[Article] Watching pornography rewires the brain to a more juvenile state

Summary: From eroding the prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain critical for impulse control, to damaging the dopamine reward system, researchers evaluate the impact of viewing pornography on the brain.

Pornography has existed throughout recorded history, transforming with the introduction of each new medium. Hundreds of sexually explicit frescoes and sculptures were found in the Mount Vesuvius ruins of Pompeii.

Since the advent of the internet, porn use has skyrocketed to dizzying heights. Pornhub, the world’s largest free porn site, received over 33.5 billion site visits during 2018 alone.

Science is only just beginning to reveal the neurological repercussions of porn consumption. But it is already clear that the mental health and sex lives of its widespread audience are suffering catastrophic effects. From depression to erectile dysfunction, porn appears to be hijacking our neural wiring with dire consequences.

In my own lab, we study the neural wiring that underlies learning and memory processes. The properties of video porn make it a particularly powerful trigger for plasticity, the brain’s ability to change and adapt as a result of experience. Combined with the accessibility and anonymity of online porn consumption, we are more vulnerable than ever to its hyper-stimulating effects.

Impacts of porn consumption

In the long term, pornography seems to create sexual dysfunctions, especially the inability to achieve erection or orgasm with a real life partner. Marital quality and commitment to one’s romantic partner also appear to be compromised.

To try to explain these effects, some scientists have drawn parallels between porn consumption and substance abuse. Through evolutionary design, the brain is wired to respond to sexual stimulation with surges of dopamine. This neurotransmitter, most often associated with reward anticipation, also acts to program memories and information into the brain. This adaption means that when the body requires something, like food or sex, the brain remembers where to return to experience the same pleasure.

Instead of turning to a romantic partner for sexual gratification or fulfillment, habituated porn users instinctively reach for their phones and laptops when desire comes calling. Furthermore, unnaturally strong explosions of reward and pleasure evoke unnaturally strong degrees of habituation in the brain. Psychiatrist Norman Doidge explains:

“Pornography satisfies every one of the prerequisites for neuroplastic change. When pornographers boast that they are pushing the envelope by introducing new, harder themes, what they don’t say is that they must, because their customers are building up a tolerance to the content.”

You can read full article here: https://neurosciencenews.com/neuroscience-pornography-brain-15354/

It also is providing others a sense of "self-righteousness" meaning "I'm just doing this to fulfill a natural desire" which is a lie. Naturally, humans get aroused, that is a given, but to act on mere impulse and fantasy is more than "natural desire" it's called "lust" a desire to sexual and objectify women, tear apart marriages and families. I know this first hand as a recovering sex addict and almost been in a divorce over it, and so have many others too. A lot of Christian ministries exists today (Celebrate Recovery, Blazing Grace, and Every Man's Battle) because they want to stop this madness.

In the Bible, Jesus considers lusting after a women to be the same as adultery in Matthew 5:27-30, but the world, who loves their porn/lust/ways cant' bear to hear this truth, because they want to feel "justified" that they aren't committed real adultery and will never admit that the adultery is first thought of in the mind before it's acted upon in the physical body. Hence the world hatred for Jesus and Christianity and it's message, which is purity, but the men/women who consume porn, want poison instead....the world also will not admit it's immoral but think "oh, a working girl(sex worker) is legal" but since they don't consider God and God's ways of that being "evil" they only look to laws of man which change (what is illegal today is not illegal tomorrow) and man makes their own standard.

The fact the the sex industry is thriving is a sad moral state of us humans. We are sick and we need moral purity.

Even if someone is an atheist, if they claim to "not cheat on their spouse" yet cheat in their mind, they are not true to their claim of "not cheating" therefore lying.

True faithful goes inwards and not outward. Something Jesus teaches us. Immoral people would have it their way, not God's.

This topic is a really good thing to discuss about. You got the point. People tend to justify actions they find themselves addicted to. Porn is no different. Masturbation while watching a sexual act strips down all emotional part of his being and makes him more agressive towards women, looking at them as an object, and now as another human being. In most of porn videos, women are submissive and called names such as "whore, bitch, slut, good girl (if she gives oral)". And they tend to believe this is something a real woman will accept as well.

This is, as you just said, destroying marriages, families. I even find articles where they say masturbation is healthy for brain. I keep wondering who finance those studies.

Academic wrote:

This topic is a really good thing to discuss about. You got the point. People tend to justify actions they find themselves addicted to. Porn is no different. Masturbation while watching a sexual act strips down all emotional part of his being and makes him more agressive towards women, looking at them as an object, and now as another human being. In most of porn videos, women are submissive and called names such as "whore, bitch, slut, good girl (if she gives oral)". And they tend to believe this is something a real woman will accept as well.

This is, as you just said, destroying marriages, families. I even find articles where they say masturbation is healthy for brain. I keep wondering who finance those studies.

The people have itching ears because they want men, and women, holding credentials to tell them whatever they want and man makes laws that will allow/tolerate any kind of forbidden thing.

Masturbation is not at all a healthy thing, unless between one man and one women in marriage. The body of a man fits inside a women's body.

Masturbation is sex with the self, specifically their hands, while having sexual fantasies of a women inside their mind which is a big fat lie, but the people don't want to know that, they prefer to allow/tolerate it.

God designed a man's body to also have noctornal emissions ("wet dreams") so naturally release any build up.

There is no such thing as "blue balls" which is only a justification to do "lust" like a man will blame a women for being "hot" so he has to give himself some orgasm and yet blame her, which is all crap/lies/bs

Women are way more than we men have given them credit for. They are not sex slaves as porn preaches their satanic immoral / pagan religion, they are a "suitable partner" as God created Eve for Adam and Adam for Eve.

Proverbs 5,6 and 7 says this

God says wrote:

Proverbs 5:1-23 MEV
My son, attend to my wisdom, and bow your ear to my understanding, [2] that you may regard discretion, and that your lips may keep knowledge. [3] For the lips of an immoral woman drip as a honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil. [4] But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. [5] Her feet go down to death, her steps take hold of Sheol. [6] She does not ponder the path of life; her ways are unstable, and she does not know it. [7] Hear me now therefore, O children, and do not depart from the words of my mouth. [8] Remove your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house, [9] lest you give your honor to others, and your years to the cruel; [10] lest strangers be filled with your wealth, and your labors go to the house of a stranger; [11] and you mourn at the last, when your flesh and your body are consumed, [12] and say, “How I have hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof! [13] And I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me! [14] I was almost in utter ruin in the midst of the congregation and assembly.” [15] Drink waters out of your own cistern, and running waters out of your own well. [16] Should your fountains be dispersed abroad, streams of water in the streets? [17] Let them be only your own, and not for strangers with you. [18] Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice with the wife of your youth. [19] Let her be as the loving deer and pleasant doe; let her breasts satisfy you at all times; and always be enraptured with her love. [20] Why should you, my son, be intoxicated by an immoral woman, and embrace the bosom of a seductress? [21] For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and He ponders all his goings. [22] His own iniquities entrap the wicked himself, and he is snared in the cords of his sins. [23] He will die for lack of instruction, and in the greatness of his folly he will go astray.

The issue of modern society is destruction of marriage. Women are no longer thought to be good wives and men good husbands. They are simply let to grow up on their own and learn by themselves. Woman who doesn't lose virginity will be ridiculed, while a woman who has high body count (number of men she slept with) will be named "Bad bitch", "Boss bitch".
When human tries sex for the first time, he realizes how good that is and he wants more and more. If he is not married, he can abandon that woman and find new to try out, to have her. While, if you are married, and lose virginity to each other, you want that only with each other. And why is it so good? If the God created us, he made it feel good so we can make children. If it was painful, who would like to do that?

Also, I would like to say about what you said for human trafficing in Japan. I don't know about it but I do know Japanese are sexually deviated people.

Academic wrote:

The issue of modern society is destruction of marriage. Women are no longer thought to be good wives and men good husbands. They are simply let to grow up on their own and learn by themselves. Woman who doesn't lose virginity will be ridiculed, while a woman who has high body count (number of men she slept with) will be named "Bad bitch", "Boss bitch".
When human tries sex for the first time, he realizes how good that is and he wants more and more. If he is not married, he can abandon that woman and find new to try out, to have her. While, if you are married, and lose virginity to each other, you want that only with each other. And why is it so good? If the God created us, he made it feel good so we can make children. If it was painful, who would like to do that?

Also, I would like to say about what you said for human trafficing in Japan. I don't know about it but I do know Japanese are sexually deviated people.

Yes, some book stores are forbidden to enter due to the graphic and underage content. It's really sick. So bad, I can lose my job if I even try to go, which I NEVER desire to. Sadly, the Japanese government encourages the uses of prostitutes and also in their old news. Sick sick sick.

There is one very disturbing case that shook me to its core and it happened in Japan 3 decades ago. A murrder case of Junko furuta. You can do a research on that. It's really sich what they did to her. Even I read it long time ago, I still feel sick when I think of it. The torture that girl endured 42 days is insane.

And I mentioned her because serial killers who involve rape in their actions were addicted to pornography, such as Tedd Bundy. He admited it in interview.

Academic wrote:

There is one very disturbing case that shook me to its core and it happened in Japan 3 decades ago. A murrder case of Junko furuta. You can do a research on that. It's really sich what they did to her. Even I read it long time ago, I still feel sick when I think of it. The torture that girl endured 42 days is insane.

And I mentioned her because serial killers who involve rape in their actions were addicted to pornography, such as Tedd Bundy. He admited it in interview.

I know that story. Also Issei Sagawa is one of the worst cases of the worst. He was a cannibal, sadistic killer and Japan didn't do anything and he's still alive and free to this day. What is that all about?

He died last year in November. But if he has a lot of money, "justice" will ignore him
But still, Junko Furuta case makes me angry every time. So brutal.

Academic wrote:

He died last year in November. But if he has a lot of money, "justice" will ignore him
But still, Junko Furuta case makes me angry every time. So brutal.

God won't ignore him and didn't. Still I am not happy to see a wicked person pay because they couldn't repented and changed, but didn't. We will know in the end where hopefully. Yes, her too. She is a sad case. God is not going to let the wicked get away with it.

I am pro for torture of these killers. Who ever commit brutal murder or torture should be tortured in the same way. I dont see it as a bad thing. Maybe God preeches to forgive enemies but her parents will never do and no parent would. Hatered they feel will rise a question "Is God real?" "Why God allowed this to happen to my daughter if he is real?"

Academic wrote:

I am pro for torture of these killers. Who ever commit brutal murder or torture should be tortured in the same way. I dont see it as a bad thing. Maybe God preeches to forgive enemies but her parents will never do and no parent would. Hatered they feel will rise a question "Is God real?" "Why God allowed this to happen to my daughter if he is real?"

I understand. Part of me says that exact same. I want to see the evil people like Richard Ramirez, John Wayne Gacy, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy, to be burned, tortured, etc, etc. Like "eye for an eye" but....even though I can't speak for God, I can read the book of Job and see who God allowed Satan to hurt Job...

It has plagued me for a long time, "If God is good, why did He allow this?"

I have to ask also "If God is good, why did He also allow me to life, breathe, eat, have clothes.."

To ask it only one-way is biased (and rightly so, we are hurting) but to ONLY ask 'why the bad' but not 'legitimatly want to know as much 'why this good to me' is only going to create us into the evil illusion of 'god is bad' and that is what Satan wants..


Satan (I think) wants us to to follow this logic

"Hey Christian, you know your god allowed me to hurt you, why would He even do that?"

Actually, knowing the book of Job, I can say this..

"God allowed it, but it was Satan who first proclaimed us are only righteous because of God's blessings, and when God showed the world, to include Satan, that THAT accusation was false, that shuts up all evil voices, who wrongfully think, that.

The truth is. Job was hurt, and despite it all, the pain, HE NEVER blasphemed God. His wife also said "blaspheme God and die"

What?

Yes, child are abused, raped and killed.
Yes, God allowed it

Yes yes, but ..do we really know what goes on in the spiritual?

No, we do not. The abusers are possessed or influenced by Satan, (the real enemy) and that is our real enemy.

If I direct my anger towards God ONLY and not towards Satan, and the real enemy, then the real enemy wins (Satan) and God is blamed for what Satan did.

Also, if God is going to stop all evil "as we expect him to do" then how many times would God punish us for our immoralities? It would be that we live until age 5 and we get zapped? or perhaps age 7? or 14? when we lost our virginity? or we saw some CP? Why didn't God zap us then?

Some wrongfully concluded "there is no god" yet when presented with any thing supernatural/paranormal, they have no answer, except more lies, hence the enemy wins, lies, are part of the enemies strategy to make us turn our backs on God.

In man's eyes, we would torture others, it's our natural thinking that "justfies" it, but if we got "justice" when we are also gonna get into the hot seat too, for all our immoral ways, so that means, no one really can perfectly punish someone.

Let's say, someone never abuses a child, but always watches CP and in their mind, abuses children constantly, God is going to punish them more then the human justice system ever will. God sees into the mind and heart and that person is not going to excape.

We see people everyday, not even knowing what kind of crimes they have committed or we have committed. It's very scary.

Then there is the good news.

1st Corinthians 15:1-4 says that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins....so that means, Jesus paid for us all. Every single person. Even that crazy child killer.

If God doesn't take pleasure in the death of the wicked, If God is love, and provided a way, then we have to educate and tell them lost people about the Lord and seeking the Lord, but if they are hating God still, God is not going to force his love on them and there will be a day to judge them and God will open the books and they will have to answer for every idle word, every deed, every intention, everything, and since they hated God now, why allow them into heaven where God is, there is only one place for them, and it's hell.

Quite a long text, read some of it. It's a hard topic and belongs more to philosophy than psichology. Even moral, it's phislosophy related.

when I start venting on my issues with porn, I go non-stop for hours, sorry, I'm long-winded.

I recall when I used to watch pornography, it was so good for me. Seeing girls of other races, seeing stuff I never knew can be done that way. In a way it can have some type of teaching character but the paycheck is not as good as promised.