You Should Watch Porn Before a First Date If You Want It To Go Well, According to Science
Prime the pump, so to speak.
It shouldn’t be a big surprise that research performed on undergrads by psychology professor Gurit Birnbaum indicates porn consumption before that first date can make things go smoothly later. However the reason why things go well once the date is underway isn’t as obvious as you’d think.
Based on Birnbaum’s findings, it looks like the date’s success comes from a “sexual priming” effect acquired through watching skin flicks. That priming essentially inspires both men and women to feel more gregarious and talkative.
Birnbaum’s fascinating research, according to a report in the paywalled U.K. Times, found that the priming effect can be seen in both digital interactions as well as real-world meetups. According to Birnbaum, the way porn activates “the sexual system” inspires “strategies that allow people to become closer to potential partners.”
The researcher told the Times that checking out porn or even lower-key erotica “initiates a positive cycle of intimacy.”
Basically people will be more likely to reveal personal things, and this can create a nice little feedback loop in which the other person wants to respond in kind. Birnbaum said that the end result is “you get the impression that this person likes you, and you react by liking him or her more.”
Humans just have a natural tendency to do this. It can eventually lead to more serious flirting and if all goes well, a bond between people who were previously strangers that leads to the best possible outcomes.
Porn still gets plenty of criticism. As far as we’re concerned, any time there’s a demonstrably positive use, might as well try it out.
If you have a first date and some free time beforehand, just consider that quick click-through to Pornhub some very personal research.