How Porn Can Affect Your Relationship: Truths and Lies

Porn is something that nobody wants to admit they watch, but in all honesty, most of you reading this probably do. Even if you’re in a relationship there are bound to be times where your urges are unfulfilled, while others may be truly addicted to watching porn. There’s a fine line between enjoying porn every now and then, and becoming totally addicted to it!

If you’re in a relationship, watching porn means you’re going to be taking away from intimate time with your spouse. We’re going to try and cover why people do this, as well as what you can do to help them overcome this burden. Some of you may think that watching porn while in a relationship is okay, and may even recommend watching it together – at the end of the day, we’ve all got personal (specifically sexual) preferences that we stick with.

Porn may seem harmless at first, but there are a few signs that may tip you off as to how addicted your spouse is to it.

The Impact Porn Has on Couples

Porn isn’t inherently good or bad when it comes to being in a relationship, but it can be. As we stated above, it’s all about how you feel personally, and whether the porn was ethically produced or not. Watching sex cam sites and masturbating is entirely healthy and a normal part of life, but when two people have different interests or agreements on the matter, that’s where things can get messy.

Tension is easily grown when both people in a relationship feel differently about porn. One spouse may feel like it’s a form of cheating, while another doesn’t see any issue – most people can watch porn in their relationships without having any negative impact at all. A study was done in 2013 that reported over 71% of men were okay with watching porn during a relationship, while 56% of women shared the same sentiment.

That’s over half of the women that were interviewed and the majority of the men, so if you feel like there’s a problem with watching porn in a relationship, you’re one of the few who feel that way. All in all, it’s all about how you’re using porn while in a relationship and how both parties interact with the situation.

Why People in a Relationship Watch Porn

People who aren’t satisfied with their relationships are more prone to watch porn (according to several different studies), but that isn’t always the case. Some spouses may feel like they’re being “disrespected” when the other watches porn because it means they’d rather masturbate instead of having sex with them.

Although that is certainly true in some cases, there are times where an individual feels the need to rub one out quickly! Whether you’re a man or woman is irrelevant, as we’ve all been through times where it feels like we’re about to pop and just need to masturbate.

If your spouse isn’t around and you get this feeling, or you feel a lack of commitment/intimacy from your spouse, odds are you’ll be watching porn more consistently. If you feel like this is the case, the best approach to take is communicating directly with your partner.

How to Deal with a Partner Watching Porn

If you find that your partner is watching porn frequently and you aren’t happy about it, you can try and inject some fun into the relationship yourself. If your stance on porn is a negative one and you’re anti-porn as a whole, chances are they’ll never see eye to eye with you. Make a compromise and consider watching porn together, even if it’s “vanilla” at first!

From there, you may even want to move on to some more hardcore stuff and even potentially try things out with your partner for yourselves.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Is porn bad for a relationship?

No, porn is not bad for a relationship at the beginning. If the addiction grows and it develops into a problem, it will be quite an obvious one.

Does watching porn mean my partner will cheat?

Watching porn does not mean your partner will cheat, but it may mean that they aren’t satisfied with their current sex life (which in itself could be a reason to be unfaithful). Realistically, if a person is going to cheat, the porn they watch has nothing to do with it.

Should I be upset that my partner is watching porn?

It’s all about personal preference, but the majority would rule that the answer is no. Being upset that your spouse watches porn is almost like being angry that they snore, or chew with their mouths open!

Why is my partner keeping their porn habits a secret?

We’re naturally shy as a species, and that means we’re always going to hide the stuff that society has deemed “wrong”. The strange part is that masturbation is normal and almost everybody does it, but nobody wants to fess up! If they’re keeping it a secret, don’t be too alarmed until you’ve talked about it with each other.

Jeff Campbell