X Matthew Fraser Opinions Editor uman sexuality is an undeniable drive that works in all of us. Even when people are forced into quarantine and social distancing the primal urge still needs to be sated. With the combination of financial stress and extreme boredom, the dopamine release of an orgasm becomes all the more enticing, yet with the shelter- in-place directive willing participants are harder to come by. For those who don't live with their significant other but have a steady partner, the switch to sexting and/ or digitally facilitated sex has been quick. But for promiscuous singles masturbation is the key to satisfaction; cue Pornhub making its premium subscription free to global users for the month of April. Without leaning on a puritanical view we should still consider what, if any, potential ramifications come from combining social isolation with prolonged porn usage. Can it all be so simple and still so good? Porn aims to be a guilt-free way to access limitless sexual experiences with none of the intricacies, complexities, or risks of the real thing, but as the old adage goes, “if it's too good to be true...” The problem with heavy porn usage is that it is sometimes tied not to high sex drive but to increased levels of social isolation and loneliness. Although the levels of people who report having watched pornography at any point in their lives are high (as well as in the past month) there has been a similar rise in people Ox Too much porn? » Can excessive free pleasure really be a boon? reporting severe levels of social isolation. A survey of 1,247 people yielded the data that would underpin Pornography Use and Loneliness: A Bidirectional Recursive Model and Pilot Investigation (Butler, Pereyra, Draper, Leonhardt, and Skinner, 2018); the group found that porn usage was a maladaptive attempt to alleviate loneliness wherein the temporary euphoria of sexual stimulation provided release from the melancholy of social isolation and lack of close connection. Butler and co. associated high levels of porn usage with disrupted attachment, and strained pair bonding, which they found to harm relationships. They connected the frequent sexual scripts consisting of eroticism, objectification, promiscuity, and misogyny all of which led to the impairment of secure attachment. Without secure attachment relationships cannot be built or maintained and the level of perceived or experienced loneliness increases. Ina time when everyone is encouraged to stay inside and peruse the internet, the much lauded “Netflix and chill” is no longer an option. Now, another video rises to the occasion. The scripts and settings employed by most porn studios and creators focus sexual pleasure almost exclusively on the male actor; this has led to a reported raise in unsafe sexual practices and misinformation about female sexuality. A study conducted by UCLA and the University of Copenhagen found that men with low levels of agreeableness to begin with showed worse attitudes towards women after watching porn Have an idea for a story? M opinions@theotherpress.ca (though normal men’s attitudes were unchanged). Add to this that porn often depicts female orgasms as resulting from exclusively penetrative sex, which does not correlate to real sexual encounters, and youre left with a frequent refrain from both feminists and sex therapists: that porn neither teaches young men anything of use about sex nor does it empower young women to speak for their sexual needs. What about the pleasure derived from orgasm? One would assume that at least that has value, but a sample of 1,500 adults (Personal Pornography Viewing and Sexual Satisfaction: A Quadratic Analysis -- Wright, Bridges, Sun, Ezzell, and Johnson (2018) had zero instances in which porn usage was ever connected to increased sexual pleasure; in fact, it showed a correlation between decreased sexual pleasures and porn usage as infrequently as once-a-month. This connection could be related to the depictions of the sex acts themselves, the adherence to certain body stereotypes, or the underlying feelings and motivations of the user at the time of viewing. Although correlation is not Who has the quarantine worse? » People living alone or people living in shared housing Tania Arora Staff Writer ll of us were so busy running down our own respective paths of life. We were grateful or ungrateful for things around us, liking or disliking people around us, complaining or enjoying the work we do, procrastinating or being highly active in our daily routine. The universe seemingly decided to collectively give us a break. Believe it or not, each one of us will come out of this quarantine as a different person. The process might vary from person to person. We might be building relationships or breaking the ones we have. For better or for worse, we will get the results later on. But who has the worst quarantine to endure? To those who say that living alone is the best—aren’t you already regretting the decision you made? Because I definitely am. T have been living alone for a while now and never have I said anything other than “living alone is the best.’ But after more than 15 days of this quarantine, even my walls are tired of listening to what I have to say. My hand is now swollen after holding my phone all day long. My laptop is hanging on a thread because I use it pretty much all day. I just have my two hands to play with if I feel sporty. To keep myself entertained and moving, I would sit on the chair—then move to my sofa set... followed by my bed. When my ass starts hurting, I would lie on the floor. No, I am not depressed or completely alone; | have people to talk to, but everyone is involved in their respective families and lives. It was my choice to live by myself. Although it has just been nearly three weeks, this time has been enough to teach me to value each relationship and to not give up on them so easily. But ona brighter side, my productivity has increased. My mind is able to produce and execute all types of creative ideas since I do not have a 9 to 5 anymore. The entire space is mine with nothing to take my mind off and I have the liberty to use it my way. For people who say “I like to be ¢ Who has the quarantine worse? ¢ There's no evolution without a little obsolescence e Any day is a good day for racism ..and more Illustration by Sonam Kaloti causation, it seems fair to say that sexual dissatisfaction is related to increased porn usage. Herein lies the conundrum of sexuality during enforced isolation. Hormones keep flowing and needs still need satisfying, yet we all should stay inside and avoid excessive contact. Though pornography has not panned out as the ultimate evil that many a traditional church-goer believes it to be, nor the rape training ground that many feminists predicted it to become, it is clear that porn is neither an adequate nor satisfactory substitute for real human-to-human kinship. Instead it is an imperfect and deeply flawed tool that can provide temporary pleasure at the risk of exacerbating the loneliness and isolation of the already vulnerable. Sexual interest is as natural as breathing, but there is no great substitute for the real thing. surrounded by people’—I am sure you are actually enjoying seeing the same face every day after you wake up or before you sleep. The struggle of slow Wi-Fi in the house must be real. I would love to know how you manage to keep your dogs, cats, or children away from the webcam when you are working from home or trying to concentrate. Also, you have got no more “] am tired” or “I have to wake up early tomorrow” excuses to throw at your partner. How many times do you play cards or other games with your family members because you have nothing else to do? What new games have you invented to play with people? These might be the “issues” of living with family—but really, they are not issues. But sooner or later, all of us living with family will realize that families are a blessing. Think of not having them by your side and you might even get choked up. Families are with you through health and sickness and in this global health crisis, they are the ones you might need the most if anything goes wrong.