Männer, die sich als Incels (unfreiwillige Zölibatäre) identifizieren, konsumieren mehr Pornografie und erleben eine größere körperliche Unzufriedenheit als andere Männer. Die häufige Nutzung von Erwachsenenmedien in Verbindung mit der Überzeugung, dass Frauen von Männern erwarten, dass sie wie Pornodarsteller aussehen, verschlechtert tendenziell die Sicht dieser Männer auf ihren eigenen Körper.

Study links internalized pornographic standards to body image issues among incel men

A recent study published in the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy suggests that men who identify as involuntary celibates consume more pornography and experience greater bodily dissatisfaction than other men. The research provides evidence that frequent adult media use, combined with the belief that women expect men to look like pornographic actors, tends to worsen how these men view their own bodies.

Involuntary celibates, commonly known as incels, are men who deeply desire romantic and sexual relationships but feel entirely unable to attain them. This group tends to form a specific online identity centered around rigid and fatalistic beliefs. They generally believe that society is organized into a strict hierarchy based entirely on physical appearance.

From their perspective, incels are trapped at the very bottom of this social hierarchy due to permanent and unchangeable physical flaws. Because of these beliefs, they frequently experience intense loneliness, depression, and a severe lack of social support. Many harbor negative attitudes toward women, believing that women are shallow and only interested in highly attractive men.

The results showed distinct behavioral and psychological differences between the two sets of men. Incels reported consuming significantly more pornography than the men who did not identify as incels. They also engaged in much higher levels of masturbatory coping, meaning they frequently used masturbation to manage daily stress and forget their worries.

Additionally, the incel group reported much higher levels of social isolation and daily loneliness. When it came to the adult content itself, the incel men viewed pornography as significantly more realistic than the other men did. They were also more likely to concede that watching pornography had worsened their views of women over time.

The two groups did not differ in what they expected a female partner to look like. Both incels and non-incels had similar aesthetic expectations regarding female pornographic actors. However, the incel group reported much stronger beliefs that future female partners would expect them to match the physical standards of male pornographic actors.

This specific belief was strongly associated with negative feelings about their own physical traits. The researchers found that incels experienced significantly more dissatisfaction with their general body image. They also reported much higher levels of dissatisfaction with their genital image compared to the other men.

The scientists used statistical models to explore how these different factors influence one another. They found that the belief that women expect men to look like pornographic actors acted as a bridge between being an incel and having severe body image issues. Essentially, identifying as an incel and internalizing the physical standards seen in adult media tends to predict intense bodily dissatisfaction.

For those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0092623X.2026.2628651

There are all sorts of looking dudes in porn tho???

Most male pornstars are pretty average looking, some are even downright ugly. Just have big dicks and the right opportunities.

Trust me, my dissatisfaction with my own body was here LONG before I even saw porn for the first time. My distaste for my own body leads me to believe that nobody else could want this so even when someone was interested, I disregarded that part of my brain that said anything.

For me, porn is just for the visual and auditory stimulation I lack from having anything IRL. I know that it’s unrealistic, I don’t set my expectations from it.

So you are telling me that guys who don’t have sex jerk off more? Inconceivable!

I Think unrealistic standards have much more to do with instagram influencers and celebrities

So they focus on the penis….they are gay.

I mean, Porn is like the most easily available addictive substance in the world. 

Now do women who can’t any sexual attention. They probably feel ugly too.