7 Signs You're Watching Too Much Porn

Article written by By Yvonne K. Fulbright, PhD

Is porn an innocent pastime or an international obsession? According to a new Extreme Tech report, 30% of all internet traffic involves browsers visiting pornographic websites. With the largest and most popular adult porn site getting 4.4 billion page views per month, singles and couples are spending a lot of time in the world of triple X. Add to this the fact that, while a typical news site has an average visit of three to six minutes, the average amount of time spent on a porn site is 15-20 minutes, and this has people asking: How much is "too much" porn? The Naked Truth: What You Need To Know About Men & Porn

More from YourTango: What Is 'Honey Sex' And Why Is It Bad For You?

Regardless of how much time is devoted to XXX activities, individuals and couples may indulge in porn for a number of the same reasons. Among the more positive incentives are: enhancing masturbation, spicing up one's sex life, sharing intimate moments and stress relief. Reasons that can be cause for concern include accessing porn when you're in a committed, but sexless relationship, or turning to porn because you're unable to become intimately involved with another human.

With therapists reporting an increased number of clients presenting porn-related problems (case in point: 50% of the divorce cases for 2002 involved porn), the impact of porn has been raising more and more concern. Professionals and lay people alike want to know if there is such a thing as too much porn. If so, what are some of the signs that you or your partner are too into it? Experts Agree: Cheating Is Not About Sex [VIDEO]

Some indicators that a porn habit is becoming problematic include:

1. You're becoming anti-social. You'd rather lose yourself in porn than be out socializing and meeting other people. You're excusing yourself from all sorts of activities or are becoming known for unexplained absences. Even if you do manage to get out with humans, you find yourself preoccupied with the porn the second you get home. During family and couple obligations, you find yourself concocting strategies for leaving as soon as possible.

More from YourTango: 7 Sex Positions Men Love

2. You have an inability to be intimate with others. You're becoming increasingly aware that porn is taking precedence over your desire and abilities to develop or cultivate a relationship with another. You're spending more time with pornography than socializing with and meeting other people. Overall, your porn obsession is starting to cause family, work, legal, and/or spiritual problems, especially as you're having more trouble accounting for your time. How To Have Better Sex

3. You're lying to your partner. While you were once open with your lover, you can now describe your interactions as ones defined by secrecy and dishonesty in trying to hide your passion for porn. Like the other 70% of people who keep their porn use a secret, you're going to great lengths to cover your tracks. When questioned about your absences, activities, or porn use and curiosities, you're willing to do and say anything as not to fess up and risk losing this now major part of your life.