The demise of guys: Stanford professor claims video games and online porn will lead to the extinction of men

The long-suffering girlfriends of X-Box addicts may welcome claims from a U.S. psychologist that men who spend too much time playing video games could be doing themselves more harm than they think.



Stanford University's Professor Philip Zimbardo argues that the over-use of video games and online porn is creating a 'generation of male misfits', with young men developing 'arousal addictions' that leave them unable to function normally in the real world or develop healthy relationships.



Dr Zimbardo believes men are spendi ng too much time in isolation in the digital world, and says that lonely people die earlier, the Mercury News reports.



Too much online porn and video games can lead to an 'arousal addiction' and leave young men unable to function normally in a learning environment or a relationship, according to Stanford University psychologist Philip Zimbardo

In his book The Demise of Guys: Why Boys are Struggling and What We Can Do About It, the psychologist argues that men are growing up without the need to become 'social animals'.

'Guys are now spending a huge percentage of every day in a digital world; playing video games, watching porn, on YouTube, texting, watching sports - most of it alone,' he said.

As well as suggesting that people who spend long periods in isolation die earlier than those who enjoy frequent social interaction, Zimbardo believes men who spend too much time online are stunting their ability to cope with real life.

The professor, 79, who co-wrote the book with fellow psychologist Nikita Duncan, said that young men - who were the most likely to use video games and online pornography - were being 'digitally rewired' in a way that required constant stimulation.

Stanford University psychologist Professor Philip Zimbardo believes too much time spent online is causing the 'demise of guys'

This process, he argued, left them 'out of sync' in a school or work environment and in romantic relationships.

'The excessive use of video games and online porn in pursuit of the next thing is creating a generation of risk-averse guys who are unable (and unwilling) to navigate the complexities and risks inherent to real-life relationships, school and employment,' he t old CNN .



Zimbardo cites a study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which concluded that regular porn users were more likely to report depression and poor physical health than non-users.

The study found that porn could become a 'substitute for healthy face-to-face interactions, social or sexual'.

The professor also noted research contained within the Annual Review of Public Health which suggests a link between violent video games and real-life aggression.

Zimbardo claims men are spending too much time watching sport, playing video games, and surfing the internet, and not enough interacting with other people

Luke Plunkett, associate editor of the video game website Kotaku, said he was unconvinced by the professor's claims.

'Watching sports and porn is causing the 'demise' of guys? Sounds like pretty standard guy behaviour to me,' he told the Mercury News from Australia.

Mr Plunkett said games like Call of Duty or StarCraft were just 'fancier versions' of traditional games like Monopoly and Solitaire.

'It sounds like he (Zimbardo) is just throwing a whole lot of things together he just doesn't like and trying to make an argument out of it,' he said.

But Professor Zimbardo insists solutions must be found to tackle what he calls: 'Guy Disaster Mode'.

