The question of is porn cheating can be answered differently. Usually, it all depends on the boundaries and agreements set in your relationship. But what if this problem suddenly arises when you’re already together? Or have you just faced the need to set new relationship boundaries and struggle if you want to tolerate porn or consider it as an issue?
This guide is for you. Let’s see all the cases for and against porn as cheating and determine the exact criteria for how to deal with it in your relationship.
Is Porn Cheating? 2 Cases For
Check out two arguments to support the affirmative answer to the question, “Is porn considered cheating?”
Married Couples: Sexual Inclusivity Violation
When you both vowed to “forsake all others” and took it seriously, you don’t doubt is watching porn a form of cheating. Because when you publicly announce sexual inclusivity at your wedding ceremony, you automatically violate it when you want other people.
This argument is huge — but not convincing alone, considering that three out of four therapists have dealt with watching pornography issues in their couples therapy. Even for longtime married couples, the debate is real, mostly due to the beliefs that “all men partook in consuming porn” and “it’s digital so it doesn’t really count.”
The latter belief is frequently referred to as a “slippery slope” argument, meaning that watching porn is different than visiting a prostitute; thus, you cannot be radical on whether porn is cheating.
But coming back to the vows and monogamy rules of a marriage, still, watching porn is cheating. If this argument is strong for you, then there is no room for discussion.
Because when you decide to tolerate it, it’s likely your partner will make a second move to test this boundary. And you’ll find yourself observing why they became “selfish and lazy when it came to our sex lives” and realize they “would have cheated on you whether [they] consumed porn or not.”
All Types of Relationships: Trust and Emotional Safety Violation
Even if you’re not in a marriage, watching porn can still hurt you deeply. The question of is looking at porn cheating hits harder if partners hide, ghost, and directly lie to their significant other on the issue. Even though there are some negative processes related to what does porn do to the brain, violating emotional safety in the relationship is not an excuse here.
Your comfort level with it in a relationship is what defines everything. Since watching porn inevitably tests the boundaries and trust in a relationship, it rarely passes as innocent and non-problematic for one of the partners.
The question of female dignity is also what makes the difference here. If a woman once had a debate with their partner and felt in her bones the hatred and irritation when realizing their significant other was attracted to another woman, there is no room left for debate. She just won’t tolerate lust over other women in any relationship status.
Is Watching Porn Considered Cheating? 2 Cases Against
Even though monogamy and emotional safety are strong arguments against watching porn, leaving it in a fantasy world and being open about the addiction can question porn as cheating. Let’s explore why it may not be that clear is pornography cheating in more detail.
Nothing Is Done Physically AND Emotionally
The ways people are watching porn are different: while some look at bodies, others get hooked by the sexual exchange between two people on the screen. In the latter case, they don’t feel anything for another person, and it blurs the consideration of is it cheating to watch porn.
In the contemporary Internet, it’s hard to determine what porn is. With so much partially naked and sexually appealing content on Instagram, Tumblr, and Pinterest, when is watching porn considered cheating? The new social norms have blurred a line between admiring someone’s beauty and desiring their bodies, and some may believe that not all cases of watching porn is cheating.
Given its active promotion among the male population, accompanied by social pressure and the politics behind porn production, chances are that your partner is totally disassociated from porn when they watch it. It’s like a bad habit: they are used to doing this, so they never question the benefits of quitting porn and that it can hurt their partners.
Fantasy Stays Isolated From Reality
It’s hard to decide is porn cheating when its impact stays solely in the imaginary world. Suppose your partner is successful in keeping their guilty addiction safe so it doesn’t affect their relationships with other people. In that case, it can be a valid argument against considering watching porn as cheating.
Some regular porn watchers admit they’re watching porn as a source of inspiration and knowledge expansion, relying on mutual agreement and, at times, mutual watching porn with their partners. It’s even more easily tolerated if both partners have enjoyed porn before entering their relationship and had an open and honest conversation about it.
The question of Is it cheating to watch porn is ambiguous here—but even for those who consider it normal, engaging with other people on OnlyFans, webcams, and hotlines is definitely cheating. Because this is how they violate the rules of fantasy and turn it into a reality.
Is Porn Cheating? What Scientists and Therapists Say
Scientists and therapists tend to consider watching porn cheating—or, at the very least, the symptom of future cheating possibility.
Lambert et al. study found that porn consumption can lead to infidelity. In the research, the participants who engaged in porn watching demonstrated higher likelihood to be unfaithful in a relationship. Also, they showed weaker commitment in their current relationship. All these findings support two key arguments for treating porn as cheating.
The international research studying the direct link between pornography and sexual satisfaction in a marriage states that it predicts “extradyadic sexual involvement,” or the key factor of weakened emotional and sexual connection between partners. This means that at a larger scale, partners who don’t question how to stop watching porn fail to keep their addiction in the fantasy world. Their partners feel something’s off.
From the therapeutic approach, the porn issue is frequently addressed as “a third partner” in a relationship and treat it as a physical trauma in their sessions. This underlines the severity of damage porn in relationships can cause for both partners.
So, is watching porn considered cheating? Based on the research perspectives, it’s hard to make this radical conclusion on this ethical matter. Nevertheless, they warn that this behavior is risky for the future of a relationship and for the well-being of a partner who is not engaged in watching porn. Thus, it should be addressed transparently and seriously.
Is Porn Considered Cheating? Let’s Find Your Answer
If you’re still not sure is watching porn a form of cheating for you or don’t know how to address this problem with your partner, use this checklist to find the answer:
- Are you married? Because if so, you can feel that their watching porn is a direct violation of monogamy vow.
- Did you tell you beforehand about this habit? If you’re already in a relationship and they are open about their watching porn proactively, it means they care about your emotional safety and trust. But if you’re the one who found they do it while they were hiding, you should treat it as a red flag, notwithstanding your perspective on is porn cheating.
- How do they watch porn? Do they obsess about the bodies or use it for any other reasons? Check both verbal and non-verbal signs to find the answer.
- How do you really feel about all this? Even if rationally you can agree that watching porn is normal, your body knows better. If you feel awful about the idea, you shouldn’t tolerate it. Prioritize yourself first.
In the end, it’s up to you and your partner to decide is porn a form of cheating or not a big deal. But the truth is, the moment you start doubting it’s OK you become more likely to feel resistance to this idea.
So, if you’re reading this guide, it means you’re already harder to tolerate porn and believe there’s nothing wrong about watching it.
Use Canopy Porn Blocker to Help Your Relationship
If you feel that porn is cheating for you but your partner is so deep in their addiction they don’t question is looking at porn cheating or struggle to quit watching it on their own, you can help your relationship with this small trick.
Canopy porn blocker uses smart AI algorithms to detect offensive content while scanning photos and videos online. It can detect and hide porn on a page without blocking the entire webpage, which reduces the tension of “you control everything” yet delete the content you feel bad about. And the best part is that Canopy works with porn on all the web platforms, so you can restore your peace of mind in one click once and forever.
FAQs
Is porn cheating?
The debate around is porn considered cheating is still open, and the exact answer to this is determined in each relationship separately. However, if you feel in your bones you don’t like it, you should be confident in yourself and consider porn as cheating.
What are the reasons of porn infidelity?
Regular porn watchers admit they enjoy expanding their knowledge and say it’s all left in the fantasy digital world thus it isn’t even real.
Why do some people question is porn infidelity?
A growing number of people feel the contrast between their body reaction and social norms. They deeply hate the idea their partners are watching porn but witness the conflict with today’s society that tolerates it as normal.
Is porn considered cheating by scientists?
In scientific research, porn is treated as the key reason for weakened commitment and sexual disengagement in a relationship. Also, they found a strong correlation between porn watching and future infidelity.
Is watching porn considered cheating by therapists?
The majority of therapists treat it as a real physical trauma in a relationship. This shows how deeply one’s porn watching can hurt their significant other in a long-term relationship.
