Not ‘too much’ porn but ‘what kind of porn’ is the key factor for sexual aggression: Study

Pornographic consumption is often linked to sexual aggression. The question of the harmful effects of pornography has traditionally focused on how much porn was consumed, rather than what kind of porn. Frequency has long been central to understanding the consequences of watching porn until an American study published in the Psychology of Violence journal expanded on the kind of porn watched and the implications. 

Violent porn watchers are more likely to engage in sexual aggression, inflicting the violence they watch, in real life. The researchers suggested that the type of content consumed, more than the frequency, is crucial in understanding the link to sexual aggression.

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Three profiles of pornography

The researchers identified three distinct patterns of pornography use in their study, based on two factors: frequency and content type. This is one of the first studies to understand porn beyond the frequency of consumption. The first profile was ‘infrequent pornography views’ who rarely or almost never watched porn. ‘Average pornography viewers’ watched non-violent porn regularly, and once in a while, viewed violent porn. The last group, "violent pornography viewers," is the most problematic of the three, as they consume violent and derogatory content regularly.

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Violent porn increases sexual aggression

Violent pornography viewers often emulate the sexual violence they see on screen in their real lives. This group is more violent than the other two profiles. The researchers suggest that there’s a higher likelihood of violent porn watchers being more spiteful and hostile to women. They believe in rape myths, like the most infamous one ‘the victim was asking for it because her clothes were revealing.’

Violent porn watchers struggle to be in a serious relationship and instead opt for casual ones. Violence has been normalised in violent porn, distorting viewers' perceptions of healthy relationships. They also possess psychopathic traits like displaying an inflated sense of self-worth, being highly manipulative, and lacking empathy or remorse. Violent porn watchers struggle to regulate their emotions and often lash out at others as a means of asserting themselves. Here the type of content consumption is a key risk factor contributing to this kind of behaviour.