Pornhub Grants Scientists $25,000 To Study Effects Of Watching Adult Films

Pornhub is best known for porn, of course, with the site visited nearly 30 billion times last year, according to an internal report. However, the Canadian company has previously pursued philanthropic ventures and now it looks like they're trying their hand at a bit of academia.

The largest pornography site in the world made the Pornhub Sexual Wellness Grant available in March and thousands of keen researchers applied.

The grant was ultimately awarded to University of Kansas psychology professor Omri Gillath, Ph.D., and collaborators Dr. Ateret Gewirtz-Meydan and doctoral candidate, Katie Adams.

The aim of the study will be to asses the short and long term effects of daily porn consumption.

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Speaking to Inverse, Dr Gillath said: "Porn is becoming a part of the mainstream. We don't tend to look too much on the consequences.

"Some of what Pornhub is trying to do now is making sure that it's treating seriously its role in society.

"It's entertainment, sure, it's a source of arousal, of course. But it's also an educational source and we need to be serious about that as well."

The research will take place over the next 18 months and will consist of three separate studies.

Corey Price, vice president of Pornhub, said the company was 'happy' to be supporting Dr Gillath's research.

Speaking to Inverse, he said: "He remains dedicated to uncovering more detailed information on the consumption of adult entertainment and its effects, and we are happy to champion his endeavours."

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Porn has been widely criticised for having a negative impact upon sexual relationships, with groups such as Fight The New Drug campaigning to 'raise awareness of its harmful effects'. However, Gillath said a lot of research previously had been skewed by a negative bias, whereas he aims to reveal both the positive and negative effects.

He said: "For many years there was a trend [of] researchers with a negative bias coming into the area and almost forcing their negative bias on the research of porn.

"One of the options is that maybe people are consuming porn instead of sexual activity with a partner, and that would fit in with the overall tendency of having less sex and getting married less, and so on."

Dr Gillath said it is important the research is carried out in light of the fact pornography is becoming an increasingly common means of sexual education.

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He said: "A lot of education that we used to get within the family or extended family to understand how to do [things] automatically, we don't know to do anymore.

"Unfortunately for some people porn is replacing what used to be a level-headed education about these things, and it adds a lot of anxiety and a lot of stress and all kinds of maladjustments.

"We have a responsibility, not only at the scientific level but also the educational and societal level, to engage in such work."

Best open up your laptop then doctor and get to work.

Topics: Science, Study, PornHub,

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey