The proliferation of new technologies has ushered in a host of problematic addictive behaviors, mainly Internet Addiction. This addiction can focus on a specific application on the internet (gaming, shopping, gambling, cybersex, etc.); in this case, each will act as a channel for the specific manifestations of the aforementioned behavior.
This means that addicts cannot avoid an escalation of addiction, just as people who are not addicted can be tempted entirely by pornography. Therefore, watching pornography online can be one of the most addictive behaviors on the Internet.
To effectively educate and protect your children on the Internet world, you need to prepare yourself with a solid and correct knowledge base. The article below will help you understand why porn is addictive.
Why is porn addictive? Start with “What is addiction?”
Historically, “addiction” is often associated with excessive consumption of drugs or stimulants such as alcohol, neuroscience studies in this area have more or less changed our understanding over the past few decades.
Now not only stimulants and addictive substances but also other behaviors that continuously activate regions in the brain involved in motivation and rewards (releasing too quickly and too much dopamine) are all part of addiction.
When a person initially uses stimulants or engages in the behavior, they receive intense amounts of dopamine, which induce sensations and rewards. Over time, their bodies can produce less dopamine and build a tolerance to this stimulant.
Addiction is a medical condition that changes the brain and body and makes a person feel compelled to continue using a stimulant or participate in an activity, even if doing so could be harmful.
In addition to various psychoactive substances such as alcohol, opioids, and cocaine, pathological behaviors such as uncontrolled gambling, internet use, gaming, pornography and sexual behavior can also trigger the dopamine system, potentially leading to addiction.
Addiction also affects other aspects of the brain, changing constantly and making it increasingly difficult for a person to avoid behaviors or drugs.
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What is porn addiction?
An addiction to pornography implies that a person has become so emotionally dependent on porn that it interferes with their daily lives, relationships, and ability to function.
This addiction can be quite common. Some doctors consider porn addiction to be an excessive sexual disorder – a term that includes behaviors like excessive masturbation. Porn addiction remains a controversial issue, with some research showing that it is not a real condition at all.
Why is porn so addictive? Research proves how?
According to Norman Doidge’s research on addiction and reward systems in the brain, the constant release of dopamine into the reward system when your child regularly watches internet porn provokes neuroplastic changes that reinforce the experience.
Doidge goes on to explain how these neuron changes are made by constructing brain maps for sexual arousal, in which brain maps were previously established of “natural” sexual access comparable to new maps of brains that are developed and continually reinforced by frequent viewing of pornography on the Internet, and as a result addicts will continue to watch more pornography, higher violence to maintain a higher level of arousal.
Maybe this (to some extent) is a answer to “Is porn addictive”.
Therefore, once accidentally approaching pornography alone is enough to make your child excited and curious to learn more, thereby immersing himself in watching porn. To minimize this risk, you should install online content filtering software to prevent your children from accessing harmful content, minimizing the likelihood of being addicted to pornography.
Neurosurgeons Hilton and Watts, through the Journal Surgical Neurology International under the title “Pornography addiction: A neuroscience perspective”, provided an overview that the manifestations of addiction work through the same basic mechanisms. For example, DeltaFosB’s role in natural addiction, neurological changes caused by excessive behavior, changes in dopamine receptor density, and the effect of excessive behavior on the reward system.
Hilton and Watts concluded that atrophy of the cortical regions associated with reward pathways to emphasize excessive viewing of pornography affects brain endurance.
Besides, Kühn and Gallinat conducted an MRI study with 64 healthy male subjects and measured the number of hours of watching pornography online per week and over the years. Longer viewing times of pornography (more hours per week) correlated with lower amounts of gray matter in the right cortex, the study found.
Also, those who viewed a lot of pornography were found to have less connection between the right cortex and the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Although DLPFC is concerned with executive functions, it is also related to the signal’s response to drugs and internet gaming.
This disruption has been linked to drug addiction and other addictive behaviors such as pornography addiction. Specifically, the poor functional connection between DLPFC and caudate (as found in the current study) is associated with heroin addiction.
Causes of addiction to pornography
Researchers have yet to identify a clear cause of porn addiction. Meanwhile, experts and advocates for the existence of evidence pornography addiction suggests that, like other addictions, this is a complex problem with many possible causes. Some possible causes include:
- Biological causes: Certain biological factors, including changes in brain chemistry when a person watches porn, can increase the risk of addiction.
- Mental health: A person can use pornography to get rid of psychological distress
- Relationship problems: Porn can be an outlet for sexual dissatisfaction
- Unhealthy cultural norms: Ideas about how people should look and behave during sex, the types of sex one should like, and similar norms may appeal to some people coming to pornography.
Reference:
- Neuroscience of Internet Pornography Addiction: A Review and Update
- Is pornography addictive?
- What to know about porn addiction
- Brain structure and functional connectivity associated with pornography consumption: the brain on porn
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