Mairi HughesFrom the pornographic magazines displayed on shop shelves for all to see to the weirdly erotic perfume adverts shown during daytime television, there is no doubt that pornography is becoming commonplace in today’s society.
At the beginning of this year English comedian, actor and TV show host Russell Brand – infamous for his outrageous comedy and party habits – posted a video online entitled ’50 Shades – Has Porn Ruined My Chance Of A Happy Marriage?’ which caused an uproar. His response to the release of the film and book ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ critiqued the mainstreaming of softcore porn.
Brand discusses his own struggle with porn addiction and puts forward a refreshing view on the topic of porn, saying: “Sex is something we’re all interested in because of biological programming, but our attitudes towards sex have become warped and perverted and have deviated from it’s true function of love and as a means for pro – creation.”
If one of the wildest names in the media is beginning to speak out against porn, is it time we followed suit?
The Impact of Porn on Individuals
Diagram of Human Brain
The Website ‘Fight the New Drug’ likens pornography to drugs. They have published studies showing how the effects of porn on the brain are incredibly similar to the effects caused by drugs. When a person views a pornographic image, the chemical dopamine is released into the brain – the same chemical released when we use drugs, cigarettes and alcohol. The release of this chemical means that porn has an addictive nature in the same way that drugs do – therefore users must have an increasing dosage each time they view it, and can feel down or agitated during long periods of time without access to porn.
These parallels between pornography and drugs make for uneasy reading and reveal a dangerous aspect of pornography.
The Impact of Porn on Our Relationships
Couple Holding Hands
And before you think porn merely has a negative impact on us as individuals, think again. Porn has also been shown to impact the romantic relationships we have with others. ‘Fight the New Drug’ has also published research which shows this impact of porn on our relationships. This research shows that partners of porn users felt betrayal and mistrust in the knowledge that their partner was using porn. Porn stands in the way of a total commitment of two people to each other and interferes with their relationship.
Those exposed to pornography also deemed themselves less in love with their partner than those who were not exposed to porn and the Journal of Applied Social Psychology states that porn users were more critical of their partner’s appearance, sexual curiosity, sexual performance and displays of affection. Porn promotes the mindset that there is always something better, always another pornographic image featuring a more attractive man/woman. It encourages the objectification of the human person, impacting the way we view one another. This objectification causes us to undervalue our real life partners as people, as we may simply slip into the porn world of fantasy filled with unrealities which fail to convey people as people. While porn users are preoccupied chasing after something which is not real, they miss out on actual relationships and the real fulfilment they bring.
The Impact of Porn on Our Society
Crowds of People
It does not end at relationships – porn also has a negative impact on our society as a whole. The availability of hardcore porn which features sexual violence encourages such behaviour. Researchers at the University of Arkansas carried out a survey which consisted of selecting fifty pornographic films at random which had been bought or rented by porn users and examined their content. Out of the 304 scenes featured in these films, 88% were found to contain physical violence and 49% contained verbal aggression. Additionally, 95% of the victims of this violence responded either neutrally or with pleasure.
With society having easy access to such images which promote – and even encourage – sexual violence, porn is telling society that this violence is okay. This is something which I’m sure everyone can agree, is certainly not okay.
In light of these revelations, I again ask the question – why has our culture accepted porn?
Society needs to recognise the dangers of pornography and eradicate it from our culture.