Pornography Affects Health

Healthcare professionals report a serious rise in rates of psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders in young people today. More adults are experiencing  sexual health problems too. Research points to the impact of the compulsive use of internet pornography on mental health. These conditions particularly affect men. A recently published Review by Love et al. states “Regarding Internet addiction, neuroscientific research supports the assumption that underlying neural processes are similar to substance addiction.” The good news is that with a better understanding of how the brain changes in relation to experience, many people can recover.

In this section The Reward Foundation introduces the many ways our health can be influenced by the use of the internet and particularly internet pornography. Consuming internet pornography can change the brain, alter the human body and lead people to develop problematic sexual behaviours including addiction. Put simply, pornography affects health. We unpack these issues in the following pages.

• Balance and imbalance

• Mental Effects of Porn

• Physical Effects of Porn

• Porn and Sexually Transmitted Infections

• Stress

• A Supernormal Stimulus

• Addiction

• Behavioural Addiction

• Recovery

We also provide a range of Resources to support your understanding of these issues.