Porn addiction might feel like a good excuse to tell yourself when you find yourself watching too many hot and heavy videos on your computer, phone or tablet, but, is it really a thing, or just a myth? Believe it or not, the topic has been a debated one for a long, long time, with many people unsure if they’re actually addicted to porn, or just watch it to pass time.

Thanks to some research online, though, we have some insight as to the whole porn addiction topic. And, for those who think it’s a good excuse for your naughty watching habits, you may be upset with what experts discovered.

Since we’re not doctors — nor do we even try to pretend to be — we turned to some people who are much smarter than us, finding some key results about porn addiction on Psych Central. In essence, what these experts found was that, those who label the habit of frequently viewing or watching sexual images is, in reality, just a form of pathology — which actually ignores some of the benefits that such behavior might lead to. That’s according to clinical psychologist, David Ley, Ph.D.

“Moreover, these labels ignore the positive benefits it may hold. We need better methods to help people who struggle with the high frequency use of visual sexual stimuli, without pathologizing them or their use thereof. 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.”

So, what does all that mean? Well, it relates to some of the research that’s out there about porn addiction. While there isn’t much to go off of, as of now, the topic isn’t included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, so it’s believed that it’s still just a myth.

However, speaking to Ley’s analysis and comments, describing oneself as having a porn addiction isn’t necessarily a negative thing, but something that could be looked at as actually being positive. For instance, there’s no evidence that suggests watching porn is connected to erectile dysfunction, nor do viewing habits impact how a person may treat a significant other based off of sexually explicit material. Instead, Ley says, that’s determined from adults in a person’s life more than anything.

More important, watching porn actually offers a legal outlet for people to live out their sexual fantasies or desires, leading them away from things like prostitution or other forms of harmful or illegal sexual activity. This can decrease sexual assault and exploitation.

While porn addiction isn’t believed to be real, it does suggest that, for those who struggle with watching videos often, that person may be using it to cope with negative emotional states, decreased satisfaction or other issues in their lives. That may be the bigger issue in all of this, with men and women uncomfortable in speaking out about some of the internal things going on.

(H/T Psych Central)