12 votes

Porn use and men's and women's sexual performance: Evidence from a large longitudinal sample

8 comments

  1. [4]
    JakeTheDog
    Link
    Cavaet: see the table on participants. Average age was 21 and largely heterosexual.

    Methods
    We conducted a three-wave longitudinal study (spanning 2015-16-17) that involved a very large number of men and women in their early 20s (100 000 + French-speaking individuals; 4000 + heterosexual couples).
    Results
    The results revealed a twofold phenomenon. Among men, a higher frequency of porn use (wave 1) and increased porn use over time (waves 1–3) were associated with lower levels of sexual self-competence, impaired sexual functioning, and decreased partner-reported sexual satisfaction. In contrast, among women, higher and increasing frequencies of porn use were associated with higher levels of sexual self-competence, improved sexual functioning, and enhanced partner-reported sexual satisfaction (for some aspects).

    ... men watch more hardcore/paraphilic porn and less softcore/mainstream porn than women (Hald, Reference Hald2006; Hald & Štulhofer, Reference Hald and Štulhofer2016), which may be associated with different sexual comparison processes and sexual outcomes (Leonhardt & Willoughby, Reference Leonhardt and Willoughby2019). These gender differences are consistent with our results. Among young men, the potentially inspiring nature of porn might be outweighed by its threatening nature: Porn use seemingly contributes to men's doubts about their sexual competence, the deterioration of their sexual functioning, and – in heterosexual couples – their partner-reported satisfaction. In contrast, among young women, the potentially inspiring nature of porn might outweigh its threatening nature: Porn use seemingly contributes to women's feelings of sexual competence, improvement in their sexual functioning, and – in heterosexual couples – some aspects of their partner-reported satisfaction.

    Cavaet: see the table on participants. Average age was 21 and largely heterosexual.

    5 votes
    1. [3]
      post_below
      Link Parent
      Full brain development happens at around 25. I wonder how much different the results would be in a study of adults (physically rather than legally). Personally I wouldn't extrapolate anything...

      Average age was 21

      Full brain development happens at around 25. I wonder how much different the results would be in a study of adults (physically rather than legally).

      Personally I wouldn't extrapolate anything concrete from my sexuality at 21. I had no idea what was happening. Thought I did at the time though!

      4 votes
      1. [2]
        JakeTheDog
        Link Parent
        I don't disagree, but I want to add nuance. This is firstly a very fuzzy threshold, it would be more correct to say in the mid-twenties, but can be at anytime in the 20's. Though 21 is on the...

        Full brain development happens at around 25.

        I don't disagree, but I want to add nuance.
        This is firstly a very fuzzy threshold, it would be more correct to say in the mid-twenties, but can be at anytime in the 20's. Though 21 is on the extreme end, so this point probably stands here.
        Second, that "development" is about rational cognition, which doesn't apply so much here. Maybe a little, but self-image and sexuality is rarely a rational thought process.

        I wonder how much different the results would be in a study of adults (physically rather than legally).

        So, while you have a point, I would predict that the effects in the paper would be upheld throughout life. I would also predict that the effects might dwindle at later ages when individuals become more confident and more experienced, both with their self-image and sexuality.

        4 votes
        1. post_below
          Link Parent
          If we're going to explore semantics, I said "around 25" as a way if expressing the fuzziness you're after. Well yes and no, as we develop we get better at interceding in emotional reactions with...

          I don't disagree, but I want to add nuance

          If we're going to explore semantics, I said "around 25" as a way if expressing the fuzziness you're after.

          self-image and sexuality is rarely a rational thought process.

          Well yes and no, as we develop we get better at interceding in emotional reactions with forebrain rationality.

          For that reason I think the results would be very different in an older sample group. And, as you say, the difference would be compounded by life experience.

          3 votes
  2. [3]
    HotPants
    (edited )
    Link
    It was based on an online survey from youtubers... Edit: The code is in english, when they measured sexual performance, it's not entirely clear to me what data they used? They asked the...

    It was based on an online survey from youtubers...

    To build such a large sample, we collaborated with Mathieu Sommet, one of the most popular French YouTubers at the time of the research (with 1.6+ million subscribers). Mathieu posted an online video that invited his audience to complete our questionnaire, and voluntary participants were sent a similar follow-up questionnaire approximately one and then two years later.

    Edit: The code is in english, when they measured sexual performance, it's not entirely clear to me what data they used? They asked the participant how satisfied they were and how satisfied their partner seemed to be and the performance of specific erotic functions.

    3 votes
    1. [2]
      JakeTheDog
      Link Parent
      What is unclear? They define sexual performance as: And then in the methods section they specify: I hope you weren't expecting an "objective" measure via a panel of judges :P

      when they measured sexual performance, it's not entirely clear to me what data they used?

      What is unclear?

      They define sexual performance as:

      sexual self-competence, sexual functioning, and partner-reported sexual satisfaction

      And then in the methods section they specify:

      RQ1. Sexual self-competence. We used the sexual self-competence measure from the Multidimensional Sexual Self-Concept Questionnaire (MSSCQ; Snell, Reference Snell, Fisher, Davis, Yarber and Davis1998; five items, e.g. ‘I am a pretty good sexual partner’).
      RQ2. Sexual functioning. We adapted the items of the Sexual Function Index (Isidori et al., Reference Isidori, Pozza, Esposito, Ciotola, Giugliano, Morano and Jannini2010), a six-item clinical tool that assesses sexual desire, sexual arousal, biological functioning (erection/lubrication), sexual climax, sexual satisfaction, and vaginal discomfort (for women) during sexual activities (for the exact wording of the items for men and women, see online Supplementary Table S3).
      RQ3. Partner-reported sexual satisfaction. We used the sexual satisfaction measure from the MSSCQ (five items, e.g. ‘I am very satisfied with my sexual relationship’). For each wave, this variable was attached to the participating partner to create the partner-reported sexual satisfaction measure.

      I hope you weren't expecting an "objective" measure via a panel of judges :P

      1 vote
      1. HotPants
        Link Parent
        I was simply hoping for a calculated number in the data set. They provide the survey results, but not the calculated RQ1/2/3.

        I was simply hoping for a calculated number in the data set.

        They provide the survey results, but not the calculated RQ1/2/3.

        3 votes
  3. elcuello
    Link
    Interesting but not all that surprising sadly (for men). I feel like it's sorta like the old saying "Women use love to look for sex while men use sex to look for love". Women seek out porn when...

    Among young men, the potentially inspiring nature of porn might be outweighed by its threatening nature
    In contrast, among young women, the potentially inspiring nature of porn might outweigh its threatening nature

    Interesting but not all that surprising sadly (for men). I feel like it's sorta like the old saying "Women use love to look for sex while men use sex to look for love". Women seek out porn when they feel inspired and men use porn when they need inspiration.

    2 votes