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This five minute test will tell you if you're addicted to porn

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Pornography addiction affects a small part the population, and researchers have just found a way to measure addiction.

Millions of people on earth watch pornography every day, almost entirely thanks to the internet.

For many it's not a replacement for sex, but a supplement, and also a good way to work out what you're actually into before you try it.

But how much is too much pornography?

Psychologists from the Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary have created a scale for identifying 'problem' users.

While they stress that in most cases viewing porn is not problematic, it can have negative effects on romantic relationships or losing a job.

The 'test' they have created is intended as an initial assessment.

Diagnosing addiction to pornography can only be made through in-depth interviews.

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Addicted?

Participants were asked to answer how often the following statement applied to them, using this rating system:

Never = 1, rarely = 2, occasionally = 3, sometimes = 4, often = 5, very often = 6, all the time = 7.

I felt that porn is an important part of my life

I used porn to restore the tranquillity of my feelings

I felt porn caused problems in my sexual life

I felt that I had to watch more and more porn for satisfaction

I unsuccessfully tried to reduce the amount of porn I watch

I became stressed when something prevented me from watching porn

I thought about how good it would be to watch porn

Watching porn got rid of my negative feelings

Watching porn prevented me from bringing out the best in me

I felt that I needed more and more porn in order to satisfy my needs

When I vowed not to watch porn any more, I could only do it for a short period of time

I became agitated when I was unable to watch porn

I continually planned when to watch porn

I released my tension by watching porn

I neglected other leisure activities as a result of watching porn

I gradually watched more ‘extreme’ porn, because the porn I watched before was less satisfying

I resisted watching porn for only a little while before I relapsed

I missed porn greatly when I didn’t watch it for a while

According to the study, a total score of 76 or higher suggests a problematic level of pornography use.

The scale was created using 772 respondents, 390 females and 3892 males.

When conducting the test, they found that 3.6 per cent of users were in the 'at-risk' group for addiction to pornography.

HT Metro

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