Wait. I just thought of something. Do women wash their toys after they use them?
Not like in a dishwasher or anything like that, but in a sink with soap and water, right?
Anyway, my question now remains the same as it was the last time this topic came up,
What do they mean no porn? What qualifies as pornography? Is it specifically people having sex, a picture of a naked person, does the person have to be doing something provocative in the image or is it anything you find sexually stimulating? Reason why I'm asking such seemingly inane questions is because it seems like the entire crux of this argument rests on the assumption that young men are looking at extreme porn very frequently which reduces their sensitivity to real life stimulation. I'm okay with someone making that argument but the problem I have is I'm not sure what qualifies as, "porn," in the first place. I mean if a girl I find attractive posts a provocative image of herself (exposing her cleavage showing off her curves and whatnot) on Facebook that gets me aroused, does that mean I'm looking at pornography? The physiological effect on the body is the same as me watching two people having sex if I am indeed getting aroused, is it not?
To add to that a little bit, I think this "problem" is getting attention mainly because most young men who use pornography don't feel good about looking at pornography in the first place (i.e. for most people, it's something you keep secret or hidden, and don't display it proudly to your parents, roommates, peers, etc.). There is an inbuilt shame with looking at pornography in the first place (even if you put aside moral objections to pornography, most guys would rather have a real girlfriend than resorting to pornography and might feel shame at their inability to attract a suitable real life mate) so it's fitting that they would find it very easy to correlate many negative aspects of their lives with looking at pornography.
Personally I don't think pornography in and of itself is the problem but rather the behaviors associated with looking at excessive amounts of pornography. For example, to even get the chance to look at pornography in great excess, you need to be alone and isolated for a good portion of your regular day (i.e. spending a lot of time alone in your room in front of a computer) and that would essentially mean that you aren't out in the world interacting with anyone regularly or socializing with family, peers, etc (this can lead to feeling depressed or feelings of anxiety over your excessive use of porn among other things). And if you are leading a regular life and staying up late to look at pornography when everyone else has gone to sleep that will lead to not getting enough sleep and feeling fatigued and low energy during the day (this can be mistaken for depression if your mood changes enough).
The parts where I agree with the study is that you can create bad behaviors and get used to certain routines without really realizing it if you are looking at porn regularly simply because looking at and masturbating to porn is an easy way to feel good for minimal cost and effort. Where I differ with the study is in saying that it's not pornography per se, that's the problem, but rather the behaviors that come and are easy to develop as a result of having easy access to pornography. Stopping your porn consumption alone will not solve your problems if you just stop looking at porn but continue your anti-social behavior. The best way to cure your porn "addiction" is to find better ways to use your time than sitting in front of a computer alone in your room/apartment.
The scientific basis of the study is fair but it's wrong to vilify pornography when it is just one anti-social behavior you could be addicted to; your social problems would be just as bad if you were addicted to playing video games all day or browsing the internet (perhaps minus the erectile difficulties when with a real life mate as a result of overstimulation from porn). You have to find addictive behaviors which are social, for example, exercising regularly or lifting weights.
If you are disciplined enough you can look at pornography in moderation and not in place of regular social activities and likely never suffer from the negative side effects cited in this study.
As with all things in life strict self-discipline and moderation are the keys to leading a healthy productive lifestyle.
