How does porn affect your brain?

A summary of the ways in which pornography dependence influences the brain.

Pornography has been with us since the beginning of time.

Our prehistoric ancestors drew erotic drawings on cave walls. The ancient Greeks erected statues with a high erotic component, as well as pictorial representations of sexual acts on vases. All this happened long before the adult film industry started producing its first movies.

Thanks to the golden age of the Internet and telecommunications, frequent consumption of pornography has skyrocketed in the last decade.Does this mean that porn is harmless?

Some men choose to self-stimulate themselves by viewing pornography, thinking that it is just a quick and healthy way to relieve tension or to explore sexual tastes and preferences without leaving the couch. This may be relatively true and beneficial in the short term, however, it can easily turn into an addiction that could negatively affect our brain..

The effects of pornography dependence on the brain.

The limbic system of the brain is responsible for rewarding us and making us feel pleasure when we have positive experiences, such as making love for the first time, winning a soccer game or tasting our favorite food.

The hormones dopamine and glutamate are released in a controlled manner whenever we are subjected to positive stimuli. Dopamine is the happiness hormone, while glutamate makes our body remember the experience.

When we self-stimulate ourselves with pornography, there is an exponential increase in the amounts of glutamate and dopamine released.. This makes the body react to this stimulus as if it were a very deep and real feeling of sexual pleasure, despite the obvious absence of another human being during this act.

This increase in the doses of dopamine and glutamate released by the brain will make us need to consume more and more content and of greater variety, sometimes even prioritizing pornography over other things. When this goes unchecked, it can become a serious addiction, which can last for years of therapy until complete rehabilitation.

No one is safe from porn addiction.Porn addiction, which can become as serious as addiction to alcohol, tobacco, gambling or hard drugs. When dopamine levels are out of control due to the inordinate consumption of pornography, the simplest things in life, which we used to enjoy normally, such as a walk on the beach at sunset or a meal with friends, become totally boring and tasteless when compared to porn.

This addiction can also diminish our libido and ruin our sexual relationships, since pornography can cause our ability to reach orgasm and maintain an erection to diminish..

Regular consumption of pornography causes our brain to learn to let our body respond only to the images we are used to seeing on the screen, which quite often, are far from a conventional sexual relationship. When we are having sex with our partner, our body will no longer be able to respond in the right way. This dysfunction often leads to feelings of frustration, guilt, shame and lack of self-confidence..

Another major disadvantage of easy and unlimited access to this type of content is the lack of motivation to go out and meet people, socialize and build fruitful and lasting relationships. Regular consumption of porn will gradually cause us to become more inward-looking, content with instant pleasure, and diminish our chances of having a lasting relationship. and decreasing our chances of having a healthy relationship with other people. Because of this, our self-esteem will decrease, which will make us consume more pornography to redeem that Pain with a temporary dose of dopamine, which will make us feel worse and worse. It is a vicious circle that will turn us into distant and apathetic people if we do not stop it in time.

From the individual's point of view, pornography is not a problem, the real problem is the addiction it can generate. This is due to the lack of motivation, shame and lack of self-esteem that its habitual consumption causes.

Maybe for some people, self-stimulation through pornography viewing is a good way to relax, however, when we use it without measure, as a way to relax, when used without measure, as a means of escaping from reality, it can become a more serious problem than one might imagine. more serious than you can imagine.

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