Shall I move into evolutionary mismatch theory?
Selection distortion theory posits that widespread access to internet pornography functions as a supernormal stimulus, hijacking evolved visual mate-selection mechanisms—particularly in men—and systematically distorting preferences toward hyper-idealized, novel, and non-committal sexual cues, thereby competing with real-world pair-bonding, reducing relationship quality, impairing sexual function, and contributing measurably to fertility declines.
Empirical support includes the 2021 National Couples and Pornography Survey, which found that couples with no porn use reported over 90% high stability, commitment, and satisfaction, while male or joint use correlated with 18–45% drops in these metrics, one in five couples experiencing conflict, and porn initiation nearly doubling divorce odds. Frequent porn consumption links to higher erectile dysfunction prevalence in young men (up to 34–50% in high-use groups versus 13% in low-use), lower arousal to real partners, and, per the MARHCS study, earlier/frequent use with masturbation during viewing associated with reduced sperm concentration, total count, and altered reproductive hormones. Critically, the 2007 iPhone/smartphone rollout—enabling ubiquitous porn access—accounts for 33–52% of the U.S. fertility drop from 2007–2011 (teen births down 4.5–8%, young adults 3.2–6.6%), via mechanisms including reduced in-person socializing, less sex, and porn substitution, with parallel global patterns post-broadband diffusion.
Thus, while economic and cultural factors predominate, pornography-driven selection distortion operates as a potent technological amplifier of evolutionary mismatch, eroding the incentives and capacities for committed reproduction in modern environments.