What Does Porn Do To Your Brain | Fenced.ai

The internet has given everybody easy access to everything they desire with a few clicks. And pornography is one of the things that are easy to find in today's digitally connected world. But do you know what does porn do to your brain and how it affects the relationships and reality around you?

Internet porn statistics show many youths hooked on porn. Especially teenagers and their curiosity has led them to search for sexually-explicit content.

They either stumble across pornographic content through their curiosity, their friends tell them to watch this video, or while browsing the internet, something sexually explicit content pops up on their screen unexpectedly.

And many people admit that they have searched for internet porn themselves at some point. But when does it become a routine, and how does it affect the brain? In this article, I'll be letting you know "What does porn do to your brain?"

Does Porn Affect Our Brains?

Yes! Porn does affect our brains and jots in a good way. Porn addiction can be similar to drug addiction. When someone has an addiction to porn, it can affect the brain and change their perceptions of the real world and people. The brain chemicals designed for sexual activity are rewired to view porn instead of real relations.

So, if you had a hard time to quit porn, it is natural as it affects your brain and keeps you hooked like a drug addict. Let's explore more about porn addiction and understand what does porn do to your brain.

What Does Porn Do To Your Brain

So, what does porn do to your brain when you or your friend, husband, child, or others use it. Your brain is different when it's on porn, and the chemicals at work affect your brain have at least 3 measurable effects that are given below.

1.The brain is consumed with porn.

When viewing pornography, dopamine, i.e., responsible for emotions and learning, giving the viewer sense of more craving, is released. And it may provide the feeling to the porn users, "This is what I need now," giving them more sense of pleasure after viewing it and coming back to it again feeling a type of itch.

Also released is norepinephrine, which causes alertness and focus, like adrenaline for the brain. "Something is about to happen, and we need to prepare for it," it informs the brain.

Oxytocin and vasopressin are released in response to sex and porn. These hormones assist the cells in forming long-term memory, and they bind a person's memories to the thing that provides sexual pleasure.

Endorphins, natural opiates, are released by the body and cause a "high" of pleasure throughout the entire body. Serotonin levels change after sexual release, resulting in feelings of calm and relaxation.

In summary, when you are viewing pornography, your brain experiences less pleasure while craving more, leading to desensitization and increased behavior.

2. The brain glues to porn, not an individual.

Instead of creating a profound bond with a person, your brain "bonds" with a pornographic experience when you watch porn. Your brain recalls where you received your sexual high, and you get a sharp sense of focus whenever you want sexual stimulation: I've got to get back to the porn.

As a result, ordinary pleasures no longer excite the viewer, and they seek more intense pornography to achieve the same high as before. Impotence with your spouse, frequent masturbation with little fulfillment, anxiety, exhaustion, lack of motivation, and inability to concentrate are symptoms of this brain imbalance.

3. Porn shrinks your brain.

The brains of porn users are smaller than normal. Watching pornography and masturbating actually weakens our brain, the area responsible for making moral and ethical decisions and willpower. That means feeling a compulsive "necessity" to watch pornography.

It may encourage someone to engage in increasingly dangerous behaviors such as watching pornography at work, consuming more extreme or illegal pornography, strip clubs, etc., and taking sexual activity in other ways, such as recruiting prostitutes.

What are the risks of porn

Now that you have understood what does porn do to your brain, let's see the risks that come along with viewing pornography. Many risks come along with viewing pornography, and it can cause the following problems if a habit is formed.

i. Social isolation

Those viewers who are addicted to porn tend to withdraw from social activities and develop a secret life. Pornography can vastly impact one's social personality and become self-centered, making them choose pornography over people leading to social isolation.

ii. Mood Swings

Frequent porn viewers are seen to have mood swings and may suffer from mood disorders too. Their emotions alter abruptly; they are happy, and the next second, they feel angry, lonely, and depressed. It can lead to stress and anxiety and feeling low.

iii. Sexually objectifying others

Watching too much porn can alter the way one sees others. They think they can view other people as sex objects portrayed in porn, judge people from their body appearances, and disrespect them. They can imitate and be insensitive about sexually explicit activities in real.

iv. Engaging in risky behavior

Porn addiction can lead people to participate in risky sexually explicit behavior and access porn in the workplace, schools, or in public. They can view explicit child abuse imagery and content and participate in abusive, violent, and degrading sexual activity.

v. Sexual difficulties

Pornographic exposure can create sexual problems such as sexual dysfunctions and feeling weak and tired all the time. It can cause a loss of interest in sex with a real partner and difficulty during sexual intimacy.

vi. Unhappy relationship

Porn affects relationships if consumed for too long. The relationship between two partners can deteriorate and cause dishonesty and infidelity with no trust and respect. The closeness and intimacy between real couples fade, and they can feel sexually inadequate.

Conclusion

So, to conclude the question on “What does porn do to your brain”, porn affects our brain's need for more pornography in the same way that drinking soda or eating candy alters our desire for more of the same. Our brains become programmed to need and seek out pornography.

Finally, understanding that your desire to view porn is linked to how your brain is wired will aid in your recovery. It's not only about abstaining from pornography; it's also about reprogramming your brain to quit seeking those dopamine highs.

To get there, we must approach our recovery as a physical challenge. Just as abstaining from pornography for six weeks does not make you healthy, adopting a healthy diet for six weeks does not make you recover.

It will take time and commitment to restore your life to a state where pornography is no longer a part of it. Stopping the habit is a good first step, but addressing the problem will take time. I hope this article on "What does porn do to your brain" helped you understand the reality of porn.