"I want to understand what drives people to consume porn: Is it a fear of intimacy? A fear of closeness?" asks Prof. Ateret Gewirtz-Meydan, a certified sex therapist and head of the Sexuality Research Lab at the School of Social Work at the University of Haifa. "Many turn to porn for quick sexual satisfaction, but for others, it’s linked to low self-esteem. As one patient told me, 'In porn, no one judges me. I’m free and happy.'"
In a series of studies exploring Israeli porn habits, Gewirtz-Meydan examined motivations behind porn consumption, revealing when it reflects positive factors and when it attempts to fill emotional voids. She shares her findings, including the impact of porn on body image and sexual function, particularly in men with compulsive viewing and women with anxious attachment styles.
"Sexuality is still a taboo in academia, at least in my experience," she notes. "When I first started researching this topic, the reactions weren’t easy. Some said, 'Sex is something people do, not something you research. What’s there to study?' But for me, understanding people through their sexuality opens a direct window into their vulnerabilities. It's exceedingly hard to hide there, near impossible to have a mask on."
In recent years, you have been studying Israelis' porn consumption habits. What did you find out in your research?
"There's no porn in Israel, guys."
I beg you pardon?
"I'm joking. Not long ago, I submitted a research proposal on pornography, and one of the responses I received was, 'Porn isn't really common in Israel.' So, I'm here to debunk that myth, although it's not really a myth anymore. The accessibility, affordability and variety that porn offers make it very widespread in our society, even somewhat normalized."
Gewirtz-Meydan’s research found that 61% of Israeli men watch porn weekly, with 11% watching daily, while 45% of Israeli women have never watched porn. "There’s always social desirability at play, but the survey was anonymous, so it might actually reflect a reverse bias," she explains.
On compulsive consumption, she found 2% of heterosexual men exhibited signs of porn addiction. "We assessed this through questions like: 'Do you try to stop but can’t?' 'Does it interfere with other aspects of your life?' and 'Do you need more content to achieve the same level of excitement?' These factors measure compulsivity, and while no women in the study were classified as addicted, 2% of men were."
"The effects of porn are still somewhat enigmatic. Some research ties it to higher sexual satisfaction and function, while others focus on its negative aspects. One of the big questions for researchers is why its effects vary," she adds.
She elaborates on the ACE model, which examines factors like gender, cultural background and how porn is consumed—alone, with a partner, or kept secret—highlighting that motivations and the context in which people watch porn shape its impact on their lives.