- Chartered psychologist Felix Economakis made the claim about divorced men
- Erectile dysfunction could also be caused by watching pornography, he said
- Comes after London-based clinic Numan found 80 per cent have problems
By Luke Andrews For Mailonline 17 November 2019
A sexual health expert says divorced men are more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction because they have had ‘negligent, absent or unsatisfactory’ sex lives or see the act of passion as ‘more work’.
Speaking to FEMAIL, chartered psychologist Felix Economakis, who has worked in the NHS for eight years, also blamed pornography and drinking too much for causing problems in the bedroom of single, divorced men.
Economakis made the remarks after a report by London-based online clinic Numan, which specialises in erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation and hair loss, found that 80 per cent of divorced men said they have experienced the problem.
The research, which was conducted by the Market Research Society, asked 1,000 UK men, 120 of which were divorced, if they’d experienced the sexual performance issue. Four fifths of the divorced men questioned said they struggled with erectile dysfunction.
‘Negligent, absent or unsatisfactory’ sex lives
Psychologist Economakis said that one of the biggest reasons divorced men may suffer from erectile dysfunction is that they have unsatisfactory or even absent sex lives.
‘The first reason is that they often tend to have either negligent, absent or unsatisfactory sex lives,’ he said.
‘That means they feel rather “de-skilled” and not confident when it comes to the bedroom.
‘If they have associations of unsatisfactory or even unpleasant sex, men then tend to avoid what makes them feel worse.
‘Some people have in essence ‘switched off’ their libido because there is no point fuelling it if there is no satisfactory outlet.
‘I’ve worked with people who were afraid of food and had minimal appetites, but once the underlying fear was addressed, their appetites for food increased dramatically.
‘The same principle would apply here. Many men may shy away from something they feel they would not be very good at and instead tend to go to their strengths – usually the status or proficiency they have in their work.’
Stress from work
The psychologist, who is also a member of the British Psychological Society, claimed that if men become ‘wound up’ about goals and reviews and work, it can also impact their performance in the bedroom.
‘Sometimes men can also be so wound up about performance goals and reviews at work that they tend to start perceiving performance in the bedroom as yet another ‘customer’ to keep happy, complete with fear of unsatisfactory reviews,’ he said.
‘Instead of being a more carefree and spontaneous experience, to some men it can come across as yet more work.
‘They escape into passive activities that require no demands or expectations, such as watching TV.’
Watching pornography and unhealthy habits
Finally, he also said that watching pornography could cause erectile dysfunction.
‘Perhaps they have used porn as an outlet, which carries it’s own set of unhealthy habits when it comes to sex.
‘Or perhaps they tend to drink too much first to unwind which also affects performance.’
Watching pornography has already come under fire for causing erectile dysfunction in all men.
A 2017 study found that men that watch it regularly are more likely to become disinterested in sex and suffer from the problem.
Presenting their findings at the American Urological Association’s annual meeting in Boston, the researchers accused porn of being as addictive as ‘cocaine’ and said users build up a ‘tolerance’ to hard content over time that leaves them unsatisfied with real-life sexual activity.
Study author Dr Matthew Christman, said: ‘Sexual behavior activates the same “reward system” circuitry in the brain as addictive drugs, such as cocaine and methamphetamines, which can result in self-reinforcing activity, or recurrent behaviors.
‘Internet pornography, specifically, has been shown to be a super normal stimulus of this circuitry, which may be due to the ability to continuously and instantaneously self-select novel and more sexually arousing images.’
They also found that 69 per cent of regular smokers surveyed and 75 per cent of London men have suffered from erectile dysfunction.
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