The view that porn is inherently harmful seems to be growing. Porn is increasingly described as “addictive” and as a threat to public health. But is this actually true? In today’s show, we’re revisiting an important conversation from the archives in which we explore the truth about how porn affects people.

My guest is Dr. Nicole Prause, a licensed psychologist and sex researcher who founded the sexual biotechnology company Liberos. She is a former Kinsey Institute trainee and has published an extensive body of research on the neuroscience and psychophysiology of sex. She is currently a scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles in the Department of Medicine.

Some of the specific questions we explore in this episode include:

• What counts as porn? And how do you measure porn use on surveys when different people have different definitions of it?
• Why are there so many discrepant findings about pornography’s effects in the research?
• Why shouldn’t we think of porn as addictive? How should we think about it instead?
• When people identify porn as a problem in their lives, is porn per se really the issue or is there usually something else going on?
• In what ways can porn potentially have positive effects on people?

Learn more about Nicole by following her at @NicoleRPrause over on X and or Bluesky.

Got a sex question? Send me a podcast voicemail to have it answered on a future episode at speakpipe.com/sexandpsychology.

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Thank you to our sponsors!

Boost your sexual confidence and performance with Popstar Delay Spray. Save 20% off your first order by using “Justin” as the discount code at popstarlabs.com/justin.

I’m excited to announce a new online course I’m teaching on the topic of fantasies at the Kinsey Institute. Be sure to register for “The New Science of Sexual Fantasies” workshop, which will take place on July 19th, 2025.

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Want to learn more about Sex and Psychology? Click here for previous articles or follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, or Bluesky to receive updates. You can also follow Dr. Lehmiller on YouTube and Instagram.

Listen and stream all episodes on Apple, Spotify, Google, or Amazon. Subscribe to automatically receive new episodes and please rate and review the podcast!

Credits: Precision Podcasting (Podcast editing) and Shutterstock/Florian (Music). Image created with Canva; photos used with permission of guest.

In the previous episode, we began a fascinating conversation about the long history of human interest in kink and BDSM. Today, we’re diving deeper into the subject and discussing how major cultural events have played a role in shaping kinky interests. We’re also going to talk about how kink and BDSM have been portrayed in the media and some of the controversies around how it has been presented.

I am joined once again by author, historian, and journalist Peter Tupper. He runs the History of BDSM blog and wrote the book A Lover’s Pinch: A Cultural History of Sadomasochism.

Some of the specific topics we explore include:

• How did WWII influence BDSM practices and communities?
• What’s the historical connection between BDSM and fascist politics?
• How are kink and BDSM represented in popular media?
• How do we balance making representations of minority sexualities accessible without over-relying on stereotypes?

You can check out Peter’s book here.

Got a sex question? Send me a podcast voicemail to have it answered on a future episode at speakpipe.com/sexandpsychology.

***

Thank you to our sponsors!

Boost your sexual confidence and performance with Popstar Delay Spray. Save 20% off your first order by using “Justin” as the discount code at popstarlabs.com/justin.

I’m excited to announce a new online course I’m teaching on the topic of fantasies at the Kinsey Institute. Be sure to register for “The New Science of Sexual Fantasies” workshop, which will take place on July 19th, 2025.

***

Want to learn more about Sex and Psychology? Click here for previous articles or follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, or Bluesky to receive updates. You can also follow Dr. Lehmiller on YouTube and Instagram.

Listen and stream all episodes on Apple, Spotify, Google, or Amazon. Subscribe to automatically receive new episodes and please rate and review the podcast!

Credits: Precision Podcasting (Podcast editing) and Shutterstock/Florian (Music). Image created with Canva; photos used with permission of guest.

Ever since Fifty Shades of Grey hit the scene, it seems as though kink and BDSM have become ubiquitous in popular media. But here’s the thing: just because kink went mainstream in the last decade or so doesn’t mean that it’s new. In fact, the roots of BDSM trace back centuries. And the history behind it is fascinating, so that’s what we’re going to be talking about today.

I am joined by author, historian, and journalist Peter Tupper. He runs the History of BDSM blog and wrote the book A Lover’s Pinch: A Cultural History of Sadomasochism.

Some of the specific topics we explore include:

• How far back in human history does interest in BDSM go?
• When we look back through history, how do we know whether something actually reflects BDSM as we know it today?
• What is the role of religion in the history of BDSM?
• Where did the term “sadomasochism” come from?
• How have views on BDSM changed over time?

You can check out Peter’s book here.

Got a sex question? Send me a podcast voicemail to have it answered on a future episode at speakpipe.com/sexandpsychology.

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Thank you to our sponsors!

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Want to learn more about Sex and Psychology? Click here for previous articles or follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, or Bluesky to receive updates. You can also follow Dr. Lehmiller on YouTube and Instagram.

Listen and stream all episodes on Apple, Spotify, Google, or Amazon. Subscribe to automatically receive new episodes and please rate and review the podcast!

Credits: Precision Podcasting (Podcast editing) and Shutterstock/Florian (Music). Image created with Canva; photos used with permission of guest.