AUTHOR(S)

Maddox, Amanda M.; Rhoades, Galena K.; and Markman, Howard J.

PUBLISHED

2011 in Archives of Sexual Behavior

KEY FINDINGS

• This study indicates that those who never view pornography report higher relationship quality on every measure than those who view pornography alone. Couples who watch pornography together also reported higher relationship quality than those who view pornography alone, yet they also report higher rates of infidelity.

ABSTRACT

EXCERPTS

• "Regarding viewing [Sexually Explicit Material (SEM)] and relationship functioning, our hypothesis that individuals who did not view SEM at all would report higher relationship functioning than those who viewed SEM alone was mostly supported. As expected, individuals who did not view SEM at all reported lower negative communication and higher dedication than individuals who viewed SEM alone or both alone and with their partner. Additionally, individuals who did not view SEM at all reported higher sexual satisfaction and relationship adjustment compared to those who viewed SEM only alone. Lastly, those who did not view SEM at all had an infidelity rate that was at least half that of the other three groups."
• "Our hypothesis that individuals who viewed SEM with their partner would have higher relationship functioning than those who viewed SEM alone was partially supported. Those who only viewed SEM together reported more dedication than those who viewed SEM alone or both alone and together, and viewing SEM only together was associated with higher sexual satisfaction than viewing SEM only alone. As was the case for the comparison between those who viewed SEM alone versus not at all, the effect sizes for these differences were typically small. At the same time, there was only one instance in which viewing SEM together with one’s partner was associated with lower relationship functioning than not viewing SEM in any context. Those who viewed SEM together reported more infidelity in their relationship than those who did not view SEM at all."