Porn addiction doesn't exist, say researchers

Scientific research claims that there is no evidence that the term porn addiction actually exists.

David Ley, a clinical psychologist said that slapping such labels onto the habit of frequently viewing images of a sexual nature only describes it as a form of pathology, adding that these labels ignore the positive benefits it holds.

"Pornography addiction" was not included in the recently revised Diagnostic and Statistical Manual because of a lack of scientific data.

The research found very little evidence to support some of the supposed negative side effects of porn addiction, in fact there was no sign that use of pornography is connected to erectile dysfunction or that it causes any changes to the brains of users.

Also, despite great furor over the effects of childhood exposure to pornography, the use of sexually explicit material explains very little of the variance in adolescents' behaviors.

Instead, Ley claimed that the positive benefits of watching pornography do not make it problematic de facto, like improving attitudes towards sexuality, increase quality of life and variety of sexual behaviors.

It provides a legal outlet for illegal sexual behaviors or desires and its availability has also been associated with a decrease in sex offenses.