A new study from researchers at the University of Derby in the UK has found that about one in ten people shows signs of sex addiction. The study’s co-author, Dr. Yasuhiro Kotera, mentioned in an article publsihed on the university’s blog, “The prevalence of sex addiction is significant, and appears to be on the rise due to the advent of the internet, which provides a wide spectrum of anonymous, easily accessible and affordable cybersex opportunities. Not least of these opportunities is access to online pornography, which is often described as the ‘crack cocaine’ of sex addiction.”

The internet, naturally, immediately freaked out, with the UK’s tabloid the Mirror screeching, “Internet porn has turned one in ten of us into sex addicts!” 

But let’s take a deep breath and take another look at this very interesting study. First of all, the one-in-ten number isn’t any surprise. A similar study from the U.S. found the same numbers late last year, and was widely reported. 

Second, sex addiction is a pretty nebulous idea at this time. Whether it exists at all is still up for debate. The new study authors admitted in their blog post that “sex addiction is not currently considered as a diagnosable disorder.”

And sure, the internet is packed with ways for folks with sexual compulsions to get their fix—but porn is just one of many. It’s convenient to put “porn” in a headline for clicks (we’re looking at you, Mirror), but Dr. Kotera and his co-author, Dr. Christine Rhodes, weren’t particularly interested in blaming adult entertainment.

Instead, they looked at psychological issues underpinning addictive and compulsive sexual behavior in the first place. While earlier studies tended to focus on childhood trauma as a predictor for sex addiction, Doctors Kotera and Rhodes found that, “contrary to previous literature, it is not only trauma that predicts sex addiction. According to our study, anxious attachment predicts sex addiction.”

The doctors explained: “Individuals with anxious attachment often feel that those who are important to them, e.g. their partner, will not be present when needed…They are preoccupied with fear of rejection, therefore, as our research finds, some of them use sex to overcome it.” And, they went on to say, “We also found that narcissism was a strong predictor.”

Or, as the Mirror then paraphrased, “Sex addicts like being the centre of attention—and can’t cope with being given the cold shoulder.”

We’re starting to feel like porn doesn’t have anything to do with this at all, aside from just being around for people who want to watch it. Interesting! In fact, we feel that lots of sex-addicted folks might fit well into the adult entertainment industry, where they can get all the attention—and sex—they need in a safe, welcoming, non-judgmental environment. Just sayin!