"We see pretty consistently that people, particularly men, who view pornography regularly tend to be less satisfied in their relationships, less satisfied in their sexual relationships," says Willoughby.
Pornography gives people unrealistic expectations. Not surprising. But Willoughbys research isnt focused on those negative effects. No, hes interested in how porn viewers view themselves. Especially when it comes to the word "addiction".
Addiction is a clinical word that tends to denote a very specific kind of compulsive behavior," he says. "There is still a lot of debate and a lot of discussion back and forth about what is pornography addiction and does it even exist.
But heres the thing, if youre religious, you probably think youre addicted to porn. And although Willoughby says youre probably not, just thinking that you are does some real damage.
Those who see themselves as porn addicts retreat from their religious communities. They dont feel worthy of romantic love, so they stop dating. Whats most problematic is that they keep this struggle to themselves which, ironically, Willoughby says, makes them more compulsive.
I think thats the biggest problem we have in religious communities is that lack of communication and, really, what I think it is is the fear of being vulnerable," Willoughby says. "The label of pornography user is one of the worst labels you can have."
He even takes it a step further.
There is this sense of, Id rather be labeled as a heroin addict than a porn addict, says Willoughby.
