MASTURBATION AND PORNOGRAPHY, DO THEY HURT OR HELP A RELATIONSHIP? HUMAN SEXUALITY FINAL PROJECT: MINI RESEARCH PROJECT Mikayla Mariani

HOW I WENT ABOUT THE STUDY. I handed out 12 questionnaires to random people of all ages, vary from high school kids to people in their early 60’s. Each questionnaires contained 6 questions, they could be answered yes and no but also left room for people to tell me their opinion. I collected the questionnaires and studied them and learned a lot, and am glad I did my project on this.

QUESTION 1- DO YOU THINK WATCHING PORNOGRAPHY TOGETHER IN A RELATIONSHIP CAN HELP IT OR BE A GOOD THING FOR THE RELATIONSHIP ? My hypothesis said the it can be a good thing if that is what the couple likes. 6/12 people said yes it can help 6/12 people said it could be a negative thing Comments: Possibly dependent upon how open and comfortable the people are Yes, I believe it is dependent on the relationship. It depends on the couple, it is not my idea of fun No, it give unrealistic images

QUESTION 2: DO YOU THINK MASTURBATION TOGETHER CAN BE GOOD OR HELP A RELATIONSHIP? My hypothesis was yes it can be good for a relation ship 5/12 people agreed and said yes 6/12 said not it cant help 1 person didn’t know Comments: Yes knowing what works for your partners is great whether telling or demonstrating I do not think masturbation on self is helpful Just have sex I think that anything that brings a couple more comfortably together can be a good thing in a relationship

QUESTION 3: DO YOU THINK PORNOGRAPHY INCLUDING JUST ONE PARTNER CAN HURT A RELATIONSHIP? My hypothesis was that it can be a hurtful thing in a relationship Nobody said no 10/12 people agreed with me and said yes 2/12 people had different opinions Comments: It can be if it’s a high amount of porn It depends on how the person is affected by porn Yes, it could make the other person feel left out and no good enough Yes, it can be addicting

QUESTION 4: DO YOU THINK MASTURBATION INCLUDING JUST ONE PARTNER CAN HURT A RELATIONSHIP? My hypothesis was yes it can hurt a relationship 7/12 people agreed and said yes 5/12 people said no Comments If it alone, feelings of unwanted I think this could be problematic if it is taking away from the sexual relationship you have with each other. No, because it is a good release No, you should know your body and be comfortable with yourself.

QUESTION 5: IF YOUR RELATIONSHIP WAS LACKING A LITTLE SOMETHING EXTRA, WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO TRY MASTURBATION OR PORNOGRAPHY IF YOUR PARTNER SUGGESTED IT? My hypothesis was yes I would 6/12 people said yes 6/12 people said no Comments: Yes, I think that you should be willing to try new things if they are within your comfort level to increase your relationship with your partner. No, build a relationship of trust and look for ways that would help you fall in love with your partner

QUESTION 6: DO YOU USE MASTURBATION OR PORNOGRAPHY IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP, OR HAVE YOU EVER USED IT IN A RELATIONSHIP? I did this question as an optional one because it is more personal and luckily everyone was open to answer it. My hypothesis was yes 5/12 people said yes 7/12 people said no Comments Yes and it was disgusting Yes I use masturbation at times, pornography no. This is something that was discussed in my relationship and have found it doesn’t need to happen. No, Its morally wrong

CONCLUSION Doing this project I came to a very simple conclusion, everyone has a different opinion on these kind of topics. Though most people view it somewhat the same they can be defined as different things. When talking to one person him and his way defined pornography completely different so it could have played a big part in the answers I got.

I am very glad I was able to do this study because I learned a lot about people and myself. One thing I found very interesting is one girl had to use masturbation for a long distance relationship, which is something me and my boyfriend have had to discuss. It is good to know that some people can talk about this stuff openly. My research did not match my hypothesis completely because everyone has different opinions.