What are the effects of porn on your brain?
I have written on this topic in the past, but it bears mentioning again. The effects of porn on your brain are numerous and being added to with more and more research.
Not only is porn a spiritually destructive vice, but it also has harmful physical effects as well.
What follows are three chemicals in the brain that get all messed up by viewing pornography.
1. DOPAMINE
Dopamine serves as a reward circuit or pleasure indicator in the brain. It is transmitted in the area of the brain that regulates emotion.
Cravings for pleasureful things can be traced back to the release of this chemical. It is reminding the person of the good feelings and suggesting a return to that stimulating activity.
Dopamine gets released in sexual activity. When a husband and wife engage in the conjugal act, naturally dopamine is released for both to reward them for this enjoyable activity.
When a porn user views porn, dopamine floods his brain there too. A euphoric feeling sets in there too.
This becomes problematic for the porn user viewing a large content of pornographic materials. The law of diminishing returns sets in.
What used to excite does not so much anymore. Thus, more materials, more novelty, and more-intense content are sought to fulfill the high experienced in the past.
This desensitization can affect other areas of peoples’ lives. The motivation to attend school or to go work can be weakened severely, as a result.
You can see how porn can, thus, become addictive, much like drug use and alcohol consumption.
2. SEROTONIN
Serotonin serves to calm and relax someone. This chemical soars for those who engage in sexual activity, as well.
After climaxing in the conjugal act, a husband and a wife can lie next to each other in peacefulness, enjoying the relaxation that serotonin provides.
For the porn addict, serotonin gets kicked into overdrive. If one sexual experience is good, more is better, as far as serotonin is concerned. Thus, it is hard to break free from this addiction, when it feels so good.
3. OXYTOCIN
Oxytocin has the effect of forming bonds. They help the memory to connect pleasureful feelings with intimate acts.
For instance, in natural childbirth, a mother’s brain gets flooded with oxytocin upon the birth of her baby. As well, when a baby nurses at her breast, oxytocin is released there too. This helps explain why mothers form such tight bonds to their children.
Sexual activity causes this bonding agent to be released in the brain, as well. When a husband and wife have sex, oxytocin is released. In time it means they bond to each other and look forward to the next conjugal act.
The addict of pornography becomes bonded to the images he watches, rather than with a spouse. The addict becomes bonded to strangers in 2D and 3D images flashing before his eyes.
WHAT TO DO?
The perfectly reasonable response to all this, of course, is to stop viewing porn. And if you never habit, thank God, and don’t start up.
You are also encouraged to block X-rated materials from your computers and smartphones by getting Internet filtering and accountability software installed. Readers of ProLife365.com receive a special savings of 10% off, thanks to Mobicip, one of the nation’s largest providers.
Stay tuned, as I will soon be releasing an ebook tackling this topic of how to end porn addiction.
YOUR TURN
Share any thoughts you have below on the physical effects of porn on your brain.
