In the spirit of “masturbating will make you go blind” or the fabled “hairy palms” myth, “porn-induced erectile dysfunction” is the latest sexual bogeyman to haunt men who dare engage in the carnal twin sins of porn and self-love. Lucky for us libertines, medical professionals have valiantly stepped up to call bullshit on this fake-ass news.
The impetus for clarification goes back to a BuzzFeed article from 2017 titled “This Is How Therapists Treat Young Men With ‘Porn-Induced Erectile Dysfunction.’” In it, two men describe their so-called porn addiction and how this has rendered them unable to achieve erection. The testimonials are bookended by quotes from various “experts” chiming in on performance issues resulting from “a high exposure to pornography.”
“Not so fast,” said the astute editorial team of Men’s Health Australia, who connected with two Ph.D. sex researchers in a follow-up piece published in September.
