Study shows: porn is not causative for erectile dysfunction

Researchers at a US university have investigated the link between porn and erection problems in a new study. The results make all consumers of erotic adult entertainment breathe a sigh of relief.

Does porn consumption lead to erectile dysfunction?

A common myth: if you consume too much porn, you will have problems with erection. The medical and sex psychological term is “erectile dysfunction”. But is there really a causal link between erotic adult entertainment and the stamina of men’s best bits?

Eric Jannsen, a researcher at the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University in the U.S. and a professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Belgium’s Leuven University, and his team have now investigated this question. The subjects included 211 homosexual men. This is a group that has often been studied in the past, especially in times of increased HIV cases, due to hypersexuality and risky sexual behavior. However, according to David J. Ley of the journal Psychology Today, there is no difference between the functioning of penises of heterosexual and homosexual men. Thus, for the results, the sexual orientation of the study participants is not a decisive factor.

Here’s how the study went

First, clinical interviews and questionnaires were used to distinguish study participants who already struggled with erectile dysfunction from those without any such problems. It was found that the ratio was 81 (with erectile problems) to 130 (without erectile problems).

Subsequently, the subjects were shown, on the one hand, innocuous video clips composed to elicit negative or positive reactions. And on the other hand pornographic film material that was supposed to provide sexual arousal. Meanwhile, penises were monitored with devices to observe reactions to the moving footage seen. Interviews were also conducted to learn more about the frequency of participants’ porn use.

No link between porn use and erectile dysfunction

The result is that the 81 men who had a history of erectile dysfunction did not react differently on average to the video clips than the other 130. There was also no significant difference in reaction between the men who said in the interviews that they regularly watched porn and those who did not. Thus, the analysis shows that there is no statistical relationship between porn use and erectile dysfunction.

The study found only one factor that could be used to at least roughly predict the likelihood of an erection. Namely, the sexual excitability (in the original “sexual excitation”). This factor describes how pronounced a person’s ability to be erotically “turned on” is. Or, to put it another way, how quickly someone feels sexual excitement. Thus, significantly more subjects who said they were erotically aroused relatively quickly got an erection.

Shift in the way we look at things

But if porn isn’t causative of erectile dysfunction, what is? According to Ley of Psychology Today, it’s obvious. Instead of always cursing porn use, he says, it makes far more sense to look at anxiety and attitudes toward relationships. It is necessary to examine how men who suffer from erectile dysfunction perceive their own sexuality and sexual excitability and, if necessary, provide help. In addition, he says, sufferers should be helped to recognize that their worries, fears and shame are probably the cause of their erectile dysfunction.

In this way, Ley calls for a shift in perspective – from porn to the person himself who has problems with his own erection. For him, this is much more fruitful than continuing to cling to unfounded myths such as the connection between porn and erectile dysfunction.