How Pornography Affects The Brain
This blog post is the first in a three-part series about the effects of pornography consumption. Truth be told, it would take many posts to address and educate people about the implications we can all experience in our lives, marriages, and families due to pornography. For this specific series I have chosen to share information about the various effects on the brain, relational intimacy, and sexual betrayal trauma.
This post addresses how the brain is impacted by pornography and what one can do to take the first steps in making different choices that lead to better brain health. Why a post about pornography you might ask? Because porn reaches across all generations from children, adolescents and teens, to adults of all ages. Pornography consumption is often referred to as the “silent pandemic.” Fight The New Drug, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness about the negative effects of pornography, includes data on their website that shows 70% of men and 30% of women view pornography. Additionally, 84.4% of 14-18 year-old males and 57% of 14 to 18-year-old females view porn. My goal is to share information with the hope of helping people understand that porn is not just a secret habit with no wide-ranging effects, but an issue that touches many areas of life.
Let’s focus for a moment on what happens to the brain while viewing pornographic images. Chemicals like dopamine, norepinephrine, oxytocin, vasopressin, endorphins, and serotonin are all involved and affected while one is consuming these visual images. Dopamine and norepinephrine are responsible for helping the viewer achieve acute focus, and dopamine additionally drives the cravings one experiences. While seeing pornographic images and videos, oxytocin and vasopressin are released which create a bond with the images and formulate long-term memories. The chemical responses that occur in the body can provide a proverbial “high” that many look to replicate, leading them back to porn over and over again. Specifically, endorphins provide the “high” and serotonin produces relaxation after sexual release (Gilkerson, 2021). These hormones are actually re-wiring our “neural pathways.”
Our brains have the remarkable ability to prepare us to engage in activities for follow-up experiences. This especially occurs when we immerse ourselves in pleasurable activities while being intensely focused (Fight The New Drug, n.d.). “Our brains create what are known as “neural pathways.” The more we engage in an activity, the stronger the pathways associated with that activity become” (Fight The New Drug, n.d.).
In theory, dopamine works on our behalf to help us create and maintain healthy behaviors. Unfortunately, the release of dopamine also plays a key role in addictive behavior. While viewing pornographic images, this part of the brain also known as the reward center, releases dopamine while one experiences pleasure. The pre-frontal cortex is part of the brain that helps us recognize possible consequences of our behavior, or in other words, it helps with impulse control. This is the last part of the brain to reach development which happens around age 25. Research shows that the re-wiring of “neural pathways” from porn consumption impacts the pre-frontal cortex. Many porn viewers suffer from “hypofrontality” which means decreased impulse control. Fight the New Drug explains, “not only can porn create a feedback loop of cravings and desire, it can simultaneously decrease the brain’s ability to keep those cravings in check“ (Fight The New Drug, n.d.).
Thankfully, we can create new “neural pathways” and here are some tips to help those seeking to stop using porn:
*Recognize that you want to change.
*Tell someone you trust that you want to make this change.
*Get accountability software installed on your devices.
*Seek support through counseling or support groups.
*Identify triggers of why you use porn (attachment issues, boredom, stress, fear of intimacy, etc.)
*Identify and implement healthy coping skills.
*Educate yourself through:
Websites:
Book Resources:
Surfing for God
Your Brain on Porn
How We Love
Finally, it is important to note that more than anything, the desire to change one’s mind and one’s heart are vital to long-term abstinence. “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23, NIV)
Stay tuned for part 2 of this blog series which will focus on how porn use effects relational intimacy.
Until Next Time,
Amy Cofer LPC MHSP
865-670-0998