Pornography use has risen significantly in recent years, with the internet making it easily accessible, affordable, and anonymous. For some, pornography is a casual activity, but for others, it can become a compulsive habit known by some experts as problematic pornography use (PPU). PPU can lead to negative impacts like depression, anxiety, relationship issues, and financial problems.

One major factor linked to both casual and problematic pornography use is impulsivity, a tendency to act without thinking through consequences. Impulsivity has multiple aspects, such as acting on impulse during emotional highs or lows, struggling with planning and concentration, and seeking intense or thrilling experiences.

Although some studies show impulsivity may play a role in PPU, the results aren’t always consistent. Factors like age and gender may influence how impulsivity and pornography use are connected. For example, younger people may be more impulsive and therefore at a higher risk for PPU. Men also tend to use pornography more frequently than women, a trend observed worldwide.

Better understanding the role of impulsivity in PPU could help shape prevention and treatment efforts, focusing on managing impulsive tendencies to reduce negative outcomes.

Therefore, a new study reviewed and summarized research on the connection between pornography use, problematic pornography use, and impulsivity. The researchers looked at general impulsivity, sensation-seeking behavior, and specific types of impulsivity, such as acting without thinking and a lack of focus, to see if these traits were more closely linked to PPU. They also examined how age and gender might influence this connection.

To conduct the study, researchers searched multiple academic databases for studies on pornography use and impulsivity, focusing on studies with clear, measurable results. After filtering and analyzing the data, they calculated the relationships between impulsivity and PPU using statistical tools to account for variability across studies.

The study reviewed 266 research records on impulsivity and sensation-seeking traits related to pornography use and PPU, ultimately including 27 quality-filtered studies in a meta-analysis. The main findings showed that both PU and PPU are positively associated with impulsivity, meaning impulsive people are more likely to have PU or PPU. This was consistent across 14 studies with over 20,000 participants for PPU and five studies with about 3,000 participants for PU.

In the end, the researchers found that people who act impulsively – seeking immediate rewards without considering consequences – are more likely to use pornography in potentially problematic ways. Certain impulsivity traits, like lack of future planning, emotional impulsiveness, and attentional impulsivity, showed a stronger association with PPU. Sensation-seeking, however, was only weakly linked to general pornography use. Cultural context and study design limitations restrict how widely these findings apply, emphasizing the need for diverse, long-term research.

Nevertheless, the authors suggest that targeted interventions, like emotion regulation, dialectical behavior therapy, and body-mind training, could help reduce impulsive behavior, potentially reducing PPU. Tailoring interventions to specific impulsivity profiles and considering age and gender may enhance treatment effectiveness.

References:

• Benucci, S. B., Di Gesto, C., Ghinassi, S., Casale, S., & Fioravanti, G. (2024). Pornography use, problematic pornography use, impulsivity, and sensation seeking: A meta-analysis. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 21(10), 922–939. https://doi.org/10.1093/jsxmed/qdae101