In women, there is a more positive correlation between pornography consumption and sexual satisfaction.

However, pornography can function as an educational resource for individuals to improve their sexual knowledge, [19] [75] and women who consume pornography more regularly experience increased desire for sexual activity, indicating that pornography might be useful as a form of foreplay. A Meta-Analysis of Pornography Consumption and Actual Acts of Sexual Aggression in General Population Studies".A study analyzing the use of barrier contraceptives by German adults found that when pornography is used as an educational tool on sexuality and sexual culture, there is an opposite effect that happens.

Pornographic content also has substantial impact to a person's executive function and would cause a greater case of desensitization as mentioned above. Sexual health is an essential aspect of overall well-being, and difficulties in sexual performance can have a significant impact on one’s self-esteem, relationships, and quality of life. While some believe pornography consumption leads people to become less satisfied in their relationships, others believe it can have the opposite effect. Furthermore, many young adult men can get confused or perplexed when having a sexual experience with a woman using a traditional female sexual script, as opposed to a more embraced (even sometimes aggressive) sexuality, often outside the confines of an exclusive relationship, that is shown frequently in pornography that is constructed to cater to men.The study found that women are more often the target of non-consensual activity and that almost one-third of the sample collected for the study had experienced at least one of the sexual behaviors listed in the study, without consent. This is mostly due to it being a relatively new area of focus, and more time is required for full understanding.

An epidemiological study describes the association between given behaviors or environmental conditions, and physical or psychological health by means of observation of real-world phenomena through statistical data. Rosenbach, Marcel; Müller, Ann-Katrin; Höfner, Roman; Baumgärtner, Maik; Spiegel, Der (10 March 2021). To make matters more concerning, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the isolation and free-time that have resulted from shutdowns and economic changes may have led to more people than ever self-soothing with easily-accessible porn.These may include the acts depicted, behaviors displayed by actors, doing things that have never been done in the relationship, the triggering of other fantasies and many more. Perry, professor of sociology at the University of Oklahoma, conservative Protestants in the United States are characterized by a "sexual exceptionalism" related to their consumption of pornography due to certain pervasive beliefs within the Conservative Protestant subculture, which entails cognitive dissonance associated with the unfounded conviction to be addicted to pornography, psychological distress, and intense feelings of guilt, shame, self-loathing, depression, and sometimes withdrawal from faith altogether. Some evidence indicates that the connection between Affection Exchange Theory and sexual desire is, in fact, stronger than the connection to relationship satisfaction, suggesting that sexual desire may have a crucial moderating role between the two. Khalifa struggled with finances being frozen by the company, earning just a small sum from her whole adult star career. The findings of the experiments were unable to be generalized outside of the field of the experiments.

In 2015, English comedian Russell Brand appeared in videos by American anti-pornography group Fight the New Drug, in which he discussed pornography and its harmful effects. Growing and propagating in the Andes highlands in Peru, the Maca plant is a vegetable known for its plethora of medicinal and sexual benefits.

The effects of pornography on individuals or their intimate relationships depend on the type of pornography used and differs from person to person. To be clear, there remain questions as to the conclusive effects that the watching of pornography has on men.