Pornography Consumption and Satisfaction: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

A classic question in the communication literature is whether pornography consumption affects consumers' satisfaction. The present paper represents the first attempt to address this question via meta‐analysis. Fifty studies collectively including more than 50,000 participants from 10 countries were located across the interpersonal domains of sexual and relational satisfaction and the intrapersonal domains of body and self satisfaction. Pornography consumption was not related to the intrapersonal satisfaction outcomes that were studied. However, pornography consumption was associated with lower interpersonal satisfaction outcomes in cross‐sectional surveys, longitudinal surveys, and experiments. Associations between pornography consumption and reduced interpersonal satisfaction outcomes were not moderated by their year of release or their publication status. But analyses by sex indicted significant results for men only.

Internet Pornography Use Among Collegiate Women: Gender Attitudes, Body Monitoring, and Sexual Behavior

“…Furthermore, exposure to pornography accounts for more of the variability in an adolescent's decision to have sex than parents, religion, or school (Kingston, Malamuth, Fedoroff, & Marshall, 2009). Among male adults, Internet pornography use is positively associated with having multiple sex partners, engaging in paid sex, and engaging in extramarital sex (Wright & Randall, 2012;Wright, Tokunaga, Kraus, & Klann, 2017). However, less is known about the association between Internet pornography and sexual behavior among adult women.…”

Pornography, preference for porn‐like sex, masturbation, and men's sexual and relationship satisfaction

“…Although numerous studies (reviewed below) have indicated that frequent pornography use is associated with sexual and relationship dissatisfaction, relatively few studies have investigated possible drivers of these associations. Some authors (Wright, Tokunaga, Kraus, & Klann, ) have suggested that pornography use negatively impacts sexual and relationship satisfaction by distorting consumers' conceptions of what sexual practices are normative and satisfying. It is argued that exposure to the messages contained within pornography creates a preference for the kinds of sexual practices commonly depicted in pornography (i.e., a preference for “porn‐like” sex), which leads porn users to feel sexually dissatisfied when their preferences are not met by their sexual partners.…”

“…Even among the significant results, estimates of the magnitude of these effects tend to vary. Fortunately, Wright, Tokunaga, et al () recently conducted a meta‐analysis of studies assessing pornography's impact on intrapersonal (body image and sexual self‐esteem) and interpersonal satisfaction (relationship and sexual satisfaction). This meta‐analysis found an average correlation between pornography use and interpersonal satisfaction of −0.10.…”

“…Although Wright, Tokunaga, et al's () meta‐analysis suggests that pornography use is associated with sexual and relationship satisfaction (at least among men), it tells us little about the causal direction of these associations. Some authors (Campbell & Kohut, ; Kohut, Fisher, & Campbell, ) are critical of assuming that pornography use causes sexual or relationship dissatisfaction, arguing that it is equally plausible that relationship or sexual dissatisfaction could cause someone to seek out pornography.…”

A Dyadic Approach to Pornography Use and Relationship Satisfaction Among Heterosexual Couples: The Role of Pornography Acceptance and Anxious Attachment

“…Consequently, scholars have begun to investigate what role pornography use plays in romantic relationship satisfaction, with much of the findings indicating that pornography has a negative impact on relationships (Wright, Tokunaga, Kraus, & Klann, 2017). Pornography use is often studied through the lens of Social Cognitive (Bandura, 2001) and Sexual Scripting (Simon & Gagnon, 2003) theories.…”