Why Do People Watch Porn?

Watching pornography (porn) has become an increasingly common phenomenon that occurs at a progressively younger age, given the availability, anonymity, and accessibility of porn on the internet. Viewing pornography is common and normal, even though some individuals may feel concerned about the frequency at which they watch porn.

While many researchers have explored and debated the potential effects of watching pornography, few have investigated the reasons why people choose to watch it.

One study delved into the main reasons why individuals may choose to watch porn by using an open-ended questionnaire with the single question: “Why do you watch pornography?”

The 276 undergraduate students who participated in this study were encouraged to think of their personal reasons for watching porn, and not to speculate as to why others may watch it. Then, they were asked to list their three most important reasons for watching porn. The results could be divided into four overarching themes.

1. Sex drive: Many of the people interviewed shared that they watch porn because of their sex drive and/or their interest in sex. Some reasons for watching porn that fell into this category were: “for the pleasure of watching videos that include my kinks and fetishes,” “to have visual content during masturbation,” “for physical pleasure,” and “because I like them.” The researchers considered this reason for watching pornography to be a reflection of a “short-term mating orientation” that could promote a high sex drive, combined with the relative ease of using porn versus finding sexual partners. A short-term mating orientation could be evolutionarily advantageous because short-term mating may increase the possibility of one’s genes being passed on to the next generation. Therefore, it follows that people may instinctively gravitate toward this mindset but use porn as a substitute when they cannot engage in casual sex (or choose not to engage in casual sex).
2. Enhancing sexual performance: Another popular reason for watching porn is to enhance one’s sexual performance. People explained that they watch porn “to gain experience,” “to learn some techniques to apply in real life,” “to learn new sex positions,” and “for understanding the sexual pleasures of people of the opposite sex.” Again, this line of reasoning could be associated with an evolutionary trait – increasing one’s fitness. By working on enhancing one’s sexual performance, a person could (in theory) increase their chances of attracting a mate and being able to reproduce.
3. Social and instrumental reasons: Social pressures also appear to influence people when it comes to watching porn. Several of the participants shared that they watch porn “because all my friends are watching” or “because they appear in a series I am watching.”
4. Lack of relational and social skills: Lastly, many of the individuals interviewed said that they watched porn to help them alleviate negative feelings or cope with loneliness. They shared that they watch porn “because of loneliness,” “due to the absence of a romantic relationship,” “due to the need for love,” “to calm down,” and “to drive away negative thoughts.” These reasons for watching porn indicate its use as a coping mechanism to deal with difficult emotions such as loneliness and sadness.

Although there may be more reasons for watching porn, these four categories encompass a broad range of human motivations at play behind engaging in this activity.

For more information on this topic, please read these publications from The Journal of Sexual Medicine:

High-Frequency Pornography Use May Not Always Be Problematic

Application of Sex Aids in Men With Sexual Dysfunction: A Review

References:

Burtăverde, V., Jonason, P.K., Giosan, C., & Ene, C. (2021). Why do people watch porn? An evolutionary perspective on the reasons for pornography consumption. Evolutionary Psychology, 19(2), 14747049211028798.