Are You A Porn Widow?
Cosmopolitan UK|October 2016

You like him, he likes you. So why can’t he rise to the occasion? Joe Madden investigates how porn is robbing an entire generation of a ‘normal’ sex life.

- Joe Madden
Are You A Porn Widow?

I’ve known Alec* for more than a decade. He’s in his early thirties, good-looking and a successful writer. He’s also funny, popular and charmingly gutter-brained. But for a while there, unbeknown to me, he was struggling with a uniquely 21st-century problem.

During an extended period of bachelordom, Alec fell into some bad habits in the crotch department. With little else to fill the quiet midweek nights, he’d fire up porn sites and tug himself insensible – again and again. And again. “I’d still have been wanking a lot if it wasn’t for porn,” he admits, “but porn tipped me over into wanking like a subhuman.”

Time-consuming as they were, Alec’s chimp-like masturbation habits didn’t seem anything to fret about – until he finally got himself a girlfriend. And that’s where it gets complicated, because there, faced with a real living, breathing body, he failed to get an erection – again and again. “Thankfully, she was extremely patient and understanding,” he winces, “because it took a properly long time to fix.” (Spoiler alert: the two are now engaged.)

Alec’s story is by no means unusual. Porn-induced erectile dysfunction (PIED) among young men is the hot topic in sexual health right now. It’s highly likely you know a man with PIED, and you may even be in a relationship with one: if your man is often unable to ‘keep up his end of the deal’ during adult funtime, you may well be a porn widow. In fact, the unprecedented accessibility of X-rated material is creating thousands of new porn widows every day. According to the Sexual Advice Association, a staggering 75% of British men aged 18 to 25 – the first generation to grow up with porn ‘on tap’ – have experienced erectile dysfunction issues.

この蚘事は Cosmopolitan UK の October 2016 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

この蚘事は Cosmopolitan UK の October 2016 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

COSMOPOLITAN UKのその他の蚘事すべお衚瀺
‘Is Three Relationships Too Many?'
Cosmopolitan UK

‘Is Three Relationships Too Many?'

With his girlfriend out of town, Jack’s* wife suggests he finds a third partner

time-read
3 分  |
January 2019
Brave New Beauty
Cosmopolitan UK

Brave New Beauty

Is tech about to revolutionise your skincare regime and transport you into a whole new universe of beautification? Joanna Taylor isn’t always convinced


time-read
6 分  |
January 2019
How The Gig Economy Is Killing Millennials

Cosmopolitan UK

How The Gig Economy Is Killing Millennials


I put in 18-hour days. I work in the same room I sleep in. I never know when or if I’ll be paid. I go days without speaking to anyone.

time-read
10+ 分  |
April 2019
Could Your #AvoOnToast Get You Headhunted?
Cosmopolitan UK

Could Your #AvoOnToast Get You Headhunted?

Quite possibly. But you’ll have to catch the eye of a new breed of talent scout first. Here’s how


time-read
5 分  |
April 2019
The Robot Wars
Cosmopolitan UK

The Robot Wars

For decades, mankind has feared the day technology becomes cleverer than us. Now it’s here, and we were too busy trying to sync our Sonos to notice. Welcome to The Big Techover...

time-read
5 分  |
April 2019
Hot-Air Health Myths... Exploded
Cosmopolitan UK

Hot-Air Health Myths... Exploded

Think you’re up to date with the basic rules of staying in shape? Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you probably aren’t


time-read
5 分  |
March 2019
The Darkside Of BodyBuilding
Cosmopolitan UK

The Darkside Of BodyBuilding

Amateur fitness competitions have gone mainstream – but do they provide a “healthy” cover for those hiding deadly eating disorders? Former competitor Rebecca Barnes, 22, certainly thinks so.

time-read
5 分  |
May 2019
The Stacy Dooley Effect
Cosmopolitan UK

The Stacy Dooley Effect

From the frontline to the dancefloor, Stacey Dooley defied all the odds to become TV’s golden girl. But it could have worked out very differently

time-read
8 分  |
May 2019
Kings Of The Night
Cosmopolitan UK

Kings Of The Night

Sex, champagne and parties on tap
 what could possibly go wrong? BOBBY PALMER spends the night with the most successful club promoter in London

time-read
9 分  |
May 2019
Is Beauty A Tickıng Timebomb?
Cosmopolitan UK

Is Beauty A Tickıng Timebomb?

With their legions of fans, beauty-brand founders have exploded onto the scene – sometimes becoming celebrities in their own right. But what happens when their behaviour eclipses their products? Laura Capon investigates

time-read
10 分  |
May 2019