For some of us, porn is “nothing to get all excited about,” while for others, it is “everything to get all excited about!” Gil, the millworker, said, “Looking at the pictures of the beautiful, seductive women was like, ‘Wow, there’s this whole world I had no idea existed.’ ” Most of the people we interviewed […]

One of the things that surprised us most in our interviews and with our clients is just how often porn use starts in childhood or adolescence. Our first exposure may happen in many different ways, but most of us are exposed when we’re much too young. Thirty-two-year-old Tyler, for example, remembers seeing his first pornographic […]

My first exposure to pornography happened when I was six years old. My older brother and I were down at the local elementary school riding our bikes around the parking lot and messing around. It was on a weekend during sum­mer break. There was no one else around except for these two hippies who were […]

W hen we think about porn, we think about adults. After all, stores that sell pornographic magazines and videos are often called “Adult Stores” and pornographic shows on cable warn of “Adult Content.” But the fact is that most people have their first experience of viewing porn when they are, on average, eleven years old, […]

There is no doubt that porn has many attractive and powerful proper — ties—from sexually arousing and fulfilling you, to giving you an easy escape from your real life, to helping you feel powerful and desirable. But using porn also creates problems, many of which evolve so slowly that you don’t see them coming or […]

Using porn has a lot in common with gambling, especially now that por­nography is delivered through devices that allow you to rapidly click through a never-ending stream of stimulating material. Hoping to find just the right porn site, the exact sexual activity you want, or the ultimate fantasy partner, can make you feel just like […]

Nothing beats a feeling of being powerful and in control, especially in something as instinctive and primal as sex. And porn delivers. Using porn as a source of entertainment can give you the illusion of being pow­erful and in control of what is happening. Tim, a reference librarian in his late forties, really got off […]

“Oh come on,” you’re probably thinking. “How can porn be like a drug? I can’t smoke it, drink it, or shoot it up.” But the fact is that porn can have as powerful an effect on your body and brain as cocaine, meth — amphetamine, alcohol, and other drugs. It actually changes your brain chemistry. […]

One of the turn-ons of porn is that it does just that—turns you on. It is engineered to turn us on and then get us off. In this respect, porn has traits in common with sex toys, aphrodisiacs, and medications like Viagra. Porn stimulates the sexual organs of the user, increasing blood flow and in […]

Porn’s hidden power is not limited to its elusive nature, availability, and compelling styles and formats, but is also based on its ability to produce extremely pleasurable experiences. Let’s look closer at these experiences and find out how porn is able to deliver them.