Is porn damaging to sex life?

Porn activates the usual reward mechanisms of our brains, but it also runs the risk of overstimulation. This makes a normal amount of stimulation seem lacking in comparison. It can even lead to desensitisation and fixation towards that high level of stimulation. Cases of porn addiction have the potential to disrupt social and sex life. Porn addiction can result in anxiety, isolation and low self esteem. 

Sexual boredom and lack of attraction towards sexual partners are also potential risks of watching porn. Sometimes porn addicts try to persuade their partners into recreating a porn scene and are not able to deal with a rejection of this offer. These mismatched expectations can lead to feelings of shame and inadequacy in women.  

Porn has also been identified as a potential risk for erectile dysfunction. This could be attributed to the mismatch in expectations set by porn and real life sex. Feelings of inadequacy prompted by overexposure to porn is also a contributing factor to erectile dysfunction.  Delayed ejaculation has also been identified as a risk that comes with porn addiction. 

Research however indicates that if watching porn is not a prerequisite for arousal or if a couple can watch and enjoy porn together it is not necessarily a hindrance.