For researcher Simon-Louis Lajeunesse, there are no men and women who have never seen pornography. This is due to the easy access that the internet offers us to this type of content.
However, the exaggerated consumption of this material is considered a behavioral addiction. Pornography addiction is characterized by the constant and irresistible quest to consume more and more pornographic content, to the point of causing psychological, physical and social harm.
The classification of pornography addiction as a pathology is very controversial among psychologists . This only happens because she still does not have the diagnosis described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) .
However, a survey carried out in 2014, carried out by the Kinsey Institute, in the United States, pointed out that 9% of pornography consumers said they wanted to stop, but could not. Despite the small percentage, when the number of people who consume pornography is shown, the number is quite high.
Furthermore, in a survey carried out in 2000 by American researchers David L. Delmonico, Ron Burg and Al Cooper, 17% of people who access pornographic content on the internet have traits of sexual compulsion.
And most alarming, Simon Lajeunesse says that in the search for people who have not consumed pornography, to serve as a control group in some studies, these did not appear. In other words, there is no one who has not consumed pornography on the internet.
Causes Of Addiction To Pornography
First, you need to understand how addiction works and how it affects the brain.
When a person is addicted to something, their brain releases dopamine, the pleasure hormone, when nurturing that addiction. This neurotransmitter gives the feeling of freedom, pleasure and satisfaction.
However, in any type of addiction, the more the consumption of the “drug” is repeated, the more stimulation the person needs for the pleasure to be maintained. This can lead to a search for an increase in the frequency of consumption, variation of stimuli so that this brings the same sensation offered in the previous moment.
Thus, everything that happens in the body of a person addicted to alcohol or illicit drugs also happens to a person addicted to pornography.
Furthermore, we humans have an evolutionary trait that makes us sensitive and easy targets for the porn industry: the Coolidge effect. Let’s explain this through an experiment:
In a very simple way, consider the numbers on the vertical relative to the number of minutes until ejaculation. On the horizontal side, there are the numbers of presentations of the ewe(s) to the sheep experimental subject.
In the first phase of this experiment, the ram was presented to a female receptive to copulation and remained with this same female until the end of the experiment. Graphically, it can be seen that there is a tendency for more time between copulation (sexual thrust to ejaculation) and another. The animal enters, with each copulation, a longer refractory period. In other words, with each ejaculation he enters a longer rest period for sexual invigoration.
In the second phase, the same ram, on another day, was placed in a situation where, with each ejaculation, the female was changed. That is, he invested in a sheep until it ejaculated and, after that moment, the female was exchanged for a new receptive female. What can be seen in the graph above is that as soon as the ram received the new female, it already invested in copulation and then ejaculated, with almost no variation in time. In this phase, it was observed that the reinvigoration of the animal was much faster and there was almost no rest period.
Coolidge Effect
This phenomenon reported above was named the Coolidge Effect . Broadly speaking, the term refers to the phenomenon observed in mammalian species, in which males (and to a lesser extent females) exhibit renewed sexual interest if presented with new receptive mates; even after copulation with a previous partner and in the face of available sexual partnerships. The evolutionary benefit of this phenomenon is that one male can fertilize multiple females. The male can be refreshed repeatedly for successful insemination of several females.
The Coolidge Effect And Internet Pornography
But what is the relationship between what is above and pornography on the small screen? First, the brain does not differentiate much between reality and the virtual reality presented. So, in the human brain, there is a mechanism that makes you want to fertilize any living being that is on your computer screen.
With easy access to various pornographic materials on the internet, every time dopamine levels begin to drop, the addict seeks new scenes, new videos, new categories of pornography, because this brings novelty and increases levels of the neurotransmitter.
Consequences Of Addiction To Pornographic Content
Like any other compulsion, addiction to pornography has physical, mental and social consequences for human beings.
There are several studies that indicate that addiction to pornography can trigger:
- Memory loss.
- ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).
- OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).
- Social phobias.
Furthermore, the physical consequences can be very varied. From pain and loss of sensitivity in Organs reproductive organs to sexual dysfunctions, proven by several studies. Studies have also found that men who spend a lot of time consuming pornography on the internet seem to have less gray matter in some parts of the brain, in addition to suffering from reduced brain activity.
In the social question, the person, with this type of compulsion, tends to move away from the partner and to lose sexual interest in him. Still, the person can often develop severe social anxiety, impairing social interaction with friends, family and co-workers.
Another consequence pointed out in studies is depression. Due to low dopamine reception after long periods of porn consumption, a person often finds himself in situations where he doesn’t feel like doing anything.
Also, according to American researchers Shawn Corne, John Briere and Lillian M. These , women who were exposed early to pornographic content tend to accept some rape myths and have sexual fantasies involving rape.
Finally, people who are addicted to pornography often tend to subject themselves to abusive relationships or even develop sexual psychopathies.
The Challenges Of The Individual Addicted To Pornography
The main challenge for an individual addicted to pornography is the identification of this addiction. Symptoms are often related to other problems and are sometimes even treated.
However, even after addiction is identified, people often do not seek treatment out of shame or guilt. In today’s society, viewing pornography can generate a moral conflict in one’s life.
Despite being a compulsion that affects both men and women, in today’s society, it is more “socially accepted” for a man to have this type of addiction than a woman. This happens because both culture and the pornographic industry encourage the male public to consume it. Consumption and addiction to pornography by women is more judged by society.
What Are The Symptoms Of Sex And Pornography Addiction?
Due to low dopamine in the brain, symptoms begin to appear gradually. Often, these symptoms are not a cause for concern, as the person does not see themselves as an addict.
Some symptoms of pornography and sex addiction are:
- Little satisfaction and greater frequency of masturbation;
- Erection difficulty with real people;
- Social anxiety, which can get worse over time;
- Objectification of the opposite sex;
- Difficulty concentrating;
- Delayed or premature ejaculation;
- Sexual disinterest in the partner;
- depression, and
- Loss of sexual attractiveness.
Porn Addiction And Sexual Dysfunction
According to research presented at the 2017 annual meeting of the American Urological Association, men addicted to pornography are more likely to experience erectile dysfunction. Research has also shown that men are less likely to be satisfied with sexual intercourse.
Another survey, carried out at the University of Middlesex, pointed out that women suffer frustrations because their sexual expectations are not met by men deluded by pornography.
In addition to impotence, men addicted to pornography may experience delayed or premature ejaculation. Furthermore, the person may have loss of sensation in the vagina ( Death Schlick ) or in the penis ( Death Grip ).
How To Stop Pornography Addiction?
Just like any other compulsion, pornography addiction has treatment . There are several institutions throughout Brazil that offer this type of treatment. In addition, it is possible to find forums on the internet for people with this addiction to share their experiences.
The main method for treating compulsion is called Reboot. It consists of disassociating pleasure with pornography, often through periods of abstinence. Then he works on associating pleasure with real sexual intercourse.
This practice is possible thanks to the flexibility and adaptive capacity of the human brain.
Another existing method began at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and is now applied by the Delete Institute. A digital detox is carried out in it with the aim of combating the compulsion not only for videos with a sexual content, but also for other forms of negative use of technology and the internet.
Porn Addiction And Behavior Therapy
People who have developed pornography addiction can seek treatment, as well as parents and guardians who perceive a frequency of access to pornographic sites by young people.
The best way is to seek help from psychologists, sexologists and support groups. In the field of psychology, behavioral therapy can be a great ally for the treatment of pornography addiction.
This therapeutic approach finds effective ways with the client to give up the addiction. This is done through the development/training of social skills, learning and relearning new sources of existing pleasure, creating goals and self-control tactics.
In addition, other types of treatment related to behavior therapy that are being indicated for pornography addiction are: cognitive-behavioral therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy .
Treatment For Pornography Addiction In Brasilia
In addition to using Reboot, Inpa -Institute of Applied Psychology- adopts behavioral therapy as a treatment for pornography addiction.
Psychologist and behavioral therapist Fábio Caló, a specialist in the area, adopts a behavioral re-education treatment. The beginning of treatment is abstinence. Then, the brain reboot technique is applied , which helps the patient restore natural sensitivity.
The best way to accomplish this goal is to give the brain a break from intense sexual stimulation. This includes, in addition to sex videos, masturbation, orgasms and even sexual fantasies.
