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If you are reading this blog now, you could probably just as easily be watching porn. That’s not a statement of endorsement but a statement of fact. Think about that. According to a report by influence central, the average age for a child to get their first smart phone is 10.3 years old. It’s not surprising then that the average age of first pornography exposure is by the time they are 13 years old with cases being cited even in early childhood. For many, what began as an incorrect spelling that took them somewhere they never intended or exploring a curiosity of what friends at school were talking about, access to graphic pornography is easier than ever before and, in most cases, it's even free! But, as the old saying goes, everything comes with a price and the hidden price tag of porn ends up costing more than many of us ever realized. Today, we’re going to look at the high cost of pornography in 3 key areas: What is the cost of porn for society, family, and the individual.
So, what is the cost of porn on society? Since the MeToo movement first started making headlines in 2017, there has been an increased emphasis on inappropriate behavior, sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape in the work place. Personal stories from countless women across the country and from many different career fields all began to come forward and share their accounts of their traumatic experiences. After a number of investigations, arrests and convictions, it seems like the movement has been pushed out of people's minds in favor of the new hot button topics of the moment. For all of the superficial solidarity and grandstanding, one of the industries that was able to stay under the radar was porn. Should we believe then that the porn industry is actually this beacon of women’s empowerment and doesn’t deserve further scrutiny? Well, last week we addressed the real impact of porn on the performers and we shined a light on how they are frequently the victims of past and ongoing sexual trauma. Pornography, however, has also been shown to have an extremely harmful on the viewers, as well. A recent article from Fight The New Drug cites multiple studies that show porn consumers are “more likely to sexually objectify others, more likely to express an intent to rape, and more likely to commit actual acts of sexual violence.” Pornography has been shown to directly increase the exact mentalities and behaviors that lead towards objectification, sexual harassment and sexual violence and even rape, but pornography goes even deeper as it undermines one of the most fundamental institutions of society throughout all of human history, the institution of the family.
Anthropologist Ashley Montagu said, “The family is the basis of society. As the family is, so is the society, and it is human beings who make a family-not the quantity of them, but the quality of them.” It has been said that the stable family is the bedrock of society, but if that is true then pornography is a lit stick of dynamite. Here in Omaha, the flashing red sign outside of a well known adult store reads, “Helping bring couples together.” The common message is this, “Are you bored in your relationship? Spice things up with porn!” That may be an enticing advertisement, but reality paints a much bleaker picture. Contrary to the idea that porn is in any way helpful to a persons marriage, Married people who start watching porn are twice as likely to be divorced in the following years as those who don’t and women who start viewing porn are actually 3 times as likely to divorce. Rather than bringing people together, pornography is consistently shown to drive them apart. Instead of strengthening committed relationships, pornography ends up leaving you alone. So, what is pornography’s effect on the individual?
Over time, pornography trains your brain, rewiring it and desensitizing the individual. An article from Your Brain on Porn.com explains how this process occurs:
Our brains evolved to strive for homeostasis. (Stable or balanced life) If we’re bombarded with intense stimulation they adjust. For example, they mute neural signals by changing nerve cell receptor levels for key neurotransmitters. Chronic overstimulation can thus lead to numbness, or a blunted response to stimuli, including stimuli that once registered as rewarding.
In the pursuit of the stimuli high, not only do you end up becoming numb to the other experiences of your life, but eventually to the stimulants you were pursuing as well. What your left with is numbness, emptiness, always searching for something to satisfy this overwhelming desire but never able to be satisfied. At this point, regular pornography consumption has evolved into a legitimate pornography addiction.
Sexual violence, divorce, emptiness and numbness; the price tag for free porn is high. Is the temporary fulfillment worth the long-term debt that it carries? If you’re starting to feel like the price may be too high and you want to get out, leaving behind a pornography addiction is much easier said than done. Next week, we’ll finish out #NOPORNNOVEMBER by giving you tools that can help you overcome and leave porn behind for good.
Early Porn Exposure -
Kids & Tech: The Evolution of Today’s Digital Natives - https://techcrunch.com/2016/05/19/the-average-age-for-a-child-getting-their-first-smartphone-is-now-10-3-years/
Porn and objectification -
Mikorski, R., & Szymanski, D. M. (2017). Masculine norms, peer group, pornography, Facebook, and men’s sexual objectification of women. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 18(4), 257–267. https://doi.org/10.1037/men0000058
Porn and intent to rape -
Foubert, J. D., Brosi, M. W., & Bannon, R. S. (2011). Pornography viewing among fraternity men: Effects on bystander intervention, rape myth acceptance and behavioral intent to commit sexual assault. Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity, 18(4), 212–231. https://doi.org/10.1080/10720162.2011.625552
Porn and sexual violence -
Wright, P. J., Tokunaga, R. S., & Kraus, A. (2016). A meta-analysis of pornography consumption and actual acts of sexual aggression in general population studies. Journal of Communication, 66(1), 183-205. doi:10.1111/jcom.12201
Porn and Divorce -
Samuel L. Perry & Cyrus Schleifer (2018) Till Porn Do Us Part? A Longitudinal Examination of Pornography Use and Divorce, The Journal of Sex Research, 55:3, 284-296, DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2017.1317709
Porn and emotional numbing -
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