July 31, 2019 |
1 in 10 People Is a ‘Sex Addict’ – And the Internet Blames Porn |
A new study from researchers at the University of Derby in the UK has found that about one in ten people shows signs of sex addiction. The studyâs co-author, Dr. Yasuhiro Kotera, mentioned in an article publsihed on the universityâs blog, âThe prevalence of sex addiction is significant, and appears to be on the rise due to the advent of the internet, which provides a wide spectrum of anonymous, easily accessible and affordable cybersex opportunities. Not least of these opportunities is access to online pornography, which is often described as the âcrack cocaineâ of sex addiction.â The internet, naturally, immediately freaked out, with the UKâs tabloid the Mirror screeching, âInternet porn has turned one in ten of us into sex addicts!â But letâs take a deep breath and take another look at this very interesting study. First of all, the one-in-ten number isnât any surprise. A similar study from the U.S. found the same numbers late last year, and was widely reported. Second, sex addiction is a pretty nebulous idea at this time. Whether it exists at all is still up for debate. The new study authors admitted in their blog post that âsex addiction is not currently considered as a diagnosable disorder.â And sure, the internet is packed with ways for folks with sexual compulsions to get their fixâbut porn is just one of many. Itâs convenient to put âpornâ in a headline for clicks (weâre looking at you, Mirror), but Dr. Kotera and his co-author, Dr. Christine Rhodes, werenât particularly interested in blaming adult entertainment. Instead, they looked at psychological issues underpinning addictive and compulsive sexual behavior in the first place. While earlier studies tended to focus on childhood trauma as a predictor for sex addiction, Doctors Kotera and Rhodes found that, âcontrary to previous literature, it is not only trauma that predicts sex addiction. According to our study, anxious attachment predicts sex addiction.â The doctors explained: âIndividuals with anxious attachment often feel that those who are important to them, e.g. their partner, will not be present when needed…They are preoccupied with fear of rejection, therefore, as our research finds, some of them use sex to overcome it.â And, they went on to say, âWe also found that narcissism was a strong predictor.â Or, as the Mirror then paraphrased, âSex addicts like being the centre of attentionâand canât cope with being given the cold shoulder.â Weâre starting to feel like porn doesnât have anything to do with this at all, aside from just being around for people who want to watch it. Interesting! In fact, we feel that lots of sex-addicted folks might fit well into the adult entertainment industry, where they can get all the attentionâand sexâthey need in a safe, welcoming, non-judgmental environment. Just sayin! |