Those Who Identify as Addicted to Porn Have Worse Outcomes

Source: Image by Mostafa Meraji via Pixabay

The label of porn addict has exploded across the internet in the last two decades, largely related to the ease of accessing pornography online, via phone or computer. Pornography has become prevalent and largely ubiquitous, with research finding that a very large majority of people report viewing pornography at least once in their lives. While some people report struggling to control their use of pornography, this subjective feeling is more often predicted by religious and moral conflicts than by actual pornography viewing frequency.

A large study found that the average self-identified porn addict viewed pornography less than once a month.¹ Unfortunately, many self-identified porn addicts have a broad definition of pornography, even including lingerie catalogs. Further, though they may view pornography rarely, they may feel like they struggle more because they classify any unwanted sexual thought or desire as a failure or a part of their struggle with sexuality.

Even where there is a greater frequency of pornography viewing, it is still relatively less than one might expect. One study found that people who viewed pornography about 3.8 hours a week (33 minutes a day) still reported distress about their viewing and were categorized in the research as hypersexual based on that distress, when this level of use does not seem consistent with a definition of hypersexual. (For comparison, the average American watches television more than four hours a day).²

In modern treatment of substance use disorders, most clinicians and programs have ceased using the word “addict” or even “addiction,” as these words carry so much stigma. When people think of themselves as addicted, it may create both internal and external obstacles to changing behaviors. But in many discussions about persons who struggle with pornography, the word addiction is vociferously defended as an accurate description of the struggle. Now, research suggests this label may do more harm than good.

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In this research, amusingly titled “Labels are for soup cans: How self-labeling as ‘addicted’ to pornography is associated with negative outcomes,” the authors surveyed 1,099 individuals who have viewed pornography and are in a current relationship.³ The researchers only included participants who were currently in a relationship because some of the assessment items focused on problems porn use may have caused with relationships and intimate partners. About 69 percent of the sample were religious, which is a bit higher than the U.S. average, but given that it is primarily religious persons who report struggles with pornography, this higher sample is probably useful in this context. The researchers examined subjective beliefs of being addicted to pornography as well as feelings that their viewing of pornography was compulsive or difficult to control, but not using the word addiction. Happily, the researchers also examined self-reported frequency of pornography viewing, though they did not assess or include a measure of masturbation, a common flaw in much pornography research.

Analysis of results revealed that identifying oneself as addicted to pornography predicted higher rates of depression and suicidal ideation and a greater likelihood of having reported relationships ending solely because of pornography use. What’s fascinating is that this relationship existed even when the researchers controlled for frequency of pornography use. You may initially assume, like many, that these problems, and the self-label as addicted, are the result of higher levels of use of pornography. But here, experiencing negative life events and self-labeling as addicted to pornography were not predicted by the actual amount of pornography use.

Further analysis found that relationship problems were most strongly connected to the self-identity of sex addiction, where depression and suicidal ideation may be more linked to generally viewing the self as struggling with pornography. The authors suggest that “there may be something about the addiction label that is disproportionately important relationally, rather than psychologically.”

This research is consistent with much other research that finds negative effects of viewing oneself as addicted. Such self-labels can create a sense of hopelessness, inhibit change, and convey to others, such as intimate partners, that a problem can’t and won’t ever go away. It’s also consistent with past research that found some individuals describing at length how personally distressing it was to view themselves as porn addicts.⁴

For many years, I’ve argued that the porn addict label is an inaccurate description of what’s actually going on with people who report struggles with pornography. It ignores the moral and religious struggles at the root, and it potentially enables narcissism in such people by giving them an excuse. And now we know that the label itself may predict more personal relational problems. In other words, calling oneself a porn addict may do actual harm.

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There are better ways to help people who struggle with pornography and help them to better understand their struggles and what they can do to change these feelings. Addressing the negative beliefs that may lie behind the label of porn addict is apparently one important place to start.