Yes, depression is associated with prolonged exposure to pornography. Depression affects all aspects of life, including our sexuality. Research has discovered that "compared to healthy men, depressed men reported less frequent sexual thoughts and fantasies, less frequent sexual activity, less pleasure from their sexual activity, and less satisfaction with their sex lives."

Even hard-core pornography users are admitting that a spiral of alienation occurs when pornography is introduced in a relationship. One young man, who had been involved in sadomasochism and the pornography business, got married, then had children. He says he sees nothing wrong in his addiction to erotica or in sharing some of it with his children, but his comments reveal the inherent numbing effect is has.

"I don’t think my kids are ready for it. Hard-core becomes very detached . . . I guess it’s the impersonalness of the tape that I’m not sure they can deal with."

Although he is not willing to face it for himself, he does recognize that pornography makes a very personal expression of love impersonal. This alienation spins downward through unmet expectations, which leads to withdrawal from real sex into fantasy and masturbation. Finally the depressive spiral leads to anger, because neither the real-life sex partner nor his own body can keep pace with his erotic fantasies.