Porn addiction DOESN'T exist - and watching it can PREVENT sexual offences, psychologist claims

Dr David Ley says only 37% of research articles about excessive porn use describe it as an addiction and just 27% contain actual scientific data

He says experiments that have been carried out were poor quality

So, he says there's no scientific evidence for the addition's existence

Added there is 'no evidence excessive porn use has negative side effects, such as erectile dysfunction, or that it changes the brain'

In fact, he says watching porn can improve someone's quality of life



Many celebrities, including Will Young, have claimed to have a porn addiction but a clinical psychologist claims there is no evidence to suggest such an addiction exists

From Will Young to David Duchovny, many celebrities have claimed to have a porn addiction.

But new research has revealed there is no strong evidence that such an addiction actually exists.



Dr David Ley, a clinical psychologist, and Executive Director of New Mexico Solutions, a large behavioural health programme, has reviewed research into pornography addiction.



He found only 37 per cent of research articles about excessive use of porn describe it as an addiction.



He also discovered that just 27 per cent of articles on the subject contain actual data.



As a result, he concluded that experiments carried out into the topic have been poorly designed and lacked the rigour to provide any proof.



Consequently, he concluded that very little, if any, actual evidence had been found to suggest the addiction exists.



He noted that pornography addition was also not included in the latest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders because of a lack of scientific data.



This manual is published by the American Psychiatric Association and is seen as the 'bible' of mental health disorders.



Dr Ley also discovered there is no evidence to suggest there are negative side effects of excessive porn viewing.

He said there was no sign that it was linked to erectile dysfunction or that it changes the brains of users.

Instead, Dr Ley says it can actually improve attitudes towards sexuality, increase quality of life and increase pleasure in long-term relationships.



He added that it provides a legal outlet for illegal sexual desires and that its use has been associated with a decrease in sexual offences, especially child molestation.



The research also showed that people who claim to have a porn addiction are usually male, not heterosexual and have a high libido.



They also often have religious values that conflict with their sexual desires.

X-Files star David Duchovny has famously battled a porn addiction. But new research has found there is no evidence to suggest there are side effects of excessive porn viewing

‘We need better methods to help people who struggle with the high frequency use of visual sexual stimuli, without pathologising them or their use thereof,’ wrote Dr Ley.



‘Rather than helping patients who may struggle to control viewing images of a sexual nature, the “porn addiction” concept instead seems to feed an industry with secondary gain from the acceptance of the idea.'

While Dr Ley is sceptical about the existence of porn addictions, many celebrities have claimed to have one.

Will Young told Style that he couldn't stop himself looking at x-rated videos online.



He told the magazine: 'It never moved into sex addiction. For me, it was love addiction and fantasy. I was probably addicted to porn.'

