Pornography use has increased as a result of the COVID-19 quarantine, with research showing that Americans have been turning to porn to fill their void in their social life. While some say porn use can help us to ‘flatten the curve’ and enjoy pleasure without the risk of spreading coronavirus, this increase in porn-watching could become problematic.
What we are seeing is that people are turning to porn more than ever before. People who have never watched porn are trying it for the first time, and people who used to watch a little are now watching a lot. It’s a situation that can become very complicated because, without our usual coping mechanisms in place, such as being able to travel, or go to the gym, or hang out with friends, people might start using porn as a form of self-comfort and distraction.
While it is possible to use porn in a safe, moderate manner, it may be difficult for people to curb their behavior during this time of great stress.
Just like people are reporting lots of quarantine-related weight gain or compulsive online shopping during this time, porn use can easily become very difficult to control.
Without our usual routines and outlets for stress relief, porn can become a coping mechanism that takes over very quickly. This is because porn can activate the reward systems in our brain, just the way sugar or gambling or alcohol can. So without other ‘rewards’ to enjoy during quarantine, we may find ourselves relying on porn to make ourselves feel good or simply even feel nothing.
Some people are at higher risk of becoming addicted to porn, and that these people in particular should be very careful when using it. If you have any form of addiction or compulsive behavior in your history, such as drug/alcohol addiction, or if you have a family history of addiction, I would really urge you to be cautious about porn use.
Monitor how often you are using it, such as if you find yourself using it for longer and longer periods of time, perhaps losing hours to mindless scrolling on porn sites. And make sure you’re still able to enjoy sexual pleasure and fulfillment without needing porn to help you get there. Once you struggle to limit your porn use or find yourself turning to porn whenever you feel sad or stressed or disconnected, it can become a very slippery slope.
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