Beyond ‘Addiction’: Compulsive Use of Freely Available Digital Pornography

Sex is a natural, biological, and evolutionary compulsion. Sex addiction is described as extreme, uncontrolled sexual behavior or motivation that continues despite knowledge of potentially disastrous consequences and the risk of damage to one’s psychological or physical well-being.

1 Pornography is defined as written, visually appealing, or spoken content that depicts or describes sexual actions or genitals to arouse the spectator.

2 With the exponential expansion of the internet and ease of access to and availability of graphic explicit material, its distribution has become pervasive throughout society. This pervasive distribution creates an environment within which HDPorn.Video use can be harmful and, in some instances, addictive.

Is porn watching addictive or not?

Although many studies believe that porn consumption can be problematic for certain people, there is no consensus on the definition or standards used to determine this. This is largely because of a lack of evidence or research in this field.

• The DSM-5 has listed “Internet gaming disorder” as a condition for further study. Though some studies believe that pornography addiction is included in the same category, the APA argues that other excessive Internet uses, such as online pornography viewing, are not considered comparable to online gaming addiction.
• The DSM-5 does not recognize sex addiction. On the other hand, the WHO recognizes compulsive sexual behavior disorder as a recognized condition.
• Several hypotheses have been put forward to characterize or explain porn addiction, though they are not conclusive.

This hypothesis suggests that some online activities, such as porn viewing, may give rise to a constant level of stimulation and activate the reward system in the brain. A supernormal stimulus is an artificial stimulus that surpasses an evolutionarily developed response.

The hypothesis has been forwarded as applying to pornography as well as other areas of excess, including extremely entertaining video games and artificially sweetened foods.

Perception of Dysfunction in Oneself

And here’s the thing: according to multiple studies, the amount of porn use is less predictive of sexual dysfunction than how the user feels about their porn use.

Individuals who believe they have an online pornographic addiction are more likely to have negative consequences and problems with sexuality, regardless of the level or frequency of video intake.

Compulsions. A 2013 study suggested that males experiencing difficulties in refraining from using porn may be more vulnerable to compulsive disorders in general.  Hypersexual behavior, especially HDPorn.Video Addiction does not fit neatly into a compulsion category according to some studies. It may include characteristics of compulsive illnesses, such as anxiety management and impulsive disorders, which provide pleasure. In contrast, hypersexual behavior is often followed by overwhelming feelings of guilt or shame.