Does Porn Lead to Sexual Violence?
The evidence would suggest otherwise…
Adult films have been blamed for sexual violence time and time again. Anti-porn groups such as “Fight the New Drug” criticize porn as leading to sexual assault, rape and sexual violence, as well as everything from problems with friendships to crippling addiction. However, despite the alarming scare tactics of these self-styled moral crusaders, there is evidence to suggest that the proliferation of porn and the normalization of sexual desires actually significantly reduces the number of sexual assaults against women.
The ready availability of internet porn, in particular, correlates to a striking decline in sexual assaults. According to the National Crime Victim Survey, as pornography’s accessibility has boomed (since around 1990), sexual assault rates have gone down — a stunning 55% in the last 20 years. In 2009, Milton Diamond published a meta-study that explored the supposed ill effects of pornography. He concluded, “If anything, there is an inverse causal relationship between an increase in pornography and sex crimes. . . . No such cause and effect has been demonstrated with any negative consequence.”
When you think about it critically, these numbers begin to make more sense. The sheer volume and wide variety of available adult material online helps to normalize sexual desires — no matter what a viewer may be looking for, the XXX side of the internet can provide it. That accessibility helps to reinforce the idea that the consumer is not alone, thereby reducing stigma and shame surrounding their proclivities. This infinite proliferation of fetishes is such an established idea that many online communities refer to it as “Rule 34.”
In addition to helping viewers accept their sexuality as normal, viewing erotic materials and masturbating both reduce the production of the stress hormone cortisol, in both women and men. This leads to porn viewers feeling more relaxed, and relaxed people are probably quite a bit less likely to commit sexual assaults. Those who reach orgasm also get treated to the “feel-good hormone” oxytocin, which means that those validated, relaxed viewers are now also feeling happy and loved — a far cry from the predatory mindset which surely must be necessary to commit sexual violence.
The statistical decline of sexual assaults and the psychological and physiological effects of viewing porn are well documented, but it is unlikely that we will hear the end of this argument any time soon. Despite the facts being against them, prohibitionists will always find something to protest. Porn will continue to be a perfect target for the sanctimonious until the public at large can heal from their self-imposed shame regarding nudity and sexuality.
Resources:
- www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/cv13.pdf
- https://www.barstoolsports.com/post/new-study-says-looking-at-porn-throughout-the-day-relieves-stress
- https://fightthenewdrug.org/
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19665229
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2703719/
- https://www.sciencealert.com/here-s-what-happens-to-your-brain-when-you-orgasm
- https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Rule%2034
