Porn consumption is never a sign of a good relation quality

By comparing 30 American studies, it has been found that when one of the partners (often) watches porn, it is actually always a sign that the quality of the relationship is not too good. Although no causal relationship can be demonstrated, there is usually no relationship between watching porn and the quality of the relationship. But if there is a connection, it is more a sign of a bad relationship for both men and women.

Data from 30 studies

A lot of research has been done into the relationship between watching porn and the quality of a relationship. However, most of the time the studies were very limited or the results were quite contradictory. For example, there were often inconsistencies between the outcomes among men and women, the samples were not representative, or the questionnaire was simply not well prepared.

Samuel L. Perry, a researcher at the University of Oklahoma, compared the data from 30 different studies. There were 31 different standards for the quality of relationships. The studies had all taken place in the USA between 1973 and 2018. Based on this, Perry did various statistical analyzes.

Usually no correlation

For both married and unmarried Americans, the study found that pornography had no relationship with one of the criteria, or that it had a negative effect. However, the significance was always small. In other words: porn did not have a positive effect by any measure, with one exception. And that was that people who watch porn talked less often with their partners about divorcing. However, it is not clear how this correlation should be interpreted. Do these people not want a divorce, or do they simply not talk about their relationship with their partner?

Perry concludes that porn use usually has no relationship on the quality of the relationship. But if there is such a correlation, it is never a positive one.