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Watching Porn at an Early Age Linked to Poor Attitudes Toward Women
The age at which men first looked at porn appears to be related to their views on women later in life, but in surprising ways, a new study finds.
The study analyzed information from 330 undergraduate men (ages 17 to 54) at a large Midwestern university, most of whom were heterosexual. The participants were asked how old they were when they first viewed pornography. They also answered questions to gauge how much they agreed with certain, traditionally masculine attitudes toward women. These included wanting power over women, desiring to be a playboy, or engaging in promiscuous sex.
On average, the men said they were about 13 years old when they first saw pornography, although some said they watched it as young as 5 and others said they were older than 26. [5 Ways Porn Affects the Brain]
Men who were relatively young when they first viewed porn were more likely to want power over women, compared with those who were older when they first looked at erotic media.
But surprisingly, the study also found that men who were older when they first watched porn were more likely to want to be playboys.
The latter finding was unexpected, the researchers said. "That finding has sparked many more questions and potential research ideas, because it was so unexpected based on what we know about gender role socialization and media exposure," study co-author Chrissy Richardson, of the University of Nebraska, said in a statement.
It could be that factors not assessed in the current study — such as the participants' religiosity, sexual-performance anxiety or negative sexual experiences — may help explain the link, the researchers said. But more research is needed to examine that possibility, they said.
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Still, the researchers say their findings suggest that viewing pornography could impact men's attitudes, particularly their views on sex roles, the researchers said. Knowing more about the connection between men's pornography viewing and their beliefs about women might help with efforts to prevent sexual assault, the researchers said.
The study was presented yesterday (Aug. 3) at the American Psychological Association meeting in Washington, D.C.
Original article on Live Science.
Rachael is a Live Science contributor, and was a former channel editor and senior writer for Live Science between 2010 and 2022. She has a master's degree in journalism from New York University's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program. She also holds a B.S. in molecular biology and an M.S. in biology from the University of California, San Diego. Her work has appeared in Scienceline, The Washington Post and Scientific American.