Up to TEN hours a day?
We all want to work there, don't we?
Doctoral candidate Marcus Squirrell surveyed over 1,300 internet users who regularly frequented online sex, fetish and swinging sites to engage in online sexual activities, which included accessing erotic pictures, as well as interacting with others using chat rooms and webcams.
According to Squirrell, a “fairly large percentage” of respondents admitted to taking part in cybersex activities outside the comfort of their home.
“A lot of people who have got problems with compulsive online sexual behaviour can’t actually control themselves and end up doing it at work as well.
“These people are putting so much energy into cybersex – in some cases up to ten hours per day – that it is detracting from their relationship with their partner. It can also adversely affect other areas of their lives, such as their education and employment,” Squirrell told iTnews.
Breaking an addiction to cybersex can cause similar side-effects to those experienced by smokers attempting to quit, explained Squirrell.
“They typically experience withdrawal symptoms,” he said. “They often become irritable and angry and usually very anxious. They become preoccupied with not being able to access it.
“People actually use cybersex to regulate their mood so when they’re stressed they jump on the internet, look at porn for a while or chat with people online. So when they stop doing it they have all sorts of difficulties,” he said.
More than half the participants who engaged in cybersex were married or in a serious relationship, and 65 percent admitted to meeting their cybersex partners offline.
The study also found that cybersex participants were mostly male, well-educated, and – on average – 41 years old.
Squirrell hoped the study would help psychologists better understand the psychological characteristics of cybersex addicts and improve treatment.
Courtesy ITNews.com
Tags: Kinks & Fetishes, Recreation, Sex, Sex in Strange Places, Sex Toys, Swingers, Twitter