People who sext are more likely to be depressed, anxious, pot-smoking sex addicts

If the person you’re seeing is a fan of sexting, chances are they are more likely to be depressed, anxious, smoke weed, an insomniac and a sex addict, according to a university survey.

In modern dating culture, communicating via texts and voice notes has become the norm, but new research has shown that if you or your partner is partial to a cheeky message, it could say a lot about them.

According to research, more than three-quarters of students engage in sexting but it could indicate they are more likely to suffer from compulsive sexual behaviour.

A study undertaken by Texas Tech University asked 2,160 college students about their sexting habits and found that it is linked to increased rates of masturbation, pornography use and even found they are more likely to use cannabis.

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Research also found that, to a lesser extent, those who sexted had slightly higher rates of depression, anxiety, and sleep issues.

Nicholas Borgogna, an assistant psychology professor and lead researcher of the study, explained that the results don’t suggest that sexting is a bad thing, but that partners should be vigilant for other concerning warning signs.

Borgogna told DailyMail.com: “Sexting, if it's consensual, if it works for you and your partner, that's cool.

“The issues tend to start when folks are sending sexts without consent, or are receiving sexts without consent. That can end up causing shock and offense for them and stress for you, even when that wasn't your intention.”

Bologna’s study, published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, showed that sexting is closely linked to compulsive sexual behaviours and means sexters may also have impulse control difficulties.

The findings were unanimous across genders and sexualities and other identities.

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