The general belief is that men are more interested in watching porn than women. And that’s true.
According to a PornHub estimate, its users consists of 75 percent men and 25 percent women. Many other internet pornography audience statistics leaned closer towards the male, with 90 percent men and 10 percent women.
Various other data support the notion that the male gender is also more interested in sex, nudity, and pursuit of gratification.
This led to the widely held belief that both genders process sexual situations – specifically pornography – differently. However, a recent publication in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that the idea is based on social convention rather than fact.
After analyzing thousands of MRI data, the researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics concluded that the female brain responds to porn the same way as the males’.
The researchers wrote in their paper:
“Following a thorough statistical review of all significant neuroimaging studies, we offer strong quantitative evidence that the neuronal response to visual sexual stimuli, contrary to the widely accepted view, is independent of biological sex.”
Analyzing How Both Genders Respond to Porn
For the study, the researchers collected and analyzed data on sexual responses in the human brain. In all 61 studies, 1,850 participants were shown pornographic images or videos during an MRI scan.
Upon analysis, the researchers noted no visible gender-based differences in how the brains responded to the sexual images. The same activated part of the brain – insular cortex and the amygdala – fired in both genders.
The researchers wrote:
“Both men and women show increased activation in many cortical and subcortical brain regions thought to be involved in response to visual sexual stimuli, while the limited sex differences that have been found and reported previously refer to a subjective rating of the content.”
So, why do women watch less porn than men?
The women in the study reacted less positively to the pornographic materials than the males did.
According to the researchers, it could be because males are more stimulated by sexual matters than women. The authors also suggested that women may be less inclined to view porn because of the social stigma that comes with it.
Whatever the case may be, the research is still not conclusive. While the study focused on large parts of the brain, it’s possible that the gender difference is at a more cellular level.
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