Habit or impulse: porn study launches

Participants are required for a new University of Western Sydney study which is seeking to find the links between people’s personalities and their access of pornographic websites.

Emma Pinn, a postgraduate student from UWS, is undertaking the study as part of her Master of Psychology (Clinical Psychology) degree.

Ms Pinn says she is interested in exploring changes in the kind of online pornography people look at over time, and to find out if there is any correlation between their online habits and other facets of their personality.

“There is quite a lot that we don’t know about online pornography and the associated problems of frequently engaging with this cyber world of fetish and fantasy,” Pinn said.

“Do regular porn users have a habit of seeking out other new and varied sensations? Do they indulge in fantasies in other areas of their life?

“Answering these questions will go a long way toward understanding the psychology behind accessing online pornography, which may be useful when helping people whose habit is detrimentally affecting their lives.”

Pinn said the UWS study will also look at the impact that viewing online pornography may have on satisfaction in romantic relationships, as well as the technologies that people use to access the explicit content.

If you are aged 18 years and older and interested in taking part in anonymous online survey, visit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/onlinepornresearch

For more information about the study, email: [email protected]

The research has been approved by the UWS Human Research Ethics Committee.