Cheryl Strayed and Steve Almond, hosts of the WBUR Dear Sugars Podcast, share a lively discussion with Wendy Maltz on National Public Radio about the personal and relationship problems porn is causing and whether or not it’s a good idea to use it. This interview is so popular it has been repeatedly aired several times over the years. This episode was originally published on December 1, 2016. It features questions from listeners.
Situations discussed include:
- A happily married man who goes online to masturbate to porn three times a week and wonders if it is harming him and his marriage, even though he is honest with his wife about what he’s doing.
- A woman in her late 20s is concerned about how much her boyfriend uses porn and how at times he seems to prefer it over being with her.
Cheryl, Steve, and Wendy go into detail about the different perspectives on porn that users and nonusers often have, the impact of a porn problem on an intimate partner, feelings of ambivalence concerning porn, and the challenges porn use can present to a couple when there is a desire for deeper emotional closeness. Wendy provides insight and tools for evaluating whether or not porn is causing serious problems or could in the future. Intelligent and rich, this conversation goes deep.
Redux: Is Porn Wrong? WBUR, 3-27-2021
Listen here
