Many people watch porn to unwind, explore their sexuality, or entertain themselves.
But porn isn’t just a window to pleasant emotions and self-discovery.
There’s a dark truth looming. Some people are stuck with compulsive porn viewing habits — they wonder if it’s the reason for their depression.
If you relate to this, keep reading — we’ll tell you the steps to overcome your depression if it’s linked to porn.
But first, we need to answer these questions:
Can compulsive porn use cause depression?
Or do people watch porn because they’re depressed?
At first, it seems unlikely. Watching porn leads to orgasm, and orgasm feels amazing. So how can there be a link between porn and depression?
You may be surprised at how they’re related. We’ll look at the effect of porn on your brain, the stats, and what you can do to solve your addiction if it’s related to depression.
The Relationship Between Porn and Depression
There’s an assumption floating around on the internet that porn causes depression.
The truth is, there isn’t detailed research that shows porn causes depression.
But there is a link between the two.
For example, many use porn in moderation — but to those who use it compulsively, it can have a toll on their emotional health through feelings of guilt and shame. This can lead to depression.
Furthermore, one’s mental health is affected by many factors. Stress, exercise, genetics, and lack of sunlight are risk factors for depression.
Let’s look at the effects of porn on the psyche and brain to help us understand the link between porn and depression.
The Psychological Effects of Porn
Here are a few of the psychological effects of porn:
- Discovering sexual tastes: Porn can help you learn about your sexual tastes and your body. This includes sexual kinks and different positions.
- Sex isn’t taboo: Watching porn can free the user from thinking of sex as taboo. People with little exposure to sexual material can use porn to make sex feel less intimidating.
- Stress relief: Many people watch porn to relieve stress.
Problematic porn use is also related to:
- Loneliness: Porn is an isolating activity. Many people watch porn because they’re lonely. Little do they know, it’s making their loneliness worse.
- Social anxiety: The lingering effects of a porn session eats away at your self-esteem. This translates into increased social anxiety.
- Lower relationship satisfaction: Pornography can impact relationships negatively. But research has also shown the opposite, porn can increase relationship satisfaction as well.
- A skewed view of sexual norms: An example of this is increased aggression and violence in sex.
The Effect of Porn on the Brain
Research has shown that non-substance-based addictions such as internet use, and binge eating affect the brain in similar ways to substance-based addictions.
A lot of these studies focus on the brain’s pleasure center and the neurotransmitters involved in addiction. One of these neurotransmitters is dopamine. A pleasurable behavior produces a rush of dopamine that reinforces that behavior.
So what does this have to do with porn & depression?
It’s important to note the difference between porn consumption and porn addiction.
When the brain develops a physical and psychological dependence on porn, it’s considered an addiction. This is different from porn consumption. Porn addiction negatively impacts many areas of life.
Again, it’s not clear if porn causes depression. But people suffering from depression consume more porn. And this can create an addiction. Additionally, using porn to escape negative emotions can intensify depression.
Even if porn doesn’t cause depression — a healthier brain makes it easier to recover from addiction.
Statistics on Porn Use
Porn use and depression are most likely cyclical. In other words, one may not necessarily cause the other, but they are connected. Here are a few stats that support this idea.
For instance, a 2019 study showed that individuals with depression had a higher risk of developing problematic porn use.
In another study from 2019, both men and women who used porn excessively were at increased risk for depression.
In both studies, the likelihood of experiencing depression depends on two factors. First, is the frequency of use. Those who viewed porn more often reported higher rates of depression.
The second factor is the length of exposure. People who view porn for longer in each sitting report higher rates of depression.
Consider this study from 2017. It surveyed over 500 senior male college students. Fourteen percent of this group used porn more than three times per week and reported symptoms of depression. Compare this to only 2.8% who experience depression, but only used porn once a week.
This study also found that the earlier a student discovered porn, the higher chance they had of experiencing depression. For example, 11.7% of students who discovered porn in elementary school experienced depression. Contrast this with 5.9% of students who discovered porn in university.
People who are religious and view porn as morally wrong may experience higher chances of depression. This is because of their association of porn with guilt and sexual shame.
Porn Addiction and Your Mental Health
Poor mental health is a complex issue that could stem from many different life choices.
But it’s easy to point the finger at porn as the culprit.
Depression doesn’t have a singular cause. Because of this, problematic porn habits may be rooted in other causes.
Maybe you’re making poor decisions with your diet and exercise habits. Or perhaps you have a habit of having a few too many to drink after work. It could also be trauma from your childhood. Many of the symptoms of depression may be linked to watching porn.
Activities that give you an easy shot of dopamine don’t necessarily cause depression. They’re simply an escape from the pain.
Think of porn the same way. It keeps you in the same feedback loop day in and day out. You watch porn because you’re depressed, but porn keeps you steeped in your depression. This causes you to watch more porn.
As mentioned earlier, there’s a link between porn and depression. A study from 2019 concluded that depression was one of the biggest predictors of porn use. This makes sense since people use porn to escape negative emotions.
The impact of porn on mental health also differs by gender. In a 2018 study, men reported higher porn use with higher relationship satisfaction. The opposite was the case for women.
So what’s the fix? In a nutshell, you need to fix the root cause of your addiction. We cover this in more detail here.
Signs of Problematic Porn Use
If you’re using porn to ease your feelings of depression — it’s an obvious sign of problematic porn use.
But what about the less obvious signs?
High feelings of stress, anxiety, and emotional detachment all fall into this category.
Furthermore, feelings of loneliness, irritability, and decreased sexual satisfaction correlate with problematic porn use. Increased isolation and a tendency to avoid social activities are symptoms of depression that can be worsened by porn.
You may also find that your pornographic tastes are escalating. Because of this, your partner will find it harder to sexually satisfy you. This is a sign that it may be time to confront your dysfunctional viewing habits.
However, new research suggests that it may not be porn causing these effects. Instead, it’s the viewer’s perception. Put simply, the impact on someone’s mental health is determined by how they view porn.
They’ll be more likely to suffer mental health-related consequences if they believe they’re doing something morally wrong.
Does Porn Have Benefits?
Few things in life are black and white. Porn is one of those “gray areas” worth investigating.
Many porn viewers experience positive results from using porn. Here are a few of them:
- Porn may improve the quality of intimacy in a relationship.
- Porn may increase your libido.
- A PMO session can satisfy your desires, especially if you’re considering doing something sexually risky.
- A quick masturbation session can boost your mood temporarily if you’re feeling down.
- It’s a form of sexual education for what to do and what not to do during sex.
Of course, what’s seen as beneficial can be subjective. But it’s helpful to sit back and think of how porn promotes your well-being.
How to Get Help With Porn Use and Depression
There are options to treat your depression if it’s because of porn use. Similarly, if you want to uncover the reasons behind your depression — these options work just as well.
Here are a few types of treatments that can help you with your depression and porn addiction.
Psychotherapy
This method uncovers the reason why someone may have developed a porn addiction.
Psychotherapy aims to discover unmet needs and why the user has developed coping behaviors. As the sessions progress, the patient and counselor work together to implement strategies to manage the user’s porn addiction.
Psychotherapy is also great at treating two disorders at once. For example, substance abuse and porn addiction.
Support Groups
Support groups bring together users with the common goal of being free from porn. The users support each other by talking about their experiences and offering encouragement.
Keep in mind that this method doesn’t include professional advice. However, support groups have been shown to improve how porn users view themselves. In turn, they show a reduced risk of maladaptive behavior.
Medication-Based Treatment
Medication-based treatment focuses on treating an underlying issue that’s causing porn addiction.
This should only be used alongside a professional and only if the user has a co-occurring disorder.
Medication-based treatments are best used with counseling and behavior therapies. They are not enough to sustain recovery alone.
Holistic Healing
A holistic approach targets the whole body. It’s a combination of traditional methods and alternative medicine.
Healing is achieved by treating the person as a whole instead of just viewing the addiction.
Holistic healing includes techniques such as hypnosis, education & lifestyle changes, spiritual counseling, and massage therapy.
Behavior Modification
Behavior modification is about helping users replace their maladaptive behaviors.
CBT (cognitive-behavioral therapy) is a popular method of behavior modification. Behavior modification is known to have lasting effects. It’s helped many addicts stop watching porn.
Our Final Words
Let’s revisit our big questions:
Does porn cause depression? Or do people with depression watch more porn?
It’s clear from the evidence above that porn doesn’t trigger symptoms of depression. However, if you’re already depressed, the uptick in your porn use isn’t helping. In fact, it can even worsen your symptoms.
Keep in mind that how often you use porn and your porn tastes will have an impact on how intensely you’re addicted.
Furthermore, quitting porn could be the start of your recovery from depression.
A porn-free life can give you back a feeling of control over life.
Control over your focus and confidence may be exactly what you need to take the next step.
You could start that new business you always wanted.
Or simply join a martial arts club.
Whatever the case, you need to get up and act.
Sitting there watching porn isn’t going to help your depression.
Make a change today. We believe in you.
