Having a positive self-image is hard. Many of us struggle with being self-conscious about our bodies, and women tend to struggle more so than men. These struggles of self-consciousness have a negative impact on people’s sexual activity and sex lives, leading to shame and anxiety in the bedroom, decreased sexual functioning and a less fulfilling sex life.

Researchers wanted to explore how attachment theory and self-image impact their romantic relationships. They also wanted to know if these had any impact of pornography use.

1,001 women between the ages of 18 to 56 from Israel joined the study. They were asked basic information about their demographic, answered questions about there attachment style, completed measure on body image and finally their pornography consumption.

Some of the results were not surprising. Those women in romantic relationships had higher levels of body positivity, lower pornography use, and lower levels of anxious and avoidant attachment styles compared to those not in relationships. The influence of pornography on body image was not a mediator between body image and attachment style, but was a mediator for women in relationships with an anxious attachment style.

The researchers conclude “…women may be more susceptible to the influence of pornography use on their body image self-consciousness when they are anxiously attached to a romantic partner”. However, they note that this study was done through a convivence sample and my not be completely applicable to the population at large. They also want to look in to more specific use of pornography and the type used.

Original Article: https://www.psypost.org/2022/03/womens-body-image-more-likely-to-be-impacted-by-pornography-if-they-are-high-in-anxious-attachment-62765 
Study:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0747563221002399