How old a male first sees pornography is linked to specific sexist behavior he may have later in life, researchers found. The younger the age, the more likely a male will want to dominate women. The older they were on their first viewing, the more likely they are to become sexually promiscuous.
Researchers from the University of Nebraska surveyed 330 undergraduates with a median age of 20, the BBC reports. The average age the respondents reported first seeing pornography was 13. The youngest was only five, and the oldest was 26.
Alyssa Bischmann, lead researcher, and her team interviewed the respondents, majority of whom were white and heterosexual, on when they initially saw pornography and whether the circumstances were intentional, accidental, or forced.
The participants then answered 46 questions which measured how they acted when it came to one of two behaviors: seeking power over women, or sexually promiscuous or a playboy lifestyle.
The researchers found that those who saw porn at a younger ager were more likely to agree with the statements regarding male dominance, like “things tend to be better when men are in charge.”
What was surprising was that seeing porn later in life was more likely to be linked to a playboy lifestyle, such as changing sexual partners often.
Christina Richardson, one of the researchers, said this could be attributed to the fact that those who were exposed to porn early were generally found not to have enjoyed sex in real life. She said,
These men often have a lot of performance anxiety with women in real life. Sexual experiences don’t go as planned or the way they do in pornography.
On the other hand, “those who see porn later, enjoy sex in real life more and therefore might be more likely to live a playboy lifestyle.”
However, the study did not factor in how much porn the respondents watched, the type of porn involved, or other demographics such as socio-economic background or personality traits.
The research was presented at the American Psychological Association’s annual convention.
