Can These Eight Stats about the Porn Industry be True?

As I am working on completing my book proposal, I came across a fascinating study from the “Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology” that was too good not to share. In this study the authors summarized the key findings from other studies regarding pornography. Through various scientific studies, experts have learned the following:

1. in 2006, the world revenue of pornography was 93 billion dollars.
2. In 2006, the porn industry (just in the United States) exceeded 13 billion dollars.
3. Only 20% of porn viewers pay for it.
4. 28,000 individuals (worldwide) per second are viewing porn.
5. Women whose partners view porn regularly see their partners more negatively.
6. Students exposed to pornography once a week for six weeks reported less satisfaction with their partner in regards to appearance and sexual fulfillment.
7. People who view pornography (in this particular study) had a higher number of sexual partners and acceptance of cheating.
8. There are 244 million porn pages on the internet, just in the United States.

These eight stats are true, and have been learned through careful study and analysis.

What are your thoughts?

I have written on this topic before. Check out the links below.

10 Facts about the Porn Industry: Sex, Men and Women on the Big Screen

Does Porn Bring Couples Closer Together?

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The Power of Thoughts

Have you ever stopped and processed how powerful thoughts are? Thoughts have the power to change our moods, affect our perceptions about someone/thing, and can even take on physical properties. Thoughts can start us down the road to despair or set us up for a successful event. Additionally, in regards to what we are leading up to, our thoughts about sexual activity, can be problematic.

In regards to our mood, our thoughts can drastically improve an unpleasant situation or have the reverse effect. For example, if you have to go to one of those infamous boring meetings, you can go in with a positive attitude or a negative one. If you go in with a positive attitude (positive thoughts), chances are you will make a boring meeting bearable—and may even be able to contribute something positive. If you go in with a negative attitude, you will then have a “self-fulfilling prophecy.”

Thoughts can also drastically affect our perceptions about someone or something. Take, for example, that person at work or on the sports field who simply drives you nuts. Maybe you have had a number of conversations with him/her and maybe you have not. Either way you regularly have a bad attitude and bad thoughts toward him. Those negative thoughts will inevitably be perpetrated; consequently, whether or not your negative thoughts are true or not, they will filter down into your actions toward and about him. Instead of extending grace and understanding, the harshness and irritability will come out.

Negative thinking can consume our very being if we are not careful. If you were to write a daily journal of your thoughts, what type of journal would you end up with? Again, thoughts are powerful!

In fact, our thoughts do take on physical properties:

“Most people do not understand how important thoughts are and leave the development of thought patterns to chance. Did you know that every thought you have sends electrical signals throughout your brain? Thoughts have actual physical properties. They are real. They have significant influence over every cell in your body. When your mind is burdened with many negative thoughts it effects your deep limbic system and causes limbic problems: irritability, moodiness, depression, etc. Teaching yourself to control and direct thoughts in a positive way is one of the most effective ways to feel better. “

–Dr. Daniel Amen, Change Your Brain Change Your Life

Let’s turn our attention to lustful thoughts and actions.

The various images we think or fantasize about can come out in various forms as well. If we are lusting over someone, we are allowing those thoughts to consume our entire being, and the more we think those lustful thoughts, the more we will want those thoughts in real life. Why is that? I propose it is because those thoughts take on physical properties—and just as those thoughts turn into physical properties the person lusting will want the physical as well. Consequently, over time if the lust is not quenched, it can manifest out to the physical world.

If thoughts do take on physical properties and affect how we feel, it should go without saying that it is wise to make sure our thoughts are in check. If we are trying to remain sexually faithful, our thoughts must be the first thing we get in order.

What do you spend most of your time thinking about? Are your thoughts starting to consume your very being?

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How Many Sexual Partners Have You Had?

How many partners have you had sex with? Some can confidently say “none.” Others may have to use fingers and toes to get the exact number. Wherever you are in your journey of life and sexual exploration, there is no need to feel guilty about the number of partners you have or have not had. This post is to inform you, however, that multiple partners is definitely not a wise choice scientifically speaking.

If you have had multiple partners, have you ever asked yourself why? Honestly, ask yourself “why?” Could it be perhaps that you were lonely and wanted someone to connect with you on a deeper level? It is usually during times of loneliness that one is more likely to reach out and seek love or a relationship by sleeping around with one or maybe even multiple partners. These liaisons may be “serious” or they may be “casual.” Either way, to avoid being lonely, some believe sleeping around is the only way to fill that void. On the surface it may seem that sleeping around will bring fulfillment, but psychological scientific studies are showing a different result.

A group of researchers dissected a study that was completed by researchers in New Zealand to discover a correlation between drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness, and multiple sex partners. The research provided was from a longitudinal study. A longitudinal study checks in regularly on what/who the researchers are studying. In this study, researchers followed a cohort of participants born between 1972-1973. “The relationship between numbers of sex partners over three age periods (18-20, 21-25, and 26-32) and diagnoses of anxiety, depression, and substance dependence disorder at 21, 26, and 32 years were examined.”

There is a tremendous amount of significant findings in this study. One of the findings was that “increasing numbers of sex partners were associated with increasing risk of substance dependence disorder at all three ages.” After the longitudinal study, and the team calculating the number of sex partners each participant had over the years, they were “able to calculate the odds of a participant developing a psychological disorder.” The researchers concluded that for both the men and women participants who had multiple partners had greater odds of developing substance dependence. Perhaps even more interesting was that for women, the study reflected that they have more of a propensity to substance abuse when they have slept with multiple partners. “For women, there were statistically significant associations between numbers of sexual partners and substance dependence disorder at all age periods and the odds ratio increased with increasing numbers of partners.”

This study showed that there is a significant connection between multiple sexual partners and substance abuse i.e. alcohol, drugs, etc. Why is this? Let me highlight some possibilities. First, young adults are generally wired for risk-taking behavior so drugs and sex would be a byproduct of that behavior. Second, young adults are generally not married and are often found in the same area, i.e. bars. The last possibility I would like to highlight is that having multiple partners puts one at risk. If one has multiple partners, chances are there is no depth to those relationships. It may also be that with multiple sexual partners means multiple relationship failures and that creates anxiety and depression in one’s psyche. “Specifically, feelings of loneliness and hopelessness are related to substance use and drinking alcohol to cope with negative emotions has been shown to result in alcohol problems.”

The concern with psychologists is that multiple sex partners can lead to substance abuse (an even higher possibility statistically speaking for women to struggle with it),

Dr. Susan Krauss in an article in Psychology Today observed, “The point of this study was “to point out that, from a strictly scientific standpoint, engaging in frequent sex with multiple partners does seem to carry a risk.”

Thoughts? Feedback?

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