Billy Hallowell | January 11, 2016
(TheBlaze) – A meta analysis of 22 separate studies from seven countries claims to have found a tie between pornography consumption and sexual aggression, yielding significant associations between smut and both verbal and physical aggression.
The study results, which were published in an article in the Journal of Communication, titled, “A Meta-Analysis of Pornography Consumption and Actual Acts of Sexual Aggression in General Population Studies,” are certain to add to the debate over the negative impact of porn.
“Consumption was associated with sexual aggression in the United States and internationally, among males and females, and in cross-sectional and longitudinal studies,” reads the abstract. “Associations were stronger for verbal than physical sexual aggression, although both were significant. The general pattern of results suggested that violent content may be an exacerbating factor.”
The study proclaims that the cumulative data make it clear that, on average, “individuals who consume pornography more frequently are more likely to hold attitudes conducive to sexual aggression and engage in actual acts of sexual aggression than individuals who do not consume pornography or who consume pornography less frequently,” according to the Christian Post.
Bob McCoskrie, national director of Family First NZ, a Christian organization in New Zealand, said that the results of the study — which was conducted by researchers at Indiana University and the University of Hawaii at Manoa — should be closely examined.
“This research found that internationally the consumption of pornography was associated significantly with both verbal and physical aggression, among males and females alike,” McCoskrie said. “This study should be taken seriously in New Zealand as we tackle unacceptable rates of sexual violence and the ‘roastbusters’ mentality.”
He said that the study adds to “growing evidence that porn harms” and that smut must be contended with if experts want to help prevent sexual violence, adding that there is increasing knowledge about the psychological impact of porn.
As TheBlaze has reported, this is hardly the first time that such a finding has been reached surrounding the purported dangers of pornography. In fact, just last year, psychologist Philip Zimbardo claimed that young men’s brains are becoming “digitally rewired” due to excess video game and porn consumption — a social “crisis” that he believes parents and the public must address.
Zimbardo, whose book “Man (Dis)connected” argues that “young men are failing as never before — academically, socially and sexually,” told the BBC that he believes the mixture of excessive gaming and porn is creating a dynamic in which men are increasingly isolating themselves.
“They are combining playing video games with — as a break — then watching on the average two hours a week [of] pornography,” he said, describing results he observed after surveying 20,000 young people, the majority of whom were young men. “It’s a new kind of addiction.”
Dr. David Greenfield, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and director of the Center for Internet and Technology Addiction, also told VICE last year that the portion of the brain used to make decisions based on morals and values can essentially shut off when a person views smut.
Greenfield told VICE that the prefrontal cortex — the area where personal decisions are made in light of morals and values — is essentially cut off during viewing, with the desire to see porn so strong that it supersedes any feelings or cautions someone might have that would potentially hold them back from partaking.
Additionally, a 2014 study analyzing porn use among young men also found that those who consume it are potentially less likely to get married, seemingly adding credence to Zimbardo’s claims.