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Topics: News, Sex and Relationships, Science
Charisa Bossinakis
Topics: News, Sex and Relationships, Science
Viewing porn can have a major blow to your relationship, according to a new study.
Sorry, poor choice of words.
In a new study published in the Journal of Sex Research, scientists from Utah’s Brigham Young University discovered porn can cause dissatisfaction and instability in relationships.
So, for those of you trying to spice up your sex life, you might want to leave adult entertainment at the door.
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Researchers observed 3,500 people in committed relationships and looked at their porn habits.
Out of the surveyed participants, 72 per cent identified as heterosexual, 17 per cent as homosexual and 11 per cent as bisexual.
Among them, 23 per cent said they were cohabitating, 12 per cent were remarried, and two per cent were in an open relationship.
The study placed porn into two categories.
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'General', which referred to acts of consensual sex between partners, and 'aggressive', which referred to acts 'that were more violent and were depicting nonconsensual behaviour'.
The study’s lead author, Brian J. Willoughby, a professor at the Mormon university’s School of Family Life, told news outlet KSL that he initially thought 'aggressive' porn would negatively impact relationships.
Instead, researchers found that both types of porn lead to severe relationship effects.
The study wrote: "Results suggested that both general and aggressive pornography use alone were associated with less relationship satisfaction and relationship stability even when accounting for a range of potentially confounding variables."
Additionally, religious men were found to be the ones most impacted.
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We wonder how this will go down in confession.
"Generally, higher religiosity and being male were linked to compounding negative associations between pornography use and lower relationship quality," the study read.
According to Willoughby, religious men were the most affected as porn goes against their beliefs, leaving them to feel conflicted.
“The general thought is that so much of mainstream pornography is geared toward heterosexual men — that’s kind of the core audience,” Willoughby told KSL.
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“So perhaps they will be more affected by comparing themselves to other men, creating unrealistic expectations for themselves, their body, what they think their partner should be doing.”
He added: “Couples should know that viewing pornography is a risk factor in their relationship."
You heard the man; view at your own discretion.
Similarly, a 2017 study also found that married couples who watch porn were likelier to get divorced than those who don't, as per NPR.
The study, which surveyed around 2,000 American couples, found that those watching porn were twice as likely to split up.