Female porn stars have better self-esteem than other women, study says

A new study concludes female porn stars are not more likely to have psychological problems than other women.

To the contrary, the study found porn actresses have higher self-confidence and more flattering views on their body image than most women.

Because the study -- published in the Journal of Sex Research – shatters the myth that porn actresses are “damaged goods” who got into their profession due to low self-esteem, it is getting widespread attention including in The Daily Mail .

Researchers at Pennsylvania's Shippensburg University, Texas Woman’s University and the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation conducted the study.

In the study, the researchers compared 177 adult entertainment actresses, ages 18 to 50, with women of the same age, ethnicity and marital status who are not in the porn industry.

"In terms of psychological characteristics, porn actresses had higher levels of self-esteem, positive feelings, social support, sexual satisfaction and spirituality compared to the matched group," the report concludes.