Pornography

Gender differences in pornography

(Rupp & Wallen, 2007) Male and female participants watched pornography with eye tracking devices. Men first noticed/most viewed female faces, and genitals. Women cycling naturally looked most at genitals, followed by the female body. BUT women on hormonal birth control first noticed/most viewed female bodies and faces, but less time looking at genitals than did naturally cycling women.

Cons of Porn

-Provides an unrealistic script for how sex "should be" (endorsed more by men) -Porn that displays women as objects enjoying violence/coercion/rape tend to increase viewers' acceptance of the false idea that women enjoy rape, and male viewers' willingness to hurt women -Viewing unrealistically attractive people engaging in unrealistic sexual activity may lead people to devalue their own mates -Viewing X-rated sex films diminished people's satisfaction with their own sexual partner (Zillman, 1989) an decreases men's ratings of attractiveness of own girlfriend/partner. -(Rupp & Wallen, 2007) showed some men can become dependent on porn for erections, can lead to sexual coercion from partner ("let's do what they did"), much porn shows sexist attitudes, and vast majority of porn stars were molested or raped as youths

Pros of Porn

-Sexual stimulation without risk of pregnancy or STI -Useful for people who are shy or feel inadequate without becoming criminals -Providing fantasy material for couples to have variety -Can even out differences in frequency of interest between partners -Gowen (2005) 37% men, 28% women report expanded erotic interest after porn

Arousal & Pornography

-Stereotypically men are thought to become aroused when seeing, hearing, or reading erotic material -Reality: most women report/exhibit nearly as much arousal to the same stimuli -Different brain response: fMRI scans reveal more activity in the amygdala for men

Pornography & Fantasy

-The most important sex organ is our brain. Stimuli or imagined stimuli in our own minds can influence sexual arousal and desire. -Sexual fantasies do not necessarily represent real-life desires.

Obscene

1. appeals to prurient interest in sex 2. Patently offensive to contemporary community standards 3. Without serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value

Erotica

Respectful, affectionate depictions of sexuality

Pornography

sexually explicit material intended to cause sexual arousal