Self-perceived effects of Internet pornography use, genital appearance satisfaction, and sexual self-esteem among young Scandinavian adults

Abstract

This study examined the associations among the frequency of viewing Internet pornography, beliefs about how realistically pornography portrays sex, self-perceived effects of one’s pornography use, genital appearance satisfaction, and sexual self-esteem in young adults. Online data were collected from four convenience samples of university students from Norway and Sweden, members of a queer youth organization, and readers of an erotic magazine. Because of cultural similarities and the comparable magnitude and patterns of the bivariate correlations among the samples on the study variables, they were pooled into a single sample (N = 1,274). The majority of men (81.1%) and a minority of women (18.1%) reported at least weekly use of Internet pornography on their personal computers, whereas using a mobile phone or tablet was less common. Most of the participants had sought mainstream pornographic content. Those with a stronger belief in pornographic realism were more likely to perceive the effect of pornography use positively. A hypothesized relationship between self-perceived positive effects of pornography use and a higher level of sexual self-esteem was found for men but not for women. This result was partially due to higher satisfaction with genital appearance among the men who mainly watched mainstream pornography. Genital appearance satisfaction was linked to higher sexual self-esteem for women, but it was not related to the self-perceived effect of pornography use. The results indicate that pornography may expand personal sexual scripts for both men and women, and may have a positive, although modest, influence on the sexual self-esteem of young male adults.

Size Matters After All: Experimental Evidence that SEM Consumption Influences Genital and Body Esteem in Men

“…If anything, exposure to SEM has been found to have a positive effect on people's lives in various ways (Hald & Malamuth, 2008;Hare et al, 2015). Several studies examining SEM consumption in young adults have reported increases in sexual knowledge, healthier sexual attitudes, the discovery of sexual preferences, and an overall more positive quality of life relative to nonconsumers (Hald & Malamuth, 2008;Hesse & Pedersen, 2017;Lundin-Kvalem et al, 2014;Sabina et al, 2008). In addition, due to the anonymity that SEM accessed via the Internet affords consumers, it has also been found to play a positive role for sexual minority adolescents and young adults coming to terms with nonnormative sexual desires, genders, or orientations (Hare et al, 2015;Luder et al, 2011).…”

“…One issue surrounding the ubiquitous availability and consumption of SEM has centered on the postulation that SEM provides unrealistic depictions of the male and female body and its proportions (Lundin-Kvalem, Traeen, Lewin, & Štulhofer, 2014;Mattebo et al, 2012;Moran & Lee, 2014). Some researchers have suggested that consumers of SEM, particularly adolescents in the prime of their pubertal and sexual development, may consequently be at risk of developing unrealistic schemas of what constitutes "normal" in terms of one's body (Hald & Malamuth, 2008;Hare et al, 2014;Ybarra & Mitchell, 2005).…”

“…For example, analyses of pornographic content have found erect penis sizes in male pornographic actors to average in the top third percentile in terms of overall size (Lever, Frederick, & Peplau, 2006), whereas a disproportionately large number of pornographic actresses have breast and/or buttock implants, relative to the general population (Lever et al, 2006;Moran & Lee, 2014). Although such depictions are not outside the realm of possible human proportions and preferences, the amount of variation that occurs in the general population is much larger than that typically portrayed in SEM (Lundin-Kvalem et al, 2014;Mattebo et al, 2012;Moran & Lee, 2014).…”

Harga Diri Seksual, Kompulsivitas Seksual, dan Perilaku Seks Berisiko pada Orang dengan HIV/AIDS

“…Harga diri seksual memengaruhi skrip seksual dalam benak individu sehingga memandang beberapa aktivitas seksual sebagai sesuatu yang sifatnya normatif dan juga permisif (Kvalem, Traeen, Lewin, & Stulhofer, 2014). Individu yang memiliki harga diri yang rendah akan merasa hebat secara seksual jika bisa memiliki pasangan seks dalam jumlah banyak.…”

Prevalencia, comorbilidad y correlatos psicológicos de la compulsividad sexual

“…Esta brecha coincide además con el auge y proliferación de los llamados teléfonos inteligentes, que permiten que cualquier persona, desde cualquier lugar y en cualquier momento acceda a todo tipo de contenidos pornográficos. No en vano, estudios recientes hallan un crecimiento exponencial de este tipo de dispositivos a la hora de consultar contenidos eróticos en Internet (Kvalem, Traeen, Lewin, & Štulhofer, 2014).…”