Is watching pornography bad for men — but good for women?

There are numerous possible explanations for these contrasting effects. For starters, men and women may be watching different pornography. Prior research suggested that men view more hardcore and paraphilic (fetish-related) porn than women do, which tends to feature professional actors performing unrealistic scenes. This can lead to men develop impractical expectations both of themselves and with real-world partnered sex, thus diminishing their sexual satisfaction.

Men also tend to view a lot more pornography than women do. “Very often” porn use for a man might mean viewing sexual content every day, while for a woman, it might mean watching it one to two times per week. Daily porn consumption could certainly be a distraction and interfere with partnered sex.

Lastly, while society tends to tacitly encourage teen boys and young men to be promiscuous and explore their sexuality, teen girls and young women are often expected to be more chaste and deferential to men when it comes to sex. For young women, pornography could help to break these cultural chains, raising their self-confidence and teaching them how to prioritize and achieve their own sexual pleasure.