Watching Porn and Playing Video Games May Be Bad for Your Relationship
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Watching Porn and Playing Video Games May Be Bad for Your Relationship
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Watching Porn and Playing Video Games May Be Bad for Your Relationship

Not Happy With Your Relationship? Porn and Gaming May Be to Blame

It’s no secret that too much screen time can have a negative impact on various aspects of our lives. A recent study has found that it isn’t just the screen time – specific activities can negatively affect relationships the most.

Just what may be causing issues? Watching porn and playing video games. That’s according to the “iFidelity Survey” sponsored by The Wheatley Institution and the National Marriage Project, which included data from 1,159 cohabiting and married men. According to the results, these activities are the two primary culprits of poor relationship quality.

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While the study included social media, it was actually porn and gaming that affected happiness and quality the most. In 22 percent of cohabiting men and 11 percent of married men, watching porn and gaming were among their top three online activities. Participants who cited porn were 15 percent less likely to be “very satisfied” in relationships.

According to the research, there were three reasons for the results. First, men are more likely to watch porn if they are already unhappy in their relationship. Second, porn might provide men a “new standard of comparison,” with porn stars decreasing “the perceptions of their real-life intimacy.” Last, porn might also be the cause of men who focus more on their own physical pleasure rather than an emotional aspect.

The results for porn watching were similar to those of participants who played video games. Of those surveyed, 25 percent included gaming as one of their top three activities and were also at least 10 percent less likely to say they were “very satisfied” in their relationship. Like porn, video games might act as compensation for relationships in which the men were already unhappy and dissatisfied. Complaints from a partner about frequent gaming also affect the relationship negatively.

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According to the institute, it’s important to note that the frequency data of each activity could have been more precise rather than noting the participants’ top three online activities. However, the research noted that “in spite of these limitations, these findings do suggest that, for men, the type of online activity is more important than the amount of time spent — at least when it comes to relationship quality … In particular, these findings suggest that gaming and pornography may raise red flags for men’s relationships.”

All this to say that if you want to be happier in your relationship, it might be time to take a break from porn and online gaming.

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