Religion and Porn "Addiction"

A recent study suggests that religious individuals may be more likely to think they're addicted to porn.

According to researchers from Case Western University, religious audiences that even take a peek at porn are more likely to think they're harboring an addiction than those who watch it from time to time.

"This is one of the first studies to examine the link between perceptions of addiction to online pornography and religious beliefs," said lead researcher Joshua Grubbs, a doctoral student in psychology at Case Western University, via Live Science. "We were surprised that the amount of viewing did not impact the perception of addiction, but strong moral beliefs did."

For the study, researchers defined Internet pornography as viewing sexually explicit pictures or videos online, and surveyed individuals regarding their religious beliefs and strength of faith in accordance with sexual online viewing habits. All participants were also asked to complete surveys in order to properly measure their perception of addiction.

Findings showed that men in general reported having greater moral disapproval than women who viewed online pornography. Most participants also admitted to viewing online pornography at least once over the past six months. However, no connection was found between the number of hours of pornography viewed daily and how religious an individual may have considered themselves to be.

"We can help the individual understand what is driving this perception and help individuals better enjoy their faith," Grubbs concluded. 

What do you think?

More information regarding the study can be found via the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior.