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1. LGBQ+ persons with internalized sexual stigma may suffer distress over any sexual 'acting out' and could seek treatment for sex addiction as a way to eliminate or reduce sexual urges and behaviors. They may feel temporary relief at being told their behaviors are addictive or compulsive and that receiving treatment can help eliminate these interests. In this way, the CSBD diagnosis (WHO) might act as a covert avenue of conversion therapies, which are harmful. This could create an escalating dynamic that increases levels of distress and the risk of iatrogenic impacts by confirming to sexual minority individuals that their sexual behaviors are pathological when they may in fact be normal and developmentally significant.
Reference: Droubay, B.A., White, A. (2023). Sexual Orientation, Homophobic Attitudes, and Self-Perceived Pornography Addiction.
Sex Res Soc Policy (2023).
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2. Perceived problematic pornography use is dependent on moral value conflicts, not just religious incongruence.
Reference: Lijun Zheng & Yong Zheng (2023) Pornography Use and Mental Health Problems in the Chinese Population: Examining the Pornography Problems Due to Moral Incongruence Model, The Journal of Sex Research.
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3. Those who morally disapprove of pornography are more likely to perceive themselves as addicted, which is associated with an increase in sexual shame and is ultimately associated with higher levels of depression, and they may have a tendency to blame others.
Reference: Volk et al. (2019). The moderating role of the tendency to blame others in the development of perceived addiction, shame, and depression in pornography users. Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity, 26.
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4. Moral incongruence comes in many forms, not just religiosity.
Reference: K. Camille Hoagland, Halle L. Rotruck, Jace N. Moore & Joshua B. Grubbs (2023) Reasons for Moral-Based Opposition to Pornography in a U.S. Nationally Representative Sample, Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy.
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5. There is no evidence of withdrawal-related symptoms found when people abstain from pornography viewing, which disproves addiction theories.
Reference: Fernandez, D.P. Kuss, D.J., Justice, L.V. et al. (2023). Effects of a 7-Day Pornography Abstinence Period on Withdrawal-Related Symptoms in Regular Pornography Users: A Randomized Controlled Study. Arch Sex Behav 52, 1819–1840 (2023).
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6. Results show that age, personal pornography use, self-reported addiction to pornography, and religiosity were associated with Americans’ perceptions of what is average for others.
People assume “average” pornography viewing to be how much they view themselves.
Reference: Elizabeth E. McElroy, Samuel L. Perry & Joshua B. Grubbs (2023) How Much Pornography Use Do Americans Think Is “Average” for a Man and Woman? Findings from a National Survey, The Journal of Sex Research.
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7. High levels of moral disapproval is associated with beliefs of problematic pornography use and perceptions of compulsivity in other sexual behaviours such as frequency of sexual fantasy and number of sex partners, but not with frequency of masturbation.
Reference: Gleason, N., Jennings, T., Rahm-Knigge, R.L. et al. (2023). Confirming and Expanding the Moral Incongruence Model of Compulsive Sexual Behavior. Arch Sex Behav (2023).
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8. Sex and porn addiction treatments and 12-step programmes are conducted with hidden religiosity.
Reference: Neves, S. (2022) The religious disguise in “sex addiction” therapy, Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 37:3,299-313.
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9. Much of the literature in sex addiction is characterized by simplistic methodological designs, a lack of theoretical integration, and an absence of quality measurement.
Reference: Joshua B. Grubbs, K. Camille Hoagland, Brinna N. Lee, Jennifer T. Grant, Paul Davison, Rory C. Reid, Shane W. Kraus. (2020). Sexual addiction 25 years on: A systematic and methodological review of empirical literature and an agenda for future research, Clinical Psychology Review. Volume 82,2020,101925. ISSN 0272-7358.
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10. Narcissism is the strongest predictor of self-identification as a porn addict.
Reference: Joshua B. Grubbs, Regina Tahk, David P. Fernandez, Elaine F. Fernandez, David Ley. (2023). Pornography and Pride: Antagonism drives links between narcissism and perceived addiction to pornography.
Journal of Research in Personality,2023,104419,ISSN 0092-6566.
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11. Since a large, lucrative industry has promised treatments for pornography addiction despite this poor evidence, scientific psychologists are called to declare the emperor (treatment industry) has no clothes (supporting evidence). When faced with such complaints, clinicians are encouraged to address behaviours without conjuring addiction labels.
Reference: Ley, D., Prause, N. & Finn, P. The Emperor Has No Clothes: A Review of the ‘Pornography Addiction’ Model.
Curr Sex Health Rep 6, 94–105 (2014).
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12. The participants who reported being aroused by non-mainstream porn tended to be more aroused by all categories of porn. Those who were aroused by non-mainstream porn were also still aroused by mainstream porn. This isn’t consistent with the idea that porn causes a “tolerance” or “satiation” effect. These results suggest that there isn’t evidence that people building up a tolerance to porn that requires them to watch more and more extreme stuff.
Reference: Reference: Hald, G. M., Stulhofer, A., & Lange, T. (2017). Sexual Arousal and Sexually Explicit Media (SEM): Comparing Patterns of Sexual Arousal to SEM and Sexual Self-Evaluations and Satisfaction Across Gender and Sexual Orientation. Sexual Medicine.
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13. Pornography use remained fairly stable over the course of the study, and preferences for extreme content decreased with time. This study is inconsistent with the notion of progression, and challenges the popular belief that “porn is a drug” because tolerance, one of the hallmarks of addiction, is absent.
Reference: Landripet, I., Buško, V., &Štulhofer, A. (2019). Testing the content progression thesis: A longitudinal assessment of pornography use and preference for coercive and violent content among male adolescents. Social Science Research, 81, 32–41.
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1. Men with higher levels of insecurity in their masculinity are more likely to experience erectile dysfunction. It is a data point explaining why men who engage in forums encouraging a strict mindset of masculinity (ie: NoFap) may experience more erectile dysfunction and therefore perpetuate their mindset.
Reference: Walther A, Rice T, Eggenberger L. Precarious Manhood Beliefs Are Positively Associated with Erectile Dysfunction in Cisgender Men. Arch Sex Behav. 2023 Jun 23. doi: 10.1007/s10508-023-02640-4. Epub ahead of print.
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2. There is no direct relationship between porn viewing and experiencing orgasm for men or women.
Reference: Paul J. Wright, Robert S. Tokunaga, Debby Herbenick& Bryant Paul (2023) Pornography, Sexual Insecurity, and Orgasm Difficulty, Health Communication, 38:3, 552-561.
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3. Feeling guilty about masturbation leads to severe depression and erectile dysfunction.
Reference: Chakrabarti et al. (2002). Masturbatory guilt leading to severe depression and erectile dysfunction.
Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 28, 285–7.
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4. Penis-size dissatisfaction is associated with pornography use. The relationship between pornography use and breast-size dissatisfaction is null.
Reference: Cranney, S. (2015). Internet pornography use and sexual body image in a Dutch sample.
International Journal of Sexual Health, 27(3), 316–23.
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5. Watching pornography increases coital frequency on the watching day. Sexual desire increases with watching pornography. Lubrication increases with watching pornography.
Reference: Gaber et al. (2019). Effect of pornography on married couples. Menoufia Medical Journal, 32(3), 1025.
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6. There is no evidence of causal links between pornography and erectile dysfunction.
Reference: Grubbs, J.B. and Gola, M. (2019). Is pornography use related to erectile functioning? Results from cross-sectional and latent growth curve analyses. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 16(1), 111–25.
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7. Men who have sex with men and who identify as ‘hypersexuals’ have no stronger responses to sexual stimuli than those who do not. There was also no evidence of negative mood on sexual arousal.
Reference: Janssen et al. (2020). Sexual responsivity and the effects of negative mood on sexual arousal in hypersexual men who have sex with men (MSM). The Journal of Sexual Medicine.
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8. “We found little evidence of the association between pornography use and male sexual health disturbances. Contrary to raising public concerns, pornography does not seem to be a significant risk factor for younger men's desire, erectile, or orgasmic difficulties."
Reference: Landripet, I. and Štulhofer, A. (2015). Is pornography use associated with sexual difficulties and dysfunctions among younger heterosexual men? The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 12(5), 1136–9.
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9. Sexual drive is associated with higher pornography use. Pornography use is congruent with sexual desire.
Reference: Leonhardt, N.D., Busby, D.M., Willoughby, B.J. (2020). Do you feel in control? Sexual desire, sexual passion expression, and associations with perceived compulsivity to pornography and pornography use frequency. Sexuality Research and Social Policy.
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10. Visual sexual stimuli is unrelated to erectile functioning with a partner, and is related to stronger desire for sex with a partner.
Reference: Prause, N. and Pfaus, J. (2015). Viewing sexual stimuli associated with greater sexual responsiveness, not erectile dysfunction. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 3(2), 90–8.
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11. Masturbation increases free testosterone (not abstinence).
Reference: Isenmann, E., Schumann, M., Notbohm, H.L. et al. (2021). Hormonal response after masturbation in young healthy men – a randomized controlled cross-over pilot study. Basic Clin. Androl. 31, 32 (2021).
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12. Shared pornography consumers and non-consumers had the highest frequency of intercourse per month compared to discordant consumers and solitary concordant consumers. The context of pornography is a proxy for sex drive, with shared and men-viewing-solo couples reporting the highest drive. It replicates other studies that pornography is for masturbation.
Reference: Eliška BurianLexová & Petr Weiss (2023) Context of pornography consumption and sexual desire in romantic relationships, Sexual and Relationship
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13. Sexual functions have no relationship with pornography viewing.
Reference: Fotinos, K., Sansone, A., Greifenberger, A. et al. Pornography and sexual function in the post-pandemic period: a narrative review from psychological, psychiatric, and sexological perspectives. Int J Impot Res (2024).
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1. What is the relationship of porn viewing/masturbation to relationship quality? It appears it is dependent on partner's knowledge: only when done in secret do associations with porn/masturbation appear negative.
Reference: Marie-Pier Vaillancourt-Morel, Natalie O. Rosen, BeátaBőthe& Sophie Bergeron (2023) Partner Knowledge of Solitary Pornography Use: Daily and Longitudinal Associations with Relationship Quality,The Journal of Sex Research.
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2. Exposure to attractive images does not affect men’s view of their partner’s sexual attractiveness or their love for them.
Reference: Balzarini et al. (2017). Does exposure to erotica reduce attraction and love for romantic partners in men? Independent replications of Kenrick, Gutierre and Goldberg (1989) study 2. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 70, 191–7.
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3. Pornography consumption has no significant effect on sexual desire for one’s partner.
Reference: Bennett et al. (2019). The desire of porn and partner? Investigating the role of scripts in affectionate communication, sexual desire, and pornography consumption and guilt in young adults’ romantic relationships.
Western Journal of Communication, 83(5), 1–21.
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4. Exposure to sexual stimulus motivates people to initiate and maintain close relationships.
Reference: Gillath et al. (2008). When sex primes love: subliminal sexual priming motivates relationship goal pursuit.
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34(8), 1057–69.
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5. Couples who watch adult materials together experience enhanced sexual arousal and openness to try new things.
Reference: Grov et al. (2011). Perceived consequences of casual online sexual activities on heterosexual relationships: a US online survey. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 40(2), 429–39.
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6. Pornography use has “no negative effects” on the couple relationship. Positive perceived effects of pornography use on couple members and their relationship were reported more frequently.
Reference: Kohut et al. (2017). Perceived effects of pornography on the couple relationship: initial findings of open-ended, participant-informed, “bottom-up” research. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 46(2), 585–602.
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7. Men are less likely to perceive Online Sexual Activities as infidelities. Perceived infidelity for Online Sexual Activities shapes Online Sexual Activities experiences and contributes to gender differences in terms of opinions on and engagement with Online Sexual Activities.
Reference: Li et al. (2020). Influence of online sexual activity (OSA) perceptions on OSA experiences among individuals in committed relationships: perceived risk and perceived infidelity. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 35(2), 162–77.
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8. For people who are more accepting of pornography, more pornography use is associated with more relationship satisfaction. People who are less accepting of pornography, more pornography use is associated with less relationship satisfaction.
Reference: Maas et al. (2018). A dyadic approach to pornography use and relationship satisfaction among heterosexual couples: the role of pornography acceptance and anxious attachment. Journal of Sex Research, 55(6), 772–82.
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9. Those who view sexually-explicit material only with their partners reported more dedication and higher sexual satisfaction than those who viewed sexually-explicit material alone.
Reference: Maddox et al. (2011). Viewing sexually-explicit materials alone or together: association with relationship quality.
Archives of Sexual Behavior, 40(2), 441–8.
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10. Among men, higher frequency of pornography viewers were not significantly different from non-viewers in their likelihood of marriage entry.
Reference: Perry, S.L. and Longest, K.C. (2019). Does pornography use reduce marriage entry during early adulthood? Findings from a panel study of young Americans. Sexuality & Culture, 23(2), 394–414.
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11. Masturbation appears to be a more important factor to consider regarding relational happiness than pornography use. Masturbation was more strongly associated with correlates of relational happiness, such as sex frequency and sexual satisfaction. Theories that argue watching pornography has a detrimental cognitive or affective influence on romantic relationships ought to be revised to take masturbation into account.
Reference: Perry, S.L. (2019). Is the Link Between Pornography Use and Relational Happiness Really More About Masturbation?
Results From Two National Surveys. Journal of Sex Research, 57(1), 2020.
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12. Viewing erotic films increase the desire to be close to their partner, and also induce negative affect, guilt and anxiety. Viewing erotic films leads to more positive evaluations of one’s own sexual behaviors.
Reference: Staley, C. and Prause, N. (2013). Erotica viewing effects on intimate relationships and self/partner evaluations.
Archives of Sexual Behavior, 42(4), 615–24.
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1. NoFap and “Reboot” forums are iatrogenic (harmful).
Reference: Prause, N., & Binnie, J. (2023). Iatrogenic effects of Reboot/NoFap on public health: A preregistered survey study.
Sexualities, 0(0).
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2. Adolescents who watch less porn are more likely to hold victim-blaming beliefs.
Reference: Maes C, Van Ouytsel J, Vandenbosch L. Victim Blaming and Non-Consensual Forwarding of Sexts Among Late Adolescents and Young Adults. Arch Sex Behav. 2023 May;52(4):1767-1783.
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3. There may be potential adverse consequences for transgender and non-binary people who access certain types of pornographic media. Pornography can also serve as an affirmative and educational tool that contribute to the representation and normalization of transgender and non-binary sexuality and can help transgender and non-binary individuals learn about their sexual preferences and desires.
Reference: Sofia Pavanello Decaro, Daniel Michael Portolani, Greta Toffoli, Antonio Prunas& Annalisa Anzani (2023)“There is No One Way to Be Transgender and to Live Sex”: Transgender and Non-Binary Individuals’ Experiences with Pornography, The Journal of Sex.
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4. There is no relationship between substantial exposure to pornography and men’s attitude towards women.
Reference: Barak et al. (1999). Sex, guys, and cyberspace: effects of internet pornography and individual differences on men’s attitudes towards women. Journal of Psychology & Human Sexuality, 11(1), 63–91.
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5. Pornography is not inherently harmful. The adverse effects may be due to how viewers use it, and may be an indication of a mental health symptom rather than the cause.
Reference: Czajeczny, D., Aurast, Z., Godlewska, K. et al. Sex Differences in Sexual Satisfaction and Psychological Symptoms in Young Adult Pornography Users. Sexuality & Culture 27, 1442–1455 (2023).
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6. “Rather than address the particular structural factors and material realities which contribute to women’s risk of violent attack and men’s propensities to violence, the current political and legal climate seeks to demonize sexually explicit media for these crimes”.
Reference: Attwood, F. and Smith, C. (2010). Extreme concern: regulating ‘dangerous pictures’ in the United Kingdom.
Journal of Law and Society, 37(1), 171–88.
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7. No correlation in juvenile sexual abusers and their exposure to pornography regarding the age at which the abusers started abusing.
Reference: Burton et al. (2010). Comparison by crime type of juvenile delinquents on pornography exposure: the absence of relationships between exposure to pornography and sexual offense charasteristics 1. Journal of Forensic Nursing, 6(3), 121–9.
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8. There is no substantive association between online pornography exposure and sexual functioning or mental well-being.
Reference: Charig et al. (2020). A lack of association between online pornography exposure, sexual functioning, and mental well-being. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 35(2), 258–81.
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9. “Porn superfans” are not more sexist or misogynistic than the general population. They have more progressive gender-role attitudes than the general public.
Reference: Jackson et al. (2019). Exposing men’s gender role attitudes as porn superfans. Sociological Forum, 34(2).
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10. There is no association between pornography use and non-egalitarian attitudes toward women.
Reference: Kohut et al. (2016). Is pornography really about “making hate to women”? Pornography users hold more gender egalitarian attitudes than nonusers in a re- presentative American sample. The Journal of Sexual Research, 53(1), 1–11.
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11. The availability of pornography has no detrimental effects in the form of increased sexual violence.
Reference: Kutchinsky, B. (1991). Pornography and rape: theory and practice? Evidence from crime data in four countries where pornography is easily available. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 14(1–2), 47–64.
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12. Digisexuals are people whose primary sexual identity comes through the use of technology. Clinicians need to be prepared to work with clients participating in digisexualities. However, many practitioners are unfamiliar with such technologies, as well as the social, legal, and ethical implications.
Reference: McArthur, N. and Twist, M.L.C. (2017). The rise of digisexuality: therapeutic challenges and possibilities.
Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 32(3/4), 334–44.
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13. This analysis of 50 of the best-selling pornographic videos in Australia shows that women are not objectified in this genre more than men.
Reference: McKee, A. (2005). The objectification of women in mainstream pornographic videos in Australia.
Journal of Sex Research, 42(4), 277–90.
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14. Pornography is not a public health crisis.
“The movement to declare pornography a public health crisis is rooted in an ideology that is antithetical to many core values of public health promotion and is a political stunt, not reflective of best available evidence”.
Reference: Nelson, K.M. and Rothman, E.F. (2020). Should public health professionals consider pornography a public health crisis? American Journal of Public Health, 110(2), 151–3.
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15. People consuming pornography had more egalitarian attitudes than those who did not. People attending religious services more regularly are more likely to experience dissonance when consuming pornography.
Reference: Rasmussen, K.R. and Kohut, T. (2019). Does religious attendance moderate the connection between pornography consumption and attitudes towards women? Journal of Sex Research, 56(1), 38–49.
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16. For adolescents who were sceptical of media messages about sex, there was no relationship between pornography use and their acceptance of rape myths and gender norms. This study provides preliminary evidence of the protective influence that critical media attitudes may have on adolescents’ sexual and relationship health. Literacy is what works in sex education and porn education, not abstinence.
Reference: Evans-Paulson, R., Dodson, C.V.& Scull, T.M. (2023) Critical media attitudes as a buffer against the harmful effects of pornography on beliefs about sexual and dating violence, Sex Education.
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17. The online manosphere communities (Men Going Their Own Way), including anti-porn/ anti-masturbation forums (NoFap), are anti-feminist.
Reference: Jessica Aiston (2023) ‘Vicious, vitriolic, hateful and hypocritical’: the representation of feminism within the manosphere, Critical Discourse Studies.
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18. NoFap/reboot communities are online groups of mostly men trying to abstain from pornography and/or masturbation. For researchers exploring the manosphere, a loose collation of digital communities in which men affirm and replicate antifeminist/promale hegemonic identities and attitudes, controversy exists as to the extent to which they align with other groups. Members and content creators share fundamental manosphere values, including the perception of a battle for masculinity, a natural male hierarchy, and the instrumentalization of women.
Reference: Smith, D.S. (2024). Men in Good Standing? The Relationship between NoFap/Reboot Communities and the Manosphere. International Journal of Communication 18, Feature 528-541.
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19. Students show a direct relationship with pornography, using it to both masturbate and learn about sex. Educational students also recognize the influence of pornography on their own sexual life and knowledge. They report that pornography produces mixed emotions such as pleasure, disgust, fear, and guilt. This study highlights the urgent need to equip future education professionals with the necessary tools for reflective engagement with pornography and its consumption, paving the way for a more thoughtful and informed approach to educating on this subject.
Reference: Idoiaga-Mondragon, N., EigurenMunitis, A., Ozamiz-Etxebarria, N. et al. Let Us Educate on Pornography: Young Education Students’ Representations of Pornography. Sex Res Soc Policy (2024).
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