something_else

This is true for lots of things that are fine in moderation. Beyond spreading awareness of that, it's not really clear what else you can do. Banning porn or sugary sweets is extreme and impractical

All valid points, I did mention earlier that I don't think it's healthy when used as a coping mechanism to avoid actually finding a partner or having sex.

You say it isn't healthy, but can you point to anything concretely unhealthy about it?

Just because some people cannot moderate themselves does not make the thing itself bad. Take other addictive things like heroin, cigarettes, sugary sweets, for each of these you can point to concrete health problems that occur as a result of excess consumption. With porn are there really any concrete health issues you can point to? Probably the biggest issues are the ethical implications of funding the porn industry, and causing strain on relationships. The porn industry isn't super ethical, but you can consume amateur porn to bypass that. If your partner isn't happy with you watching porn I can see it causing strain on your relationship, but if they don't care then it's a moot point. Most couples I've met don't really seem to care if their partner watches porn. Aside from that I can't really think of anything else. Maybe causing people to have unrealistic views on sex? But again I don't really think that's universally true. I've found that porn has actually improved my sex life if anything.

I would argue social media addiction is much more prevalent. There are a lot more people spending 4-5+ hours a day scrolling on social media than there are people spending 4-5+ hours per day watching porn. For most people who watch porn it's like 30 mins per day, if that.

This is definitely a fair point. I would argue that cigarettes are worse because they will actually kill you, but I get your point. I mean are any of these things objectively bad in moderation? There isn't really anything inherently wrong with novelty and easy dopamine unless you indulge to excess.

I'm not sure that's universally true. 'coping' usually that means it's being used to cope with some deep emotional issue. Plenty of people just watch porn because they're horny and emotions don't really play into it at all. Yea, that makes sense. It's a nuanced issue with lots of factors playing into it. Demonising it or glorifying it are both incorrect perspectives.

I think you’re over-generalising your own experience here. For some people this is definitely the case, for others it isn’t. It’s a nuanced issue. I have a feeling that the dynamic here often stems from porn use driven by loneliness / FOMO. If you’re using porn to cope with those things instead of actually having sex then that creates a lot of guilt, which takes a massive toll on your body. If there is no dynamic to create the guilt then it’s just not that harmful. Also, if you believe porn is harmful then placebo takes over and you convince yourself it’s hurting you more than it really is.

Hard drugs (heroin, meth) Cigarettes Alcoholism High sugar / ultra processed foods Social media addiction Gambling Social isolation Air pollution Sedentary lifestyle Sleep deprivation culture Late stage capitalism Billionaires Housing crises Poverty in general Chronic stress / hustle culture Shopping addiction Lack of third spaces for socialisation Climate change War I could continue, this is not an exhaustive list

How anybody still believes a word that comes out of Trump’s mouth is one of life’s great mysteries

I can think of so many things worse than porn for society that I don’t even know where to start listing them because too many things are coming to mind

This is probably the single best thing I’ve ever done to improve my social skills. Any kind of solo travel is just amazing, but I agree Asia is probably the best place to start with. Possibly the only downside to using solo travel to develop social skills is that you’re often not spending enough time with people to develop super deep friendships. The longest I spent with one group was 3 week, and we’ll likely be lifelong friends, but it’s not the same kind of friendship you can develop with somebody who lives in your country and who you get to know for years. Aside from that it’s amazing for getting over the fear of meeting new people without having to resort to something like pickup

This is the key. I’d add that it really helps to find some neurodivergent extroverts with good people skills. These people will allow you to be sociable but remove a lot of the effort and pressure placed upon you to handle the basic social rules/customs that you may struggle with.

I can't imagine ever finding this enjoyable personally, but each to their own. Even if the guy liked being cucked, I don't think I have it in me to do that to another person. I certainly don't think I'd enjoy it happening to me. I did very briefly date a girl who said she'd enjoy being cucked by watching me have sex with other woman, but that's the only time I've ever actually experienced anything like this in real life.

Oh boy, some of the dudes he interviews truly are deplorable though. I get the sentiment behind what you’re saying but these are not the kind of influencers you want anybody to look up to