Since the rise of the internet, all humans have watched some porn. Well, maybe not all of them, but a great deal. In fact, in 2019, the popular porn website known as Pornhub had over 42 billion views throughout the year. That’s a lot of porn, and it’s a lot of viewers.

But, is that a problem? Porn as we know it is becoming less stigmatized in western culture. In fact, it’s not really taboo anymore. We’ve all seen the headlines about how porn is good for you, and how it can improve your sex life. But, is porn really that innocent?

There are a lot of benefits to watching porn. Regardless of what people say about it, porn and masturbation can be great stress-relievers when consumed in moderation. But what happens when porn becomes something we are addicted to? In this article, we'll talk about porn addiction and if it can lead to more serious issues, such as erectile dysfunction.

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Porn-induced Erectile Dysfunction: What is it?

So what is porn-induced erectile dysfunction? Well, porn-induced erectile dysfunction is a term used to describe a situation where a man develops erectile dysfunction as a result of his porn habits.

Although porn addiction garnishes little attention in the media, it is considered a real addiction by healthcare and mental health workers. This is because, like all things, porn can be abused. Although more and more people are starting to watch porn, this does not mean that everyone is doing it responsibly.

Because of the overabundance of pornographic material on the internet, it is becoming increasingly easy to spend time watching porn. The accessibility of this material allows anyone with a smartphone or computer to watch pornographic material at any time of day.

While this might seem harmless, it can lead to a problem called porn-induced erectile dysfunction.

Porn-induced erectile dysfunction is when an individual struggles to achieve an erection while masturbating or with a partner. This is because they watch so much porn that they have become accustomed to the unrealistic nature of pornography.‍

For example, the size of the penises in porn is often unrealistically large. Because of this, many men become conditioned to an unrealistic expectation of what the average penis is like. This can lead to a problem when they try to achieve an erection with a real person. They may feel ashamed of their natural size, even when they're the average size of most men. Porn can also skew men’s perception of what sex is like, leading to unrealistic expectations in the bedroom.

Is Porn-induced Erectile Dysfunction a Real Thing?

Yes and no. Excessive porn consumption certainly can lead to psychological effects, such as heightened expectations of sex and what sex is really like. This can lead to problems in the bedroom. Fetishes often develop from watching porn, and often these fetishes are more taboo or extreme than regular sex.

However, erectile dysfunction is a very real medical condition that is often caused by physical concerns. It is also possible to develop erectile dysfunction as a result of other medical conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. ED is usually caused by physical conditions and not psychological ones.

But what about men who watch so much porn that they can no longer get an erection without porn? Well, it’s true that these men do exist. However, this is an extremely rare condition, even among men that watch a lot of porn. The problem is that it is hard to determine whether this is a psychological problem or a physical one.

So, is porn-induced erectile dysfunction a real thing? Well, there are definitely real psychological effects of porn and porn addiction, but it is unclear whether there is a physical component to the issue. For example, a man may have anxiety about the size of his penis because of the unrealistic nature of porn. He may later develop erectile dysfunction as a result of that anxiety. However, it is also possible that he has developed erectile dysfunction as a result of a physical condition.

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How Do I Know if I Have Porn-induced Erectile Dysfunction?

If you’re a man who has been watching a lot of porn, and you are having trouble getting or maintaining an erection due to lack of interest in "vanilla" sexuality, you may be experiencing porn-induced erectile dysfunction. In other words, your erectile dysfunction is caused by your excessive porn watching and your addiction to extreme scenarios you see in porn.

It has to do with interest. The problem is that porn is all about the fantasy, not about a real person. Porn-related erectile dysfunction is a sign that you're not turned on by real people anymore, and you're looking for more and more extreme content to become aroused. The key question is: are you turned off by real sex and turned on by exaggerated porn?

If you are, that's a telltale sign that you've developed porn-induced erectile dysfunction.

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Why Is It Important To Distinguish Porn-Induced ED From Organic ED?

Because porn-induced erectile dysfunction is a sign that your brain is changing, due to your porn use. Your brain is adapting to artificial stimuli and losing its ability to respond to real-world sexual situations.

When you have porn-induced erectile dysfunction, it means you’ve lost interest in real people to the point that you need porn or fantasies to get aroused.

The sexual-dopamine system plays an important role in regulating sexual desire and erections via a collection of brain regions that include the amygdala, hippocampus, and the prefrontal cortex. Dopamine is the primary neurochemical involved in the reward system.

Sexual-reward circuitry is implicated in the development of both substance-use disorders (i.e., compulsive sexual behavior) and behavioral addictions (i.e., out-of-control sexual behavior).

The key question is: do you prefer real sex or do you prefer porn to real sex?

If you prefer porn, you’ve probably experienced porn-induced erectile dysfunction, or you're on track to experiencing it.

Why? Because you’re not as interested in real people as you used to be. When you have porn-induced erectile dysfunction, you’re no longer turned on by a real person in the same way you once were before you watched porn.

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How Can You Treat Porn-Related ED?

The real only solution is to stop watching porn or to consume it conservatively. This is because high-speed Internet porn is a supernormal stimulus (i.e., it’s much more arousing than the real thing) and once you’re hooked, it can trigger a cascade of brain changes that cause you to need more and more extreme material to get aroused.

In the short term, there are many strategies you can use to help you deal with the urgent need to masturbate. If your addiction is mild, mindfulness and meditation may help. For stronger cases, some men turn to therapy. Whatever the case, the underlying problem is the same: your sexual expectations have been altered by your porn use.

Full recovery is possible, but "treatment" (the avoidance of pornography) can be hard to achieve on your own. The good news is that once you kick the addiction, your brain will return to normal sensitivity, and you'll be able to enjoy real sex again.