Porn Research: Fact or Fiction? – Gary Wilson (2018).

Porn Research: Fact or Fiction?- Gary Wilson from Center On Sexual Exploitation on Vimeo.

In this 2018 presentation Gary Wilson exposes the truth behind 5 studies propagandists cite to support their assertions that porn addiction doesn’t exist and that porn use is mostly beneficial: Gary Wilson – Porn Research: Fact or Fiction?

In this presentation Wilson debunks four often-repeated talking points, which can found  in nearly every article trying to debunk either porn as a public health problem or porn addiction:

  1. Porn addiction doesn’t exist
  2. Using porn is good for your relationship
  3. Porn use leads to more egalitarian attitudes towards women
  4. Porn use provides many benefits and very few drawbacks

The questionable and misleading studies cited to support the above talking points (in order of presentation):

  1. Sexual Desire, not Hypersexuality, is Related to Neurophysiological Responses Elicited by Sexual Images (Steele et al., 2013)
  2. Modulation of Late Positive Potentials by Sexual Images in Problem Users and Controls Inconsistent with “Porn Addiction” (Prause et al., 2015)
  3. Perceived Effects of Pornography on the Couple Relationship: Initial Findings of Open-Ended, Participant-Informed, “Bottom-Up” Research (2016), Taylor Kohut, William A. Fisher, Lorne Campbell
  4. Does Viewing Explain Doing? Assessing the Association Between Sexually Explicit Materials Use and Sexual Behaviors in a Large Sample of Dutch Adolescents and Young Adults (2013), Gert Martin Hald, Lisette Kuyper, Philippe C.G. Adam, John B.F. de Wit.
  5. Self-Perceived Effects of Pornography Consumption (2008), Hald GM, Malamuth NM