Erection In Public
The male erection has been a matter of controversy and a high priority for media since the invention of the very first printing press. There’s no evidence that media have covered erections stories since the olden times. Still, it’s clear that in the modern world, erections, like most other matters concerning the male ego, gain a lot of media coverage, especially among smaller publications.
Perhaps it is a part of a societal concern that moves everyone to care about men’s ability to get erections. Without them, the human race would not be able to procreate. Or, on the more casual side of things, maybe erections are a key component of general male self-confidence, both in and out of the bedroom.
One thing is clear, though, and the general public doesn’t know nearly enough about erections as they let on. For starters, while there have been tons of academic efforts that have aimed to delve into the source of proper erections, and the dysfunctions that occasionally occur, there seems to be very little public understanding of the subject. Accusations get thrown left, and right and sufferers of erectile dysfunction have to further deal with the embarrassment of the stigma, which at this point is still unfortunately quite rampant.
The Mind, Body, and Soul of a Healthy Erection
Academia usually takes either the medical or the psychological route, sometimes combining the two coming to conclusive, but rather vague theses about the sources of erectile dysfunction. It’s common knowledge that stress increases the chances of erectile dysfunction, but there is, unfortunately, no more in-depth understanding of the inner workings of the human penis. The anatomy is public knowledge, but the process behind the scenes is still a rather locked-up mystery.
Even though it’s clear that stress is a factor, an analysis of one of the worst kinds of stress – post-traumatic stress disorder specifically, found that sufferers of PTSD had the same erectile functionality as people who did not suffer from this disorder. This is rather odd given that day-to-day stressful activity has been shown to cause erectile dysfunction. One would assume that more long-term psychological damage would factor in wildly and disrupt casual daily sexual activity. And yet, this does not seem to be the case.
On the flip side, there are academic efforts showing a clear relationship between depression and erectile dysfunction, proving conclusively that either can cause as well as bolster the other. The more depressed you are, the worse your erections, and vice versa. It would appear that this is an endlessly looping cycle that would take serious psychiatric help to snap out of.
Pornography and Depression
With the recent uptick in public news regarding the unfortunate mental health of many pornographic artists, it’s clear that the industry is running rampant with symptoms of depression. As for the viewers of porn, academia tells us that several scary connections have been established there. First of all, pornography seems to appeal to many habit-forming parts of the brain, meaning that while porn isn’t addictive by default, but it can be if your mindset is skewed in that direction. Combined with the loneliness of people who are single, this is a dangerous cocktail.
These days, pornography is so rampant and respected that it features the same documentary efforts we’ve come to expect of cinema or literature. If you’d like an IMDB for porn, the Internet Adult Film Database has your back. And if you want coverage of every kind of porn under the sun, then hard-working boys from ThePornDude are here to make sure you reach the right type of adult content before your belt is even off your pants. This is why abstaining from porn isn’t wise, especially if you’ve got a natural passion for the genre.
Many studies have found conclusive evidence to support the fact that pornography, depression, loneliness, and force of habit often go hand in hand. It’s not a matter of unavoidable correlation. It’s more the case that people who are lonely get depressed because of it, and if they discover pornography, it just gets added to the mix of mutually feeding habits. And, if you happen to be on the fence regarding the morality of the pornography that you’re consuming, then feelings of guilt might run rampant after your masturbatory sessions. You’d essentially be stuck in a masturbatory pornographic loop of craving followed by a reward, followed by guilt.
The Ultimate Consequences
It’s worth noting that while lonely people who masturbate alone can (and probably often do) experience erectile dysfunction, it’s less of a problem for them, in theory. The freedom that comes with being alone means that they’re not nearly as hard-pressed to fix the issue immediately, unlike someone who might be looking forward to intercourse with another person.
The problem happens when you build up the upcoming lovely evening with another person, and when you need an erection the most, it fails you. This can either begin a spiral of depression or add to one that you might already be suffering from. That means that even people who do not have erectile dysfunction can get thrown wildly off the rails by one incident, even if it’s a tiny fluke.
A Mixed Bag of Cause and Effect
It would appear that pornography is no guiltier of causing erectile dysfunction than stress or general discomfort. It’s more a matter of the mixed correlation between various stressors that can compound and bolster each other. It’s unlikely that a singular source of stress would do you in, especially if it’s something you suffer from regularly. A stressful job that is consistently stressful shouldn’t prevent you from having erections in the evenings.
As for regular pornography consumption, the same rules apply. If you consume porn regularly, you shouldn’t have a problem getting it up when you need to. However, if you use porn as a crutch to make up for lack of satisfaction in other areas of your life, then you’re more likely to set up a long row of dangerous dominoes that are waiting to crash across your day today.
