For example, a 2024 study examined sexual norms separately across real behaviour, fantasies and pornography use. The distinction itself matters: people may seek out or tolerate something in one erotic context while feeling very differently about it in another.
This fits well with contemporary research on fantasy: what someone imagines does not necessarily match what they genuinely want to do or what they actually do in real life.
The research on porn’s influence is more complicated. Some studies find associations between patterns of porn use, attitudes, sexual satisfaction and behaviour. But in many such studies, the direction of causality is difficult to establish: content may shape expectations, while people with pre-existing preferences may also be more likely to select particular content.
That is why headlines claiming that porn “rewires your desires” usually promise more certainty than the data can provide.
Porn can be part of sexual learning, fantasy, masturbation, habit, entertainment or novelty-seeking. Its role differs between people.
And science cannot yet produce a reliable psychological profile from one category someone happened to open late at night in private browsing mode.