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In a time when pornography seems omnipresent, researchers have delivered a consistent message: watching the stuff is toxic to couples and healthy sexuality.

The U.S. Republican party even recently declared sex on the Internet a public health crisis, “destroying the lives of millions.”

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But a new Canadian study calls into question that conventional wisdom. A sample of men and women is telling researchers that pornography generally has no negative effects on their relationships, and some potential benefits.

The results, though preliminary and qualitative, challenge a view of porn partly rooted in “radical feminist” ideas, say the authors, psychologists at Western University in London, Ont.

“Maybe, for many people, this is no different than a hobby they might have or their partner might have,” Taylor Kohut, the lead author, said in an interview. “They get some personal benefit, but it doesn’t have any serious ramifications for their relationships. Like one partner really liking golf.”