Health Zone: How watching porn affects the brain – Scientists

Watching a lot of porn can affect your brain, scientists reckon…

It’s a guilty pleasure best enjoyed in moderation, apparently, because too much can make you desensitised in real sexual situations.

Porn can also bring out the same characteristics found in drug addicts – but sadly enthusiasts often get diminished pleasure from each ‘fix’.

Expert Joe Schrank told Medical Daily: ‘As with anything in life, striving for balance is key.

‘Brains need diversity of activity too.’

When you have sex or watch porn, a neurotransmitter called dopamine is released into your system. And generally that’s a good thing.

But a 2014 study which scanned the brains of porn watchers found less was released the more porn they watched – saying they needed extra stimulation.

Two other brain chemicals released during sex or watching porn include oxytocin and vasopressin, which recall long term memories.

If the feeling of satisfaction comes to be associated with pornography, it keeps people going back to it, rather than actual sexual experiences.

The study also found that watching lots of porn could lead to less activity in the left putamen, which usually responds to sexual stimuli.

It’s apparently similar to the results found in cocaine addicts – although the research doesn’t conclude whether porn causes the brain changes, or if people with certain brain types just watch more porn.

Research by Cambridge University last year found porn enthusiasts responded to erotic images the same way alcoholics respond to seeing pictures of drinks.

It’s due to the way the ventral striatum responds to stimulus, but in younger people could increase impulsiveness and risk-taking.

So there you have it. Like all good things, it’s best not to overdo it, so to speak.