Internet Porn Affects the Brain

Internet Porn Affects the BrainIf only we were born with an instruction manual on what makes us tick! It would really help to have one with a chapter on how internet porn affects the brain. The good news is, it is never too late to learn. It’s a complex matter, but like a car, we don’t have to know everything about the engine to learn how to drive it safely.

Internet pornography is not like porn of the past. It affects the brain in a much more direct and unconscious way. It has been designed specifically using highly sophisticated technological persuasion techniques to change our thoughts and behaviour. These techniques can make users addicted and lead to escalation to more extreme genres of porn.

Introductory Videos

These four short videos explain how. They take the guilt out of the issue by explaining how susceptible the brain is to the lure of this hyper-stimulating entertainment. This especially applies to the adolescent brain. The multi-billion dollar porn industry is only interested in profits not the mental and physical side effects on users.

This first one is 5 minutes long and includes an interview with a neurosurgeon about porn impact It is an excerpt from a documentary made by New Zealand TV.

This clever 2 minute animation explains the impact on sexual dysfunction and aggression in relationships.

Stanford social psychology Professor Philip Zimbardo looks at ‘arousal addiction’ in this 4 minute TED talk called “The Demise of Guys” .

The Great Porn Experiment” is a 16 minute TEDx talk by former science teacher and author Gary Wilson. It answers the challenge set down by Zimbardo. It has been viewed more than 12.6 million times on YouTube and has been translated into 18 languages.

Gary has updated the TEDx talk in a longer presentation (1 hr 10 mins) called “Your Brain on Porn- How Internet Porn Affects Your Brain“.

For those who prefer an engaging and informative book with hundreds of recovery stories and key tips for quitting porn see Gary’s Your Brain on Porn: Internet Pornography and the Emerging Science of Addiction available in paperback, on Kindle or as an audiobook.

Gary sets out a lot of the key concepts too in this excellent podcast (56 mins).

your brain on porn

Your Brain on Porn narrated by Noah Church

Photos by Buddhi Kumar Shrestha of unsplash.com.  Podcast icon by Larea from Noun Project