The relationship between porn use and anxiety can be bidirectional. Some people use porn as a coping mechanism for anxiety, but porn can also cause feelings of isolation, anxiety, and self-doubt.

Pornography (porn) is the depiction of sexual activities through media like magazines, books, and videos. It has been around for many years and is used much more frequently than people talk about.

In fact, researchers have found that 40% to 90% of people have used porn. In many cases, this could be to:

  • get aroused during masturbation
  • discover new sexual activities
  • find new sexual relationships

However, using porn can sometimes be a coping mechanism for feelings of anxiety, loneliness, and stress. This may be especially true in problematic porn use (PPU), which is classified as a compulsive sexual disorder (CSD).

Researchers have identified a nuanced, bidirectional relationship between anxiety and porn. While porn use may be a sign of anxiety in some people, it can also trigger anxiety, leading to a cycle where each influences the other.

Keep reading to learn more about how porn may cause anxiety and how to manage it.

Medical terms explained

Some people use the term “porn addiction” to describe a person’s difficulty in managing urges and behaviors relating to pornography use.

However, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) doesn’t officially recognise this term, and it’s not in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, text revision (DSM-5-TR).

Instead, healthcare organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO)use the following terms to better understand behaviors related to sexual compulsions and pornography use:

  • Compulsive sexual behavior (CSD): CSD refers to persistent sexual urges, thoughts, impulses, and behaviors that are difficult to manage, even though they may negatively impact your personal, social, or occupational health.
  • Problematic pornography use (PPU): PPU is the difficulty in managing porn use, despite possible negative impacts. It’s a type of CSD in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). PPU may affect 3% to 16% of people who use porn.

It’s also important to remember that not all porn use is considered problematic. In many cases, porn use can be a fun, healthy activity.

Learn more: What’s the difference between porn addiction and compulsion?

Casual porn use is a normal, healthy activity that can help you become aroused and discover new sexual activities.

But researchers have found that PPU is often a sign of anxiety and other mental health conditions. In particular, porn can function as a distraction or coping mechanism for the following things:

  • Escapism: Using porn may be a way for people to temporarily escape feelings of stress and anxiety. However, using porn doesn’t address or solve the underlying problem.
  • Loneliness: People who experience loneliness may use porn as a way to connect with others. But this is paradoxical because porn use is often an isolating activity. This means the person stays alone, and it could even intensify the loneliness.
  • Emotion regulation: People with PPU may use porn to help regulate difficult or negative internal emotions like anxiety, stress, anger, and discomfort. Porn use may temporarily help emotion regulation, but over time, it can actually worsen these emotions and lead to other social, psychological, and cognitive difficulties.

The relationship between PPU and anxiety is often bidirectional and complicated.

How often you use porn isn’t the only measurement for diagnosing PPU. A healthcare professional will also assess how and why you’re using porn and whether you have other coping strategies in place.

This means that PPU looks different for every individual.

Some people may use porn several times daily, while others may only use it a few times per week. Yet, both types of people may have difficulty managing their compulsions, impulses, and feelings associated with porn.

Porn use itself is unlikely to be the sole cause of anxiety, but researchers have found that PPU can heighten feelings of anxiety.

A 2023 review found that many people reported anxiety due to feelings of guilt, shame, and moral conflict from watching porn. These mostly arose from having certain religious, cultural, or social beliefs or being in a partnered relationship.

The review authors also noted that porn can lead to feelings of low self-esteem, self-loathing, and negative body images through things like sexual positions, actions, physical features, and actor groupings.

In particular, porn can trigger anxiety by:

  • influencing notions of sexual identity, especially in adolescents and younger adults
  • assigning and creating unrealistic roles during sexual activity
  • creating unrealistic performance expectations, such as session duration, reactions, and positions
  • normalizing unrealistic body features, such as penis and breast shape and size

It’s important to remember that porn is intentionally curated and scripted, and physical attributes may also fall under this fabrication.

Due to the bidirectional relationship between PPU and anxiety, the approach for management will vary for each individual.

The overall aim will be to help you develop coping strategies to process emotions, manage impulses, and relieve anxiety symptoms.

One of the most effective treatments for PPU and anxiety is psychotherapy, with a focus on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This involves speaking with a mental health professional to help you identify, understand, and change the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors associated with porn use.

There are many different approaches to CBT, some of which include:

  • psychoeducational
  • motivation
  • behavioral activation
  • cognitive restructuring
  • cue exposure and urge management
  • mindfulness

You may be able to connect with a mental health professional online, over the phone, or in person. Some forms of talk therapy are also offered in groups, so you can connect with people who may relate to your experiences.

Along with non-pharmacological treatments, a doctor may prescribe medications to help manage impulses and regulate feelings of anxiety. Some medications may include:

Finding the best management plan may take some trial and error and time, but treatments can be effective and help increase your quality of life.

Casual porn use is a healthy habit that may offer several benefits.

The relationship between anxiety and porn is often nuanced and bidirectional. Some people may use porn to distract themselves from stressors or cope with challenging emotions.

On the other hand, frequently watching porn can trigger anxiety and create unrealistic sexual identity, sexual activity, and body image expectations.

If you find yourself regularly using porn to cope with emotions, speak with a mental health professional. They can help you develop a management plan to manage anxiety.