Nearly 100 million adults could be addicted to pornography, global study suggests.
Researchers in Canada screened thousands of adults around the world for “problematic porn use” (defined as viewing enough porn that it has a negative impact on relationships and job performance) and found that about three percent of people were concerned about use, but less than one percent. sought treatment.
He studypublished in the magazine Addictionincluded more than 80,000 adults from dozens of countries.
Dr. Beatha Bőthe, lead author of the study and a psychologist at the University of Montreal, said: “Our research shows that problematic pornography use may be more common than many might think and affects a wide range of people.” .
‘It highlights that while many are struggling, not many are seeking help. “This is important because it suggests that more work needs to be done to understand and support those who are affected by it.”
Researchers in Canada found that around three percent of people worldwide may be addicted to pornography.
The research team involved 80 co-authors, many of whom are members of the International Sex Survey consortium in the United States, China, Europe and other parts of the world.
They tested 82,243 adults in 42 countries, including the US, UK, China, France and Germany, between October 2021 and May 2022.
The average age of the participants was 32 years old and 57 percent of them were women.
Additionally, 68 percent were heterosexual. About a third were single and a third were in a relationship. The last third were married.
And more than 70 percent of those studied did not have children.
Hungary had the highest percentage of participants (14.6 percent), closely followed by Poland (12 percent).
About three percent were Americans, while 1.7 percent were from the United Kingdom.
Participants received an anonymous survey originally written in English and then translated into 25 other languages. It took people 25 to 45 minutes to complete.
Questions included how old participants were when they first viewed porn, how often they had viewed the content in the previous year, how much time they spent viewing porn, how often they masturbated, whether they thought they had an addiction, and whether they were seeking treatment.
Pornography use was measured using the Problematic Pornography Use Scale, which contained statements such as “I felt that pornography is an important part of my life” and “I became stressed when something prevented me from viewing pornography.”
The team found that “in North America, Europe and Australia, between 70 and 94 percent of adults have consumed pornography at some point in their lives,” Dr. Bőthe said.
Furthermore, based on the survey results, researchers suggested that around three percent of the world’s population may have pornography habits that affect their daily lives.
Regarding pornography consumption, it was more common in men than in women, although there were no significant differences depending on sexual orientation.
Less than one percent of all participants said they sought treatment for what they perceived as their pornography addiction.
Additional results from the study found that, on average, participants viewed sexually explicit materials for the first time at age 14.
The team did not measure what types of pornography people prefer to consume, which could include videos, webcam shows, erotic literature, chat rooms and virtual reality.
Experts have warned that consuming excessive amounts of pornography could be a sign of sex addiction, from which up to 24 million Americans suffer, although experts still debate whether the addiction can be classified as a real condition.
Other signs include obsessive thoughts about sex, compulsive sexual behaviors, remorse or guilt after sex, and lying to cover up behaviors.
The research published in Addiction is one of many highlighting the potential harms of watching too much porn.
A study published in June, for example, found that Israeli men with higher levels of porn use were more likely to have a negative body image and exhibit eating disorder habits like binge eating and purging.
And research from Brigham Young University found that even men who preferred ‘softcore’ pornography – which depicts consensual sex – were more likely to admit they were dissatisfied in their relationships.
Experts in the BYU study asked people to stop watching pornography entirely to help them maintain committed relationships.
“As much pornography content emphasizes casual sexual encounters and multiple partners, it is possible that regular exposure to these types of sexual messages could alter sexual and relational scripts in ways that undermine stability (in a relationship),” he wrote. the team.