Mental Health

Open Access: No.

Abstract

Problematic pornography use (PPU) is increasingly conceptualized as a behavioral addiction, yet the cognitive mechanisms underlying this condition remain poorly understood. Prior studies suggest that pornographic cues may impair working memory by capturing attention and diverting cognitive resources. This study aimed to investigate how pornographic distraction affects working memory performance and its neural correlates in individuals at risk for PPU, in comparison with healthy controls. A total of 68 heterosexual male college students (34 at risk for PPU, 34 controls) performed a letter 2-back working memory task while viewing pornographic, positive, or neutral images presented as background distractors. Behavioral measures (reaction times and accuracy) and electrophysiological responses (event-related potentials, specifically P300 amplitude) were recorded and analyzed. Individuals at risk for PPU showed a trend toward slower responses in the pornographic condition, while accuracy was generally lower in this condition compared to the neutral one. Event-related potential results showed larger P300 amplitudes in the PPU-risk group in response to pornographic stimuli, which is consistent with enhanced attentional engagement. Notably, reaction times positively correlated with P300 amplitudes only in the pornographic condition, indicating that longer response times were associated with greater neural reactivity to distracting sexual cues. Overall, the findings provide suggestive evidence that pornographic stimuli may disrupt working memory-related processing in individuals with elevated PPU tendencies, possibly reflecting increased attentional allocation to sexually salient information. This cognitive vulnerability may be relevant to the maintenance and progression of PPU.

Relevance

This study provides “converging behavioral and electrophysiological evidence suggesting that pornographic stimuli may interfere” with working memory in individuals at risk for problematic pornography use (PPU). This interference was reflected by slower response times and enhanced P300 brain wave amplitudes in response to pornographic cues, “which may indicate increased attentional capture by sexually salient information and reduced efficiency of cognitive control under such conditions. These findings are consistent with theoretical models of addiction that emphasize cue reactivity and executive dysfunction, and they point to a potential cognitive vulnerability associated with elevated PPU tendencies. Interventions aimed at reducing attentional bias and strengthening executive functioning may represent promising avenues for future research, with the goal of improving self-regulation in individuals vulnerable to PPU.”

Citation

Jiang, X., Song, X., Wang, Y., Wang, J. (2026). The Effects of Pornographic Context on Working Memory Processing Among Individuals at Risk for Problematic Pornography Use. Archives of Sexual Behavior.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-026-03414-4