If you’re a healthy man with a sexual appetite but still find yourself unable to perform, you might find yourself frustrated, and intensely wondering what could be going wrong. Could the answer be in your diet? Something to do with mental health? Or, could the amount of pornography you watch be causing erectile dysfunction?
Erectile dysfunction, or impotence, is the inability to get and keep an erection firm enough to perform penetrative sex. If you struggle with this and think your porn habits might be the cause, you’re not alone. Here’s what you need to know about the connection between consuming porn, and tussling with ED.
Can porn cause erectile dysfunction?
The short answer: no. There are many reasons why someone might experience erectile dysfunction, and many of them are medical, from high blood pressure to diabetes to obesity. Watching porn will not lead to the development of any physical conditions that are traditionally associated with ED. However, if you’re an avid viewer of XXX material, you might still have a hard time getting it up since watching porn correlates with beliefs that can make it a challenge to get and stay hard, such as low self-esteem or a skewed view of what sex should be like, among others.
Porn and ED are linked, research suggests
While watching porn won’t cause you to inherit a physical condition that will result in erectile dysfunction, research suggests there’s a definitive relationship between adult films and impotence. In one 2021 study conducted by the University of Antwerp, 3,267 men were polled on their sexual habits, including how often they watched porn. Researchers discovered that the more porn users watched, the more likely they were to report instances of erectile dysfunction. 30% of men below age 35 who watched 300 minutes of pornography per week struggled with ED, in comparison to only 10% of participants who only watched 30 minutes per week. More than 50% of participants with ED problems also affirmed that they experienced less satisfaction with partnered sex.
However, experts contend these findings are more of a correlation than causation. It may have more to do with the phenomenon that the more pornographic materials you’re exposed to, the more numb or desensitized to adult media you become.
“Porn-induced ED is not caused by a low libido or an organic problem in the blood vessels or nerves of the penis,” writes Gunter De Win, who worked on the University of Antwerp study. “Twenty percent under age 35 say they need to watch more and more, or more extreme porn to get the same level of arousal to get an erection.”
Further research seems to double down on this point. One 2019 study observed three samples of sexually active men who also self-reported porn consumption (a total of 1,498 subjects were polled). Findings reported that “there was evidence of a positive, cross-sectional association between self-reported problematic [porn] use and erectile dysfunction, but no consistent association between mere use itself and erectile dysfunction.”
In other words, porn may not be the cause of erectile dysfunction, but that doesn’t totally absolve it from the equation.
4 reasons for porn-induced ED
Oftentimes, there isn’t just one cause for ED. There are usually several factors at play. When it comes to porn and ED, there are several reasons why the two might be related, but that doesn’t mean one directly causes the other. Here are a few ways they might be connected:
1. Porn may cause sexual anorexia.
Sexual anorexia is a term coined by psychologist Nathan Hare to describe a deep aversion to sex. It can manifest as a loss of appetite for sexual interactions and often stems from a fear of intimacy to the point where one may experience anxiety around having romantic relations.
According to a Recovery Expert at Desert Solace, a center that helps people rehabbing from sex addiction, “people may use pornography as a substitute for emotional connection, and sometimes have difficulties even maintaining friendships because they fear opening up emotionally.”
If porn has become a replacement for emotional closeness with a partner, you may struggle to become aroused and stay aroused during a sexual encounter.
2. It can also cause sexual performance anxiety.
“Performance anxiety” refers to trouble becoming aroused or reaching climax - and it’s often attributed to anxiety. According to one 2019 study, anxiety can cause an increase in hormones like cortisol, which can reduce blood flow to the penis.
If porn has influenced your view of how sex should be performed, you may be getting into your head when you get down to business, and the stress or fear may be keeping you down.
3. It can contribute to issues with self-worth.
“Comparing yourself to [adult porn] actors who appear to be well-endowed, without also knowing that a large population in the adult porn industry have surgeries to make their genitals look like other porn actors as opposed to the general population, can leave you feeling inadequate,” LMFT and Sexologist Joy Berkheimer tells MysteryVibe.
Aside from comparing yourself to the male actor in a porn scene, seeing the often exaggerated pleasure he appears to be giving his partner can be equally discouraging. If you haven’t seen your partner respond the same, it’s important to remember that adult films are scripted for entertainment.
Paying close attention to these, perhaps unrealistic, details in an adult film can cause an insecurity spiral, and, later, problems with getting hard.
4. It can give you sexual tunnel vision.
While there is a lot of variety at your fingertips when it comes to browsing a porn site, Berkheimer attests that people tend to stick to a certain category or “kind of scene” when they masturbate.
“This can make you believe that this is the way to have sex,” she says.
Hyperfocusing on the same kind of sexual activity over and over can enforce an internal belief that there is only one way to get off - and it isn’t always repeatable in your everyday life. You may have a hard time getting aroused when the sex you’re having doesn’t align with how or what you’re used to masturbating with.
5. Porn can decrease your sexual appetite.
Due to the male refractory period, which is the span of time after orgasm that a person remains sexually unresponsive, if you’ve had a morning masturbation session to your favorite porn clip, you may not be able to get an erection for sex later on. The refractory period can be as little as 15 minutes when you’re around 18 years old, but it can last more than a day as you age.
Your sexual appetite can be lessened simply because of this natural recovery period that everyone’s body experiences differently. But if you’re partnered up and experiencing erectile dysfunction when you get into bed with a significant other, it might be time to question your habits.
6. Watching too much porn can desensitize you.
Just as De Win noted, excessive use of porn can cause someone to need “more and more and more” to feel satisfied. While a simple lingerie advertisement might have once done the trick, the more exposure you have to certain content, the faster you may become numb to this content and crave something “more.” It’s possible to seek that “more” factor to the point of desensitization towards sex in general.
What to do about porn-induced ED
If you think porn might be playing a role in your ED, don’t panic. There are simple steps you can take to get over this road bump. If you think porn is causing your ED, consider the following:
- Take a break from porn, for now. For the time being, remove porn from your regular routine. “Your brain has become accustomed to certain visual and audio signals to tell you that you are now in a pleasurable state,” Berkheimer explains. “You have to do the work to add back other pleasure signals [beyond what you’re receiving from your favorite porn], and that will take some conditioning.
- Lean on your partner for help. If you have a partner, open the dialogue around your erectile dysfunction and how you think porn might play a role. Ask them to be patient with you in working through this issue, and if you have any thoughts about what could make your sex life more fulfilling to both parties, use this space to voice them. You and a partner can try sensual activities beyond penetration, like an erotic massage, to reconnect to other sensations in your body that induce pleasure in ways you may have forgotten about or never discovered.
- Find a new focus. Create a new “sexual routine” that doesn’t involve relying on porn to achieve arousal. Focus your energy elsewhere – this could be giving pleasure to someone else, rather than receiving. “You might find that exploring your partner’s erogenous zones, in a way that doesn’t necessarily emulate porn you watched, but stems more from curiosity over performance, helps,” Berkheimer suggests.
- Invest in products that can help you achieve better sex. Sex toys aren’t your enemy when it comes to erectile dysfunction - they can actually provide a much-needed boost. As you’re exploring and identifying ways to get pleasure and maintain an erection beyond porn, trying a new sex toy can unlock a totally new sensation that may become your new favorite fix. Try a male vibrator like Tenuto 2. It’s made to help you get erect, stay erect, and enjoy powerful orgasms. Plus, it’ll be a treat to your partner, too, since its vibrations stimulate both the penis and the clitoris and vulva during intercourse. If you’re someone who gets off by getting their partner off first, Tenuto 2 has added perks for all parties.
- When you masturbate, switch things up. If you’re used to watching the same porn, odds are, you’re used to the same compulsory stroke while you watch. Experiment with touch during your next solo session by using a mix of lighter and rougher touches, and you might find it’s a brand-new experience. “Incorporating deep breathing that allows your nervous system to slow down and for you to be much more sensitive to sensations in your body can aid in reconnecting pleasure to diverse strokes to your body,” advises Berkheimer.
When can porn help you have better sex
While porn might be the cause of your current intimacy woes, sometimes, porn can be a huge enhancement to your sex life. Particularly, if you watch ethical porn that makes you feel good about yourself.
If watching adult actors makes you feel insecure, try sites that specifically feature real couples with natural body types and unscripted scenes.
“Watching this type of porn as a couple can help partners feel arousal through viewing people who are more closely related to their own body or sexual dynamic, which can help you imagine acting out the same passion and intimacy,” Berkheimer says. “If we can picture it, we can embody that desire and more easily show up with this energy with a partner. These kinds of scenes in porn are more empowering, opposed to invalidating or intimidating.”
Porn can also be empowering when it comes to providing inspiration or ideas for things you might find fun to bring into your own bedroom. Maybe you discover a fetish you didn’t know you had through porn, and then try it in real life. This could even include recording your own porno and watching it back with a partner. Seeing yourself and your partner in the heat of passion is an experience many find arousing. Incorporate your favorite pleasure products, like Tenuto 2, for an extra spicy home movie.
The bottom line
Porn isn’t a science-backed or proven cause of erectile dysfunction, but there’s certainly a relationship between sexual impotence and watching porn. Especially if you find yourself feeling insecure, inadequate, or desensitized after watching too much porn. However, it’s possible to have amazing sex with erectile dysfunction, and in certain situations, watching porn might end up being your ally in that. Try and take a step back from your normal pornography routine, reconnect with what arouses your body, and rediscover what made masturbation and sex fun for you in the first place.
