The Impact of Porn on Relationships
The thought of utilizing porn in a relationship is anxiety-inducing for many. For others, it allows for there to be excitement in creating new sexual adventures. In some cases, porn can be a make-or-break situation in determining the outcome of a relationship. Perhaps there is more to porn than meets the eye when looking at relationships. Perhaps it needs to come with an understanding of the possibilities within you and your partners’ sex lives as well as the difficulties you may encounter.
The Possibilities
The huge plethora of categories amongst porn websites allow people to distinguish what they like and dislike. When looking at this same idea within couples and relationships, porn can be another way to demonstrate to your partner(s) what you are perhaps keen and not so keen on when it comes to sex. Ultimately, porn is very up-front and by utilizing this, you can present your likes and dislikes of sex. However, whilst porn is an outlet to discuss and present your preferences, porn can also inspire couples to try new things as well as spice up their sex lives. If you or your partner(s) sees something they would like to try which has been done in porn, it can be quite exciting to present this within your relationship. As always, consent is a necessity when it comes to anything to do with sex so, if your partner is up for it, it can lead to some exciting times in the bedroom.
This same idea can also link to intimacy. By sharing what porn or categories of porn you and your partner(s) are into, you can increase and build upon any intimacy and address any issues within the relationship. Overall, porn can provide some new sexual escapades and experiences within a relationship. However, it is important to acknowledge what porn consumption can cause in a relationship and how this can impact either party.
The Difficulties
Even though the main aim of porn is to satisfy and stimulate any sexual arousal, in a relationship setting it may decrease any form of this. This can especially happen when looking at the over-consumption of porn. Although many of us feel like we would never get to this stage, it can become incredibly easy to rely on porn to satisfy any sexual cravings. By dedicating much of your sexual arousal to porn, it can have repercussions within your own sex life and relationship; it wouldn’t be as easy to satisfy your desires with your partner(s). Although porn has an abundance of categories and videos, it can harm one or both partners' self-esteem. There has always been a division of attitudes when it comes to porn use in relationships and how it should be perceived. Some people claim that the thought of their partners watching other people have sex online is too much. This can relate to the expectations created from porn; it can create unrealistic ideas for people, sex, and body image. Personally, I find that this is massively common amongst younger couples. Younger people (especially those without much sexual experience) may interpret scripted porn as real sex. Of course, porn is real sex but, it is sex perfectly crafted for the camera. Sex in our private lives, nine times out of ten (probably ten times out of ten, now that I’m thinking about it), isn’t like the sex seen in porn. This is something to bear in mind when relating porn to your own sex lives and relationships.
I want to clarify that this article, especially when looking at the difficulties around the utilization of porn in relationships, is not anti-porn and is by no means anti-sex work. I think it is incredibly important to include what many might see as the beneficial outcomes of watching porn in a relationship as well as the disadvantages and consequences it may also bring.
Of course, this is all incredibly personal and nothing is a concrete solid answer. I feel like that is the case for many when it comes to sexual experiences; it is purely an individual experience. Instead of fixating on things that are not concrete, we must take into account what should be concrete when it comes to talking/talking about and looking at sex. The main one is communication. If porn is something you would like to show to your partner to create some exciting times, talk to them. If porn is something you are not interested in and something you are not a fan of talk to them. Communication is so incredibly important when it comes to anything to do with sex and it can also be applied when looking at the impact of porn on relationships.