The Dark Side of Porn: Understanding the Negative Effects on the Brain

In the book “Your Brain on Porn” by Gary Wilson, the negative effects of pornography on the brain are explored in detail. From erectile dysfunction to decreased self-esteem, the negative impacts of pornography consumption are significant.

If you or someone you know is struggling with pornography addiction, it’s important to understand the ways in which it can affect the brain and take steps to overcome the addiction. In this article, we delve into the negative effects of pornography as outlined in Wilson’s book and provide information on what you can do to regain control and lead a healthier, more fulfilling life.

Overview of negative effects of porn

High-speed internet porn is relatively recent and has only been around since 2004. The changes during this period were huge. Websites moved to a ‘user-generated’ model, copying the format of YouTube, allowing an eruption in content. We will come back to this later, but one of the main driving factors of addiction is novelty, which the almost unlimited supply of free content allowed.

Not long after this, people started surfacing on the internet who were complaining about erectile dysfunction, yet they had no problems when viewing porn. ED may be the most obvious side effect, but it is certainly not the last.

Porn isn't too different from other behavioural or substance addictions, such as gambling, cocaine or opioids. Addiction hijacks the reward system, into releasing a huge dose of dopamine. However, over time, the brain gets desensitized to this high dose of dopamine, lowering the baseline. The effect of this is life’s natural rewards, such as friendship, exercise and accomplishment, can no longer compete. Only the source of the addiction, pornography, can ‘satisfy’ that craving. I put satisfy in quotes because it will never truly satisfy.

After these users became aware of these negative side effects, they decided to cut it out. The process is commonly known as ‘rebooting’ because it allows the brain to reset itself. Frequent porn use rewires the brain, putting everything out of wack. It can take between 60 days and a couple of years for users to reset.

After the users had rebooted, they noted that their ED disappeared. But what they also noticed is that they had an increase in self-esteem, increased eye contact with others, improved sense of humour became more optimistic, and became more attractive to potential mates. It wasn't until they abstained that they noticed how much of a negative effect porn use had on them.

How porn affects the brain

As I mentioned above, porn is addictive because of the huge release of dopamine it causes. So what changed since 2004 that caused so many of these negative effects?

Novelty is the answer. When consuming any substance or activity that is enjoyed a lot, over time you become desensitized. The amount of dopamine released each time decreases.

The human brain is designed to want to spread its DNA as much as possible. Once the brain gets used to a mate, it will derive less dopamine. But seeking a new partner will cause the dopamine levels to spike up again. This pattern is known as the Coolidge Effect. A study posted on the website YourBrainOnPorn demonstrates the following:

The Coolidge Effect is an ancient biological program that can override your sluggish contentment after orgasm if there are new mates begging to be fertilized. Without it, there would be no Internet porn. This neurological mechanism perceives each new erotic possibility — including those on your screen — as a valuable genetic opportunity, and jolts you into action with potent neurochemicals.

What happens when you drop a male rat into a cage with a receptive female rat? First, there’s a sexual frenzy. Then, the male progressively tires of that particular female. Even if she wants more he has had enough. However, replace the original female with a fresh one, and presto! The male revives and gallantly struggles to fertilize her. You can repeat this process with fresh females until he nearly dies of exhaustion. Scientists know this phenomenon as the Coolidge Effect and it has been observed in females, too.

So novelty is the reason why internet porn is so addictive. Back in the day, you might have used a magazine or even a video that you had to rent. The key difference is the lack of variety. You would very quickly get bored, and therefore limit the amount of dopamine released.

A well-known side-effect of the overuse of internet pornography is the provenance of evolving fetishes over time. A certain type of content becomes boring over time. Users must move to more extreme content to get the same high. This is the clearest example of the Coolidge Effect if any.

What is the prevalence of porn use?

An addiction-rate study was carried out in 2017 to study addiction in a college population. The results indicated that 10.3% of subjects fell within the clinical range for cybersex addiction. However, if you separate the results by gender, 19% of college-age men were addicted.

From this article, I believe you can ascertain that usage is at least double. In my opinion, most adolescent males will at least occasionally use pornography. In an era when everyone has access to phones at an early age, it's almost inevitable.

Many of the first individuals to notice the negative side-effects of porn use would have been older since they would have needed access to a computer. They would have likely been a professional who worked in some kind of IT job. However, since the widespread use of smartphones, the barrier to entry had almost disappeared. This means children are likely to stumble upon porn at a very young age.

People who have been using porn heavily since puberty rarely make the connection between their porn use and symptoms such as social anxiety, depression or weak erections until after they stop using.

I think a lot more people have an addiction than they realise because they simply haven't known any better.

When does one cross the line?

So you could be thinking, ‘Of course, if you’re addicted to porn, you will have many negative side effects. But what if your use is low? Surely there is no problem.’ Studies have shown that even a small amount of ‘supernormal stimulation’ can rapidly alter the brain and change behaviour.

An Italian study reported that 16% of high school seniors who consumed porn more than once per week experienced low sexual desire. Zero per cent of the non-porn users reported low sexual desire. The takeaway is that addiction is not required for measurable brain changes or negative effects.

Could some porn users be misdiagnosed?

Due to the severe negative effects of porn use, it is likely that users have been misdiagnosed with depression or anxiety? I certainly think so.

Some common symptoms associated with addiction, and therefore a drop in dopamine include:

• Diminished sexual behaviours, a possible cause of sluggish erections/climaxes
• Decreased risk-taking, increased anxiety and a decreasing willingness to socialise
• Inability to focus
• Lack of motivation

Many porn users are surprised after quitting porn that many of their symptoms disappear.

Breaking the addiction

Like any addiction, porn addiction is difficult to break. The reward system is completely out of wack. It will take time for the brain to reset. Some websites suggest between 60 days and 90 days, but these claims don't have much scientific backing. In reality, the direction to recovery will vary massively from person to person and could take a year or longer.

A 2016 Canadian study showed that problems in sexual functioning are curiously higher in adolescent males than in adult males.

Over a two-year period 78.6% of males (age 16–27) reported a sexual problem during partnered sexual activity. Erectile dysfunction (45%), low desire (46%) and difficulty orgasming (24%) were the most common.

Based on this study, which wasn't specific to porn use, we can ascertain that recovery for younger users or users who started at a young age will take much longer.

During the recovery period, you are likely to experience many negative side effects, such as brain fog, sadness, lower productivity, low libido etc. These side effects are a normal part of recovering from an addiction and will wane over time.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the negative effects of porn on individuals and society are significant and should not be overlooked. Some key takeaways from this article include:

• High-speed internet porn, which has only been available since 2004, has contributed to a significant increase in porn addiction.
• Porn addiction hijacks the brain’s reward system, leading to desensitization and decreased happiness.
• Quitting porn can be difficult, but the benefits, including improved self-esteem and relationships, are worth the effort.
• It is important for individuals struggling with porn addiction to seek help and support in order to overcome it and make positive changes in their lives.