Study Reveals Just How Addictive Pornography Is
By Movieguide® Contributor
While many experience addictive behaviors associated with pornography, not many realize that its effect on the brain is comparable to that of drugs.
Dozens of studies within the past decade have revealed that the impact of excessive porn use leaves users just as addicted and desperate as a drug addiction would. Both vices leave a similar mark on the brain, causing it to “light up” when exposed to a stimulus that reminds it of the addiction in a way that non-users’ brains do not.
“To put it simply, porn users become super sensitive to things that trigger them, which then gives them the seemingly uncontrollable urge to look at porn,” Fight the New Drug said.
“There are clear differences in brain activity between patients who have compulsive sexual behavior and healthy volunteers. These differences mirror those of drug addicts,” Cambridge neuroscientist Dr. Valerie Voon told the National Center on Sexual Exploitation.
This response to stimuli causes uncontrollable addictions. The brain of pornography addicts mirroring those of drug users reveals that real addictions can form from porn.
“I think [ours is] a study that can help people understand that this is a real pathology, this is a real disorder, so people will not dismiss compulsive sexual behavior as something moralistic…” Dr. Voon said. “This is not different from how pathological gambling and substance addiction were viewed several years ago.”
Dr. Voon also believes that it is important to note that porn addicts are not discounted as people with high sex drives who need an outlet for their energy. Many addicts experience a low libido and only find pleasure when consuming sexual material but not when engaging in the act themselves.
READ MORE: PORNOGRAPHY DAMAGES MARRIAGES, EX-PORN STAR WARNS
“Subjects reported that as a result of excessive use of sexually explicit materials…[they] experienced diminished libido or erectile function specifically in physical relationships with women (although not in relationship to the sexually explicit material), ” she said.
Understanding that pornography can cause a real addiction that rewires the brain is crucial to grasping the significance of the issue. In the same way that drug addicts struggle to quit once they have started, porn addicts cannot simply quit at a whim but need support and tangible action steps as well.
Furthermore, the best course of action is to not start using porn in the first place, something that parents need to talk with their kids about and set boundaries so they are not accidentally exposed.
Voon’s study found a correlation between brain activity and age when shown sexually explicit materials — the younger the patient, the greater activity in the area of the brain involved with processing reward and motivation.
“The frontal control regions of the brain — essentially, the ‘brakes’ on our compulsivity — continue to develop into the mid-twenties and this imbalance may account for greater impulsivity and risk taking behaviours in younger people,” her study explained.
Younger brains are also more vulnerable to addictions, meaning children and teens are more likely to develop porn addictions if they are exposed to the material.
However, for people already addicted to porn, there is still hope, just as drug users can find freedom from substances.
READ MORE: HOW PORN EXPOSURE IN MEDIA DRASTICALLY AFFECTS TEEN BRAINS
