London: Researchers have found that watching p*rn erodes an important region of the brain, rewiring it into a juvenile state. Studies show people who regularly watch adult entertainment often develop damage to the prefrontal cortex, the brain region that controls morality, willpower and impulse control, according to Rachel Anne Barr, researcher at Canada’s Universite Laval.
The research suggests p*rn could cause users to struggle with their emotions and impulses, possibly leading to compulsive behaviour and poor decisions, reports dailymail.co.uk.
“It’s somewhat paradoxical that adult entertainment may revert our brain wiring to a more juvenile. The much greater irony is that while p*rn promises to satisfy and provide s*xual gratification, it delivers the opposite,” Barr was quoted as saying.
With the internet, live-action p*rn became available on demand. And the demand is insatiable, with 33.5 billion hits on Pornhub, the biggest free p*rn site, in 2018.
The thirst for increasingly vivid s*x scenes within seconds is so strong that it has, in fact, been a major driver behind technological advances, the study said.
“Science is only just beginning to reveal the neurological repercussions of p*rn consumption. It is already clear that the mental health and s*x lives of its widespread audience are suffering catastrophic effects,” Barr said.
“From depression to erectile dysfunction, p*rn appears to be hijacking our neural wiring with dire consequences,” Barr added. According to dailymail.co.uk, Barr and her team has observed p*rn’s powerful impact on neural wiring, which can affect human behaviour.
“The properties of video p*rn make it a particularly powerful trigger for plasticity, the brain’s ability to change and adapt as a result of experience,” Barr said.
“Combined with the accessibility and anonymity of online movie consumption, we are more vulnerable than ever to its hyper-stimulating effects,” she said. In the long term, p*rnography seems to create s*xual dysfunctions, especially the inability to achieve erection or orgasm with a real life partner.
“Marital quality and commitment to one’s romantic partner also appear to be compromised,” she said. According to the researchers, adult movie users may start to see movies as a quick fix for their s*xual needs, rather than a person.
‘The desensitisation of our reward circuitry sets the stage for s*xual dysfunctions to develop, but the repercussions don’t end there, studies show that changes in the transmission of dopamine can facilitate depression and anxiety,” Barr said.
The other compelling finding in this study is that compulsive adult movie consumers find themselves wanting and needing more adult movies, even though they don’t necessarily like it.