today, the researchers found:
no evidence that mere pornography use is associated with changes in erection function. Sexually active men who consume pornography showed very high levels of erection function. ED was rare. Our findings run counter to the popular narrative suggesting that pornography is driving an epidemic of ED.
In another study, Indiana University researchers interviewed 211 men to gauge their sexual frequency. Eighty-one were highly sexually active, reporting sexual frequencies some might call hypersexual.
However, when their penises were wired, researchers found they had no problem raising erections while viewing it.
Porn & Sexual Desensitization
A third study by researchers at UCLA and Concordia University in Montreal asked 280 men (127 in relationships) to keep diaries of their porn viewing for several months.
The men reported a broad range of porn watching, from very little to 25 hours per week. The researchers then surveyed their erection function. They found 'no relationship between viewing sex films and erectile dysfunction.'
Another misconception about watching porn is that it desensitizes men to conventional sex and pushes them to more 'extreme' porn, such as BDSM and gang bang.
However, researchers found that the men who watched the most porn—regardless of the level of ‘wildness—’ had no difficulty becoming aroused by watching one lone couple having missionary sex on screen.
