Are Pornography Users More Likely to Experience a Romantic Breakup? Evidence from Longitudinal Data
AUTHOR(S)
PUBLISHED
2017 in Sexuality & Culture, Vol. 21, pp. 1157–1176
KEY FINDINGS
- This study found that individuals who viewed pornography were nearly twice as likely as those who never viewed pornography to report experiencing a romantic breakup six years later.
ABSTRACT
Previous research suggests that pornography use, under certain circumstances, may negatively influence the quality of romantic relationships. Yet we still know relatively little about whether watching pornography is associated with the stability of romantic relationships later on. This study examined whether Americans who use pornography, either at all or more frequently, are more prone to report experiencing a romantic breakup over time. Longitudinal data were taken from the 2006 and 2012 waves of the nationally representative... READ FULL ABSTRACT
EXCERPTS
- "Using longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample of Americans, the findings have affirmed that earlier pornography use, both in general and corresponding to greater use frequency, predict a higher likelihood of experiencing a romantic breakup within the following 6 years."
- "The findings affirm that earlier pornography use significantly predicts relational instability, particularly for men. Holding relationship status constant, along with other relevant correlates, pornography viewers were almost twice as likely to experience a romantic breakup in the six years following the initial survey, and over 3.5 times as likely if they were men. Moreover, this relationship extends not only to the presence of pornography in a person’s life, but how frequently they view pornography. Put simply, the more often someone viewed pornography in 2006, the more likely they were to experience a romantic breakup by 2012."
