The Science of Porn: Myths, Facts, and Overlooked Issues

The Art of Manliness

Society & Culture, Education, Philosophy

4.7 • 14.5K Ratings

🗓️ 25 February 2025

⏱️ 54 minutes

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Summary

Pornography is more prevalent and accessible than ever before, yet its effects on relationships, mental health, and human development aren't popularly well understood. Discussions on the topic are often engaged in from an emotional or religious point of view; less typical is a discussion of pornography from an empirical frame. My guest today, Dr. Brian Willoughby, a social scientist who has spent the past 15 years studying porn's impacts, will unpack what the research actually says about how it affects personal well-being, relationship satisfaction, and sexual expectations. We discuss the latest data on porn use across different demographics, how porn impacts religious versus non-religious populations differently, and how exposure affects kids. Brian shares whether using porn causes erectile dysfunction and depression, what parents should know about talking to their kids about porn, the main risk of porn that's typically under-discussed, and more.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Brett McKay here and welcome to another edition of the Art of Manliness podcast.
0:11.7	Pornography is more prevalent and accessible than ever before, yet its effects on relationships,
0:16.4	mental health, and human development aren't popularly well understood.
0:20.0	Discussions on the topic are often
0:21.4	engaged in from an emotional or religious point of view. Less typical is discussion of pornography
0:26.0	from an empirical frame. My guest today, Dr. Brian Willoughby, a social scientist who has spent the
0:31.4	past 15 years studying porn's impacts, will impact what the research actually says about how it affects
0:36.1	personal well-being, relationship satisfaction, and sexual expectations.
0:40.4	We discussed the latest data on porn use across different demographics,
0:43.6	how porn impacts religious versus non-religious populations differently,
0:47.1	and how exposure affects kids.
0:49.0	Ryan shares whether using porn causes erectile dysfunction and depression,
0:52.5	what parents should know about talking to their kids
0:54.3	about porn, the main risk of porn that's typically under discussed, and more. After the show's over,
0:59.4	check out our show notes at AWIM.IS slash porn. All right, Brian Willoughby, welcome to the show.
1:17.4	Hey, it's great to be here.
1:18.4	So you are a social scientist who studies family life.
1:22.3	And for the past, oh, almost I think it's 15 years now, you've been doing a lot of research
1:26.9	about porn use and how it
1:29.2	affects relationships. Before we get into your research, let's start with definitions. In academic
1:35.4	research, how do you define pornography? Because there's that famous with Justice Stewart,
1:41.5	Potter Stewart quote about obscenity. I know it when I see it. So
	...

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