What are the long-term effects of viewing pornography?

[anti-NAFTA]

I am curious to know whether there are any long-term effects to viewing pornography because a friend of mine recently told me that it can lead to impotence through desensitization. Have there ever been any studies about this?

Any help would be appreciated.

[Enraged_Ape]

1. I don't know what real, peer-reviewed research says

But that sounds like horseshit to me.

[anti-NAFTA]

2. why?

[AngryYoungMan]

4. Think it through.

In order for that to be true:

1) there would have to be such a thing as "desensitizing" the nerves in your genitals, which doesn't correspond to anything the nervous system does anywhere else in the body

2) there would have to be an inverse relationship between the generation of sperm and the frequency of stimulation and ejaculation, which is also counterintuitive

3) the onanist would notice that it became more and more difficult to get himself off, which is hardly typical

4) and wouldn't frequent sex do the same thing?

Evolution doesn't generally favor characteristics that make reproduction LESS likely or frequent.

I've even heard that you NEED to ejaculate fairly regularly so as to keep sperm production up.

Anyway, I'm just speculating...I'd be curious what a doctor would say.

[Enraged_Ape]

6. I just did a MedLine search and found nothing about it

And not to turn your question back on you, but why would it? There are a lot of chemical and hormonal factors involved in sexual arousal that would confound any "fatigue" from exposure to it. You might get tired of watching "Gilligan's Island", but to actually get tired of sex from watching naked people doing what comes naturally? Color me highly skeptical.

[AngryYoungMan]

7. "You're the king of New York; you're A-number-one"

(okay I'll stop)

[AngryYoungMan]

3. "The name's Plissken"

eom

[anti-NAFTA]

5. lol

[matcom]

8. It Will Cause Your Yellow ASS To Walk Up An Down Stairs Endlessly

:D

i should know

[Kamika]

9. I saw this documentary about this porn producer

He said he had seen so much stuff and some that were really weird so nothing turned him on anymore

[anti-NAFTA]

11. That's what I was wondering. Do you have any specifics?

thanks.

[Kamika]

13. Well not really

But it was pretty serious, he sai dhe didn't even think about sex anymore and stuff.

[Woman of the Phoenix]

17. Good point! This is serious.

I saw a segment on a cable show where they discussed how this desensitizes people so they will not get aroused by lovemaking.

It's not that I don't enjoy the old blindfold and handcuff routine every once in a while, but the idea of having to go further and further for the same pleasure sounds like an addiction.

It's like the people who use auto-eroticsm by bringing themselves to near strangulation death to get off...sometimes they die.

[Kamika]

18. I guess it works the same way as a drug

At first it's great, then you need a higher and higher dose..

[T_i_B]

10. On the good side...

...you end up with a right arm like Arnold Schwarzernegger.

On the bad side, it does make you go blind! :evilgrin:

[anti-NAFTA]

12. I don't know about you

but I don't need pornography to masturbate.

I kinda feel sorry for anyone who does need it.

[T_i_B]

14. Even if I don't

There is no point in denying that there are plenty of others that do like it for those times when they go to visit Mrs Palm and her five daughters.

[Buns_of_Fire]

15. I found it's not blindness

It's hair growing on your eyeballs. Trim once a week, and you should have no problems. Trust me. I know these things.

[DS1]

16. and everyone knows that an improperly balanced blind man

will eventually dig himself into a circular ditch :7

[DiverDave]

19. Hairy palms?

nt

[anti-NAFTA]

21. masturbation myth eom

[Vogon_Glory]

20. Long Term Viewing: A Smut Reader Responds

The only long-term effects I've noted from my own little habits is that I've become visually desensitized; however, touch and smell supplant visual imagery for arousing the imagination and the naughty bits.

Visual desensitization isn't necessarily linked to explicitly sexual imagery. Think of our Victorian forebears, and how a view of a woman's ankle and calf would be considered racy--then think about rising hemlines and sleeves retreating up the arms of women's clothing after World War One. Also consider how Middle Eastern males freshly arrived in North America see our "indecently" dressed women, which most native-born Americans can look at them without turning into Don Juan.

[Solomon]

22. Exactly. Porn can de-sensitize you visually, but only for a short time.

If you stay away from it for a while, the "sensitivity" comes back. I'd say the biggest problem with too much porn from a prude's point of view, is that regular vanilla sex is no longer a turn-on. One must watch kinkier and kinkier activities to get turned on, which, like majihuana, leads to heroin addiction. Next thing you know, you're looking at transsexuals hanging upside down while being spanked by fat women. Just stay off it for a while, and you'll return to "normal".

[chenGOD]

36. Please tell me you're joking about the marijuana thing...

Whatever "Reefer Madness" says, marijuana is not a gateway drug.

[Deja Q]

23. Well, if more people could be encouraged to do the real thing...

we wouldn't need porno. :evilgrin:

It's an interesting concept though...

[onebigbadwulf]

24. All sex is like that...

the more you have the less you want.

that's a big "duh" ghostrider.


Ask any couple who's been married for 10 years.

[11 Bravo]

25. Orange genitals ...

but only if you eat Cheetos at the same time.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

26. Death.

Anybody who views pornography will die.

[TXlib]

27. God kills lots of kittens.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

41. So does Frist, but that don't make him God

or a porno watcher, either, but I would not be suprised if
A. He believed he is God. and;
B. He is an avid collector of gay porn.

[anti-NAFTA]

28. Kick

:kick:

this is a serious thread for me personally.

[NightTrain]

29. In my case...

...the long-term effects have consisted exclusively of thousands upon thousands of self-induced orgasms!

Pornography is my friend. :thumbsup:

[TEXASYANKEE]

30. Ditto.

No harmful side effects for me ... except maybe a big shit-eating grin. ;-)

[Parrcrow]

31. I believe that the only serious long term effect is....

an inability to get that damn music out of your head.

but never mind.
:thumbsup: :thumbsdown: :thumbsup: :thumbsdown:

[Nlighten1]

32. low sperm count?

[Philosophy]

33. Four-hour erections

Patients experiencing a prolonged erection are advised to contact their attending physician or a urology clinic nearby immediately.

[11 Bravo]

34. I love that commercial ...

but if I have a four erection I'm not calling the doctor. I'm calling my wife, your wife; Hell, I'm calling everybody's wife!

[Nevernose]

37. It's called "priapism"

You read about it it in medical books or listed as an adverse side-effect somewhere, and you think to yerself "how can I get me one of those priapism thingamajigs?"

TRUST ME: You don't want one. The pain is excrutiating. Sex doesn't cure it, and even urination is agonizing. The most mind-bending pain you can imagine. Compound fracture? Nothing compared to a priapism. Remeber that scene in "Alien" where the monster rips out of the guy's chest? A walk in the park compared to a genuine priapism.

I start tearing up just thinking about it.

[Philosophy]

43. Ouch

I've had a compound fracture, and that hurts pretty damn bad. Actually the worst pain I ever felt was when I got a muscle cramp in my leg right after they set my compound fracture. When I broke my leg I just said ouch and groaned a little, but that cramp was the only pain I've ever had that actually made me scream.

I'm trying not to think about priapisms too now.

[MrSlayer]

35. Hairy Palms.

I would guess. I don't know, I got over the whole porn thing when I was 13. Much better to be doing it than watching it.

[freeminder]

38. k since you seem to be serious about this - so am I

speaking as someone who preferred fantasy over reality since puberty, being shy and all, I would say the long term risks of porn are :
- starting to believe people should look airbrushed. They don't. I don't.
- needing "kinkier and kinkier" stuff but that doesn't have to lead to extremes
- the biggest danger is not sharing with your loved one. You do miss out on wonderful things.
- if you are a "visual" person, the danger of becoming visually overstimulated and consequently desensitized is real imho. You tend to lose sight of the attractions in your partner.

So basically if you keep it real, share it and use it to spice up your sex life I see no harm. For me, it's a matter of balance. 10 years together and counting...

okay make fun of me now :P

[VOX]

39. A very well-considered response, freeminder...

I agree with you, point by point.

Thanks.

[freeminder]

42. You're welcome

this issue I've grappled with all my adult life. I have probably spent months discussing it. I suspect quite a lot of people know this issue first-hand (:-)).

I do wonder why so many men have troubles with porn addictions, and so few women. Must have something to do with the way we were way back when - biologists say our behaviour today, in spite of all our "civilisation", is still governed by instincts from the distant past. I know, it's the old "the man is the hunter" routine (and a hunter is always spotting game - NO condescension intended).

Who has a better explanation of the difference between men and women regarding pornography ?

edit - typo

[VOX]

46. Yes. Men are hard-wired to respond very quickly to visual stimuli...

Obviously, women respond too, but men can react literally within seconds. (This is definitely not a particularly superior trait!)

Your analysis is good -- "man being the hunter," etc. Perhaps this visual focus (no pun intended) makes the male something more of a voyeur?

[freeminder]

47. hard-wired - well said

Thinking about it, I remember from discussions with my wife (psychology major) and from reading about neural networks that in the brain, each connection has it's own "weight" as in a weighted average. A signal is transmitted through various cells and is weighted along the way. The changing of the weights represents learning.

In this sense, every time we see pornography, more or less the same paths will be taken and the weights will get higher. After a while, I can imagine it takes serious signals to overcome these weights.

On the other hand, is the brain involved at all, or is it a case of a neural short-circuit like the knee-jerk reflex :-) ?

freewheelin'

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

40. Define long-term.... 30 years? I got that

40 years... not quite

there are some here, come on shipmates!, that are close to 50 years watching porno.

[RebelOne]

44. OMG, it can cause blindness!!!

Watch you don't shoot your eye out.

[elperromagico]

45. Some swelling is possible, followed by rawness.

[WillyBrandt]

48. You'll insist that you and your partner wear shoes

while making the love. Also, you'll insist on low funk playing during copulation.

[camero]

49. ROFLMAO

Erections maybe. I don't know about impotence. :)

I think there are some studies out there that link it with the objectification of women. Not sure though.

[Spirochete]

50. If you view it on the internet

the long term results are probably that you get so much spam and spyware your whole computer system goes tits-up (so to speak).

On Edit: hey! I found the space bar.

[freeminder]

51. see my sig line

lol

*off to sleep*