Statistic
Little/no causal evidence
Systematic review finds little or no evidence that pornography use causes erectile dysfunction
A 2019 integrative review of observational studies found little or no evidence of a causal relationship between erectile dysfunction and how often men use pornography, and concluded that causation cannot be assessed from the available cross-sectional and case-report data.
The number
When the observational literature is pooled, a 2019 integrative review found little or no evidence of a causal relationship between erectile dysfunction and how often men use pornography. [1]
there is little or no evidence on a causal relationship between erectile dysfunction and frequency of pornography use
What it does and doesn't establish
This is a null and uncertain result, not a clean bill of health for porn. The review notes the data "mostly derive from cross-sectional investigations and case reports", so "causality cannot be comprehensively assessed", and that controlled longitudinal studies are still needed. [1] A correlation in cross-sectional data cannot show which way any link runs, and problematic or compulsive use may behave differently from frequency alone.
What the finding does not license is the manosphere claim that porn is a proven cause of an ED "epidemic" that quitting reliably cures. The strongest systematic look at the evidence simply does not establish that — it says the causal question is open. Confidently attributing ED to porn can also steer a young man away from a doctor who might find a treatable cause. Does porn cause erectile dysfunction?
Sources
1 source · all archived at publication
- [1]The Potential Associations of Pornography Use with Sexual Dysfunctions: An Integrative Literature Review of Observational Studies · Journal of Clinical Medicine · 2019-01-01 archived ↗
By The Fieldnote Desk · How we verify · Corrections