On several different occasions we have
looked at the dangers of pornography and some ways to protect our children and
ourselves, from it. Below is one of the best
articles you will find on the effects of pornography with regard to what it does to us physiologically. I hope this exhorts
you and strengthens your resolve to stand against this sin that harms
so many families.
9 Things You Should Know About Pornography and the Brain
[Note:
The following contains a frank, though non-graphic, discussion of
pornography addiction. Parents are therefore cautioned to examine the
material themselves before sharing it with children or teenagers.]
"Because the
human brain is the biological anchor of our psychological experience, it
is helpful to understand how it operates." says William M. Struthers,
associate professor of psychology at Wheaton College. "Knowing how it
is wired together and where it is sensitive can help us understand why
pornography affects people the way it does." Here are 9 things you
should know about pornography affects the brain.
1. Sexually
explicit material triggers mirror neurons in the male brain. These
neurons, which are involved with the process for how to mimic a
behavior, contain a motor system that correlates to the planning out of a
behavior. In the case of pornography, this mirror neuron system
triggers the arousal, which leads to sexual tension and a need for an
outlet. "The unfortunate reality is that when he acts out (often by
masturbating), this leads to hormonal and neurological consequences,
which are designed to bind him to the object he is focusing on," says Struthers.
"In God's plan, this would be his wife, but for many men it is an image
on a screen. Pornography thus enslaves the viewer to an image,
hijacking the biological response intended to bond a man to his wife and
therefore inevitably loosening that bond."
2. In men, there are five primary chemicals involved in sexual
arousal and response. The one that likely plays the most significant role in pornography addiction is dopamine.
Dopamine plays a major role in the brain system that is responsible for
reward-driven learning. Every type of reward that has been studied
increases the level of dopamine transmission in the brain, and a variety
of addictive drugs, including stimulants such as cocaine, amphetamine,
and methamphetamine, act directly on the dopamine system. Dopamine
surges when a person is exposed to novel stimuli, particularly if it is
sexual, or when a stimuli is more arousing than anticipated. Because
erotic imagery triggers more dopamine than sex with a familiar partner,
exposure to pornography leads to "arousal addiction" and teaches the
brain to prefer the image and become less satisfied with real-life
sexual partners.
3. Why do men
seek out a variety of new explicit sexual images rather than being
satisfied with the same ones? The reason is attributed to the Coolidge effect,
a phenomenon seen in mammalian species whereby males (and to a lesser
extent females) exhibit renewed sexual interest if introduced to new
receptive sexual partners, even after refusing sex from prior but still
available sexual partners. This neurological mechanism is one of the
primary reasons for the abundance and addictiveness of Internet
pornography.
4.
Overstimulation of the reward circuitry—such as occurs with repeated
dopamine spikes related to viewing pornography—creates desensitization.
As Gary Wilson explains,
"When dopamine receptors drop after too much stimulation, the brain
doesn't respond as much, and we feel less reward from pleasure. That
drives us to search even harder for feelings of satisfaction—for
example, by seeking out more extreme sexual stimuli, longer porn
sessions, or more frequent porn viewing—thus further numbing the brain.
5. "The
psychological, behavioral, and emotional habits that form our sexual
character will be based on the decisions we make," says Struthers.
"Whenever the sequence of arousal and response is activated, it forms a
neurological memory that will influence future processing and response
to sexual cues. As this pathway becomes activated and traveled, it
becomes a preferred route—a mental journey—that is regularly trod. The
consequences of this are far-reaching."
6. What makes
Internet porn unique? Wilson identifies a number of reasons, including:
(1) Internet porn offers extreme novelty; (2) Unlike food and drugs,
there are almost no physical limitations to Internet porn consumption;
(3) With Internet porn one can escalate both with more novel "partners"
and by viewing new and unusual genres; (4) Unlike drugs and food,
Internet porn doesn't eventually activate the brain's natural aversion
system; and (5) The age users start watching porn. A teen's brain is at
its peak of dopamine production and neuroplasticity, making it highly
vulnerable to addiction and rewiring.
7. Men's exposure to sexually explicit material is correlated with social anxiety, depression,low motivation, erectile dysfunction, concentration problems, and negative self-perceptions in terms of physical appearance and sexual functioning.
8. The following video offers a brief overview of the affect of pornography on the brain.
9. In this
video, Gary Wilson discusses the disturbing symptoms showing up in some
heavy Internet porn users, the surprising reversal of those symptoms,
and the science behind these phenomena. Although it is not presented
from a Christian perspective, the discussion is highly recommended for
better understanding the deleterious and wide-ranging effects
pornography has on men.
ARTICLE FROM THE GOSPEL COALITION BLOG
