A State-Level Analysis of Mortality and Google Searches for Pornography: Insight from Life History Theory

Due to the widespread popularity of pornography, some studies explored which individual factors are associated with the frequency of pornography use. However, knowledge about the relationship between socioecological environment and pornography consumption remains scant. Based on life history theory, the current research investigated the association between state-level mortality and search interest for pornography using Google trends. We observed that, in the U.S., the higher mortality or violent crime rate in a state, the stronger search interest for pornography on Google. The results expand the literature regarding the relationship between socioecological environment and individuals' online sexual behavior at the state level.