Is Porn Rotting Our Brains Like A Drug?

Is pornography harmful or is it just a source of harmless pleasure?

That is the question that many media and researchers have been asking in recent years, especially in an age when access to pornography has become easier than ever. It’s so easy that sometimes you stumble upon pornographic material by accident, looking for a download link is like a scavenger hunt among so many ads of singles in my area who want to meet me (or at least that’s what I told my boss).

Although pornography is almost as old as mankind, it has always been attempted to be normalized and demonized over and over and over and I’m dizzy now! Campaigns have been launched where porn is presented as a cancerous and deadly disease, and on the other hand, others have wanted to show that there is nothing wrong with consuming it(as long as you are of legal age). But who is right? Is anyone right? Perhaps the truth be somewhere in the middle?

Investigations Continue In Amateur Phases

Although studies on the effects of pornography consumption on a neurological level are still in their early stages, it can be assumed that there is a direct relationship between mental health and sexual activity.

It is not very difficult to conclude that abusing the consumption of porn has negative consequences on our health, and studies show that this can seriously affect our sexual lives and how we interact sexually with others. It is also argued that in addition to sexual dysfunctions, the abusive consumption of pornographic material can cause ills such as anxiety and depression.

The effects of pornography on the brain are comparable to substance abuse. Our brain is made to adapt due to its plasticity, and after receiving a very high load (mind the pun) of stimuli such as the use of a strong drug or a video of Lana Rhoades, it manages to mold itself and get used to said stimulus. In the case of porn, this load is dopamine (hehe, load), which is what is released when we consume it. Just as narcotic addicts often need stronger and stronger drugs to feel satisfied, people who abuse pornography begin to feel the same way.

The problem lies when you find yourself on page 72 and you can’t find a video that satisfies you, maybe you’re picky, maybe you have a problem?

The more dopamine you produce, the more dopamine the brain needs to feel those levels of pleasure, as it adapts, this quality is called plasticity. That is why sexual life can be affected, because the person who abused pornography is conditioned to a way of receiving pleasure, and what should be a wonderful, four espresso shot experience with thick cream (more innuendo, I couldn’t help it) of sexual revelry, becomes bland, instant decaf coffee *bleurgh!*.

Porn: A Gateway Drug

The problem is not only that it becomes increasingly difficult for you to get the porn content that you enjoy, but it also goes further.

The excess of these stimuli (dopamine) can cause damage in the functions of other neurotransmitters, or simpler terms, in how we perceive rewards and pleasures. What else is also related to neurotransmitter deficiency? depression and anxiety.

Organizations for the rehabilitation of people addicted to pornography, point out that a high percentage of users who abuse pornographic material suffer from depression and anxiety, and this is due to what we saw about the alteration of our system to feel pleasure.

On the other hand, other data shows that the level of consumption is going to grow exponentially, that is, the more porn you watch, the more porn you need to see.

If all of this sounds dangerously close to a talk about drug abuse, it’s not a coincidence.

The Vicinity Of Obscenity

Maybe you did not know this, but Pornhub (the largest porn site in the world) publishes the consumption and search data of its users every year. Normally, the most frequented genres and searches are usually the classics that you would expect, however, in recent years there has been an increase in consumption in more violent and frankly disgusting genres such as incest and rape and young girls. That data is…(fill in the blank)

Is the consumption of porn responsible for crimes and acts of sexual violence? That has not been proven, but studies do suggest that an addicted person has to seek less and less conventional content to satisfy themself.

Excess stimuli not only affect our reward system but also has effects on the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for the development of social coexistence, executive functions, motivation, and behavior.

Basically, it is the part of the brain where our values ​​and principles are found, or how we think we should behave. Therefore, by desensitizing this area of ​​the brain, an individual can start to show impulsive and violent behavior, in addition to their decision-making being affected.

Porn In A Soda Can

After so many complicated and convoluted terms and scientific parlance (hehe), what is the conclusion?

First, although the mental health effects of porn that we saw are disturbing, they have only been seen in individuals suffering from an addiction. My recommendation? Imagine that porn is like soda with high sugar levels (so basically every soda) better to avoid it altogether and enjoy the wondrous world of actual sexual connection. Remember, as with soda, the more we drink, the less we’ll be able to taste and savor the sweetness of others, and often much better things.

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