Does porn really mess with your brain?

Valuable-Marzipan761 · 2022-10-07T04:52:17+00:00

https://intellectualtakeout.org/2016/07/harvard-scientist-explains-what-porn-does-to-your-brain/

there seems to be a I'd of other evidence that it affects men pretty negatively.

Point 2 is not that you can't do the things in porn, It's that they wouldn't be considered normal unless you'd been constantly watching them.

DivineDaedra · 2022-10-07T07:59:06+00:00

2 is true of almost all non-amateur porn. The fake moans, the fake o’s, the angles that don’t feel good but give good camera shots… it’s all fake. Amateur porn is unfortunately also iffier on #1 but it’s generally more realistic.

3 isn’t true ime. Plenty of people have an “ol’ faithful” so to speak if they can’t find anything new that piques their interest. Sure, people prefer things that are new and exciting but that doesn’t prevent them from enjoying what they’ve already experienced.

AloneOnTheStrange · 2022-10-07T07:04:27+00:00

.3. To a point. Real sex doesn't happen with 20 open tabs. You can't switch from boy-girl to girl-girl to solo to big tits to step sisters every 20 seconds. You can't just see whatever stimulus your horny brain desires at any moment. So if you're used to that, in can make it harder to stay turned on when you have to deal with a single person, doing what they want at each time.

Now to be fair, this isn't so much a porn thing as a digital entertainment thing. Especially a smart phone thing. There's probably a thousand different things we're not able to do or enjoy properly because we're so used to that constant influx of distraction how and when we want it. It's just that porn is to do with sex, so I guess we place more importance on it?

ClaraBow01 · 2022-10-07T08:11:40+00:00

I think the big problem is that porn is a business. When sex and money meet, nothing good comes from it. Porn is so saturated where porn studios are competing with random web users. Because of that, both sides are going to more extreme levels to get views. If all porn portrayed consensual, healthy, and safe sex, it wouldn’t make as much money because it wouldn’t have the dopamine effect. The porn industry also relies on minors, especially boys,to watch their content. It isn’t just an unfortunate side effect, that’s their sexual education. It’s what they want and it’s ruining sex/relationships in real life. Increase in anal sex has led to more girls having to go to the hospital. Spitting, choking, and slapping (nonconsensual) during sex has been on the rise. Despite porn being widely available, sex is declining amount young people, in huge part because porn has made sex unappealing to many women.

I don’t think porn itself can ruin your brain if you are an adult. I’ve only seen porn by accident and my brain is fine. I hate porn, but it isn’t a scapegoat to excuse violence or misogyny. I think there’s a difference between causation and correlation. I think majorly porn influences certain ideas into people, especially children, but that person has to allow it to influence them.

Noble_trader · 2022-10-07T05:18:36+00:00

Women complain about porn bring unrealistic because they're expected to put on an unenjoyable performance. That you've done everything you see in porn just confirms that concern
Yes. I'm in my mid 30s, and have been with plenty of men. My age mates, who grew up with endless online porn are terrible in bed and want weird shit. Also are far more likely to suffer from death grip or ED issues. Older guys who grew up without it are completely different and sooo much better.

lostwanderer28 · 2022-10-07T06:21:25+00:00

I believe it messes with my brain wiring

januaryphilosopher · 2022-10-07T09:16:53+00:00

I believe all three claims, but let's focus on number two. Sure, the acts done in porn may be possible, but the setup is unrealistic and tailored to cater to male wants. It's unlikely that merely pounding a woman for a bit will make her orgasm. It's unlikely that she'll enjoy you randomly starting to have sex with her without anyone checking for consent. She probably won't appreciate being called names during sex. Most people aren't particularly kinky and safe kink can't be done spontaneously. Choking is incredibly dangerous and shouldn't be done during sex. Et cetera. And all of these things that are unlikely, but men may like, build a different picture in someone's head of what sex is, and it's not one where women's desires are particularly important either.

Mr_Makak · 2022-10-07T12:23:51+00:00

There's no good evidence to determine that.

There is evidence that there is a corellation between being addicted to porn and having some changes in the brain. That's all

daddysgotanew · 2022-10-07T17:40:09+00:00

No. In moderation it’s fine. Women hate it because they don’t want to have to look hot in order to dupe some man into committing to her. “Girls don’t look like that in real life!” Uh, yea some do, there they are right on the screen. It’s pretty obvious that they do in fact look like that 😂

Teflon08191 · 2022-10-07T15:06:37+00:00

I suppose it can, but I'd say 9 times out of 10 the phrase "pornsick" is being used as some kind of coping mechanism by whoever is saying it.

Lost_Sand9666 · 2022-10-07T15:31:19+00:00

You will have to watch more extreme forms of porn to get off as your brain becomes desensitized.

People say this so often that I fell many people uncritically believe it even though it makes no sense. First, how do we even define "more extreme" when it comes from porn? Second, the idea that someone can spontaneously become attracted to one kind of porn simply by having viewed a different kind in the past seems suspect to me. It seems much more likely that people come to realize their niche preferences by watching porn, and this gives some people the illusion of becoming "more extreme" because of it. Back in the day it used to be a lot more common for men to blame porn for turning them gay, but now we realize that this is absurd - porn didnt turn them gay, it made them realize they are gay.

Specialist-Action-33 · 2022-10-07T08:34:53+00:00

Back when I used to watch porn, the only things I were thinking was 1. Why is he fucking her and not me? 2. What do I need to do to look like him? I need to get tatted up and have abs. 3. Who is the girl he is fucking? Where does she live so I can travel there to fuck her too.

I would say that porn mainly clouds your brain with delusions wishing you could have the same or similar experience with that same person. At least thats how I felt when I was in my teens and early 20's. Trust me, that mindset will really fuck you up.

Edit: Bonus points if you allow it to play an influence in your sexuality.

Embarrassed-Tune9038 · 2022-10-07T09:45:55+00:00

This is to get men to stop watching pron so they have to deal with the utter dumpster fire that is the modern woman and all the bullshit of the modern dating game.

alphasupremacy5555 · 2022-10-07T05:13:57+00:00

All three reasons are bullshit. When it comes to reason two, it's not like it's CGI or the video edited or anything like that. It's the kind of sex that most men can only dream of having. It's most definitely possible to have sex like that. When it comes to reason three, there's nothing wrong with corn for men and I would say it's needed especially if you ain't getting any sex especially satisfying sex just as long as you don't allow it to turn into an addiction.

InfoVariety-8842 · 2022-10-07T05:11:24+00:00

(1) I just don’t see a serious push for ethical porn whenever this comes up, which makes me think this is a smokescreen excuse for people who just don’t like porn. There are a plethora of ethical options for adults who wish to participate in porn, but all porn is lumped together as unethical by people who just don’t like it.

SmarmyPapsmears · 2022-10-07T05:22:01+00:00

I'm not so sure about 1) especially with OnlyFans becoming more popular so old school porn companies will need to compete with solo girls.

2) Most men (and women) will never have sex with the exact perfect body type they want. But with porn you can jerk off to it whenever you want.

3) Tying back to 2, you definitely can lose attraction to normal real life partners due to inflated expectations from porn.

God_Hand_9764 · 2022-10-07T11:36:06+00:00

Porn is like junk food. Think of a kid who eats nothing at all besides straight up candy. He is getting way, way too much sugar, and not enough of everything else.

Porn is like that. You're getting way, way too much visual stimulation. And not enough of the other good things about sex (scent, tastes, touch from someone that isn't you, warmth of someone's body, real social connection).

Now you can become that kid who doesn't even want to eat anything besides his candy. His fucked up taste buds can't even taste the subtle sweetness of a carrot anymore.

You're tuning your sexuality to need extreme visual stimulation of never ending novelty, while at the same time failing to teach yourself to crave those other more subtle things about sex.

I think that porn is especially damaging to individuals who don't have sex often or even are virgins. You need to explore sexuality with actual sex, not with junk food sex (porn). It can be a wake up call when you actually do get laid, like oh wow during actual sex I don't have total control over what I'm seeing, and there's only ONE girl instead of ten per session. Shit I'm really into facials and butt stuff but she doesn't even want to do that. And so on, and so forth....

Porn is poison.

abaxeron · 2022-10-07T12:33:44+00:00

Do you believe any of this to be true?

Yes, but.

Same goes for absolutely any job ever at any point in history and in any place in the world.
Same goes for absolutely any work of fiction ever created anywhere. If this is an argument not to consume any content, then the only films one should watch is CCTV footage.
Same goes for absolutely any input in our brain. By the same logic we should be contained within sludge pools of sensory deprivation, fed deliberately detastified paste, and only be allowed out into the world like once a week or so.

Annual-Dentist-7529 · 2022-10-07T13:27:56+00:00

like it can yeah, anything can if u take it to the extreme.

point one is kinda true is some cases, girls really get fucked over (no pun) sometimes. two is kinda cope. three happens if u go degen mode and jerk off like a million times a day.

howdoiw0rkthisthing · 2022-10-07T18:22:46+00:00

I think porn and the internet can escalate kinks into full-blown fetishes, some of which can prevent people, mostly men, from having a normal sex life.

Carloverguy20 · 2022-10-09T03:49:37+00:00

Imo, I think that it's a bunch of bs. Porn does not cause any issues to people, unless you are watching it for 24 hours a day, ignoring responsibilities and spending all of your money on it to a point that you can't pay for basic needs, than you have a serious problem and need to get help.

Number 3, I don't think this is really true, because i've never resorted to anything extreme at all with it.

gastongang · 2022-10-07T07:35:34+00:00

porn bad, because your a coomer if you watch it

no coom go gym

Cisra_returned · 2022-10-07T13:42:20+00:00

The girls may be exploited, abused or do things against their will which I agree is harmful

If you are using a smartphone, made by materials made by Asian child slaves, then you do not really care about exploited people anyway just as 99% people in the West.

Porn is not realistic (I believe it’s realistic I’ve done everything I’ve seen in porn pretty much that’s not super taboo)

Porn does not need to be realistic. If you are not getting sex, it is better for porn to be unrealistic so it compensates for not being the real thing.

You will have to watch more extreme forms of porn to get off as your brain becomes desensitized. They say it alters your brain chemistry

Maybe, but it does not matter if you are not getting real sex anyway in the first place.

If men even takes away 1% of power from actual women in dating, whose egos are inflated because online dating and social media, then I welcome it.

xzpw · 2022-10-07T07:59:46+00:00

Watch amateur porn if you want something more “realistic”. I don’t watch porn made by big production studios usually. Typically I watch more handmade or side project type porn and I find that’s more enjoyable. It’s still not gonna reproduce the every moment realities of actual sex but I don’t think anyone really expects porn to be just like real life. It’d be like playing counter strike and expecting to be able to headshot every target from a billion miles away like you do in the game.

Desensitization is dramatized. There is probably some but it’s not going to ruin you for women. If you’re having issues getting off then it’s probably just from using a death grip on your dick when jerking off. Don’t need porn to make that happen.

The way women are treated in porn varies a lot. If you’re concerned about ethics then you need to be a socialist. If you’re not - you’re being contradictory because these women chose this job due to capitalism. So - start there and then you can start critiquing the job choice and conditions.

kennyfern · 2022-10-07T09:12:43+00:00

Porn is harmful there is well documented abuse of its performers both male and female. Porn isn't realistic, it's a performative show designed to get men off, it shows violent and abusive treatment of women and there is little to no focus on the woman sexual pleasure. There is solid research that as dopamine gets depleted porn watchers will seek more novelty and more extreme material until it gets to the point that they can only get off to pretty disgusting stuff, sissy porn or they end up watching stuff like CP. There is also all the erectile dysfunction and death grip problems in guys in there teens. Imagine being 18 and not being able to get it up for an actual woman but it happens these days.

domdomdom333 · 2022-10-07T09:38:40+00:00

Pretty sure they're all fake. People projecting their own insecurities and underperformance as fact and scapegoat everyone else.

I think the whole audience could easily tell apart when forced abuse is happening and when it isn't. No porn star can act convincingly.

It's all over the top, to the point where watching network made pornos like something from Vixen is such a turn off. Seeing 2 people fuck in silence is far hotter than a girl already having an orgasm two seconds after the guy put it in.

I don't know what someone must do themselves to be unable to nut and become desensitised to normal material, like a girl going solo. Legit don't understand how can someone not be ready to nut within the first few minutes of starting...

2022-10-07T11:50:07+00:00

I think one of the biggest issues is the objectification of Women that happens. Not in the way that a lot of feminists like to proclaim. But moreso in that porn is an idealisation and fantasy, not real life. It's pure sexualisation and no humanity involved. That's why people skip the beginning or would turn it off if she showed no nudity or started talking about how her day was going. That coupled with the fact that porn and masturbation ends up as a coping mechanism for stress for most people, means that people's brains make the link and end up viewing Women as some magical healer to their issues and begin to pedestalise them. That what leads to simps and Men becoming obsessed with sex. They believe that it's due to their believed to be inherently higher libido when in reality they have a negative relationship with sex and stress. Men are more interested in sex but not to the extent that these guys are going

villarconstante · 2022-10-07T05:05:21+00:00

Is illegal and If that happens the porn is taken down and the producers go to jail
Yes and no. There's all sorts of porn but the average popular pornstar has rare proportions that almost impossible to find irl. This is generally not bad as most people understand they won't fuck pornstars or woman who look like that , but it sucked for sub 3 woman who in theory would've have a steady line of simps but those simps would rather watch porn than duck them. This was a legitimate complaint -3 woman has before Online dating apps, now those woman can get lots of simps I know 2 sub 3 woman on dating apps who have plenty of dating options for the 1st time in theri life and they are acting just as heartless as attractive woman.
Sometimes watching too much porn in a short period of time will decencitize you and you will seek more extreme porn. For ksor people this is going from vanilla porn to BDSM or gangbangs.

They say it alters your brain chemistry This is true, porn is like a dopamine hit I always feel like shit after watching for hours. It's also a pretty good dopamine abuse when you are too poor to afford any vice.

Theres times I've watched porn because I was too broke to buy beer or weed.

localmicrodosechamp · 2022-10-07T16:27:27+00:00

I do think porn has ruined this generation of men and their ability to form healthy relationships with women.

sparklyyblueberryy · 2022-10-07T06:17:29+00:00

I think porn causes anxiety in males who are unable to achieve sex with women (or at least the women they want). It's more common than you think. There's a huge huge chunk of men that women just don't genuinely want.

NorthernTaste · 2022-10-07T16:15:43+00:00

Of course a daily positive feedback loop has no effect on a malleable biological structure

KayRay1994 · 2022-10-07T12:57:00+00:00

It does

The industry runs on exploitation
“not realistic” doesn’t mean you can’t pull off what’s being done on screen, but it gives lots of guys (especially if they’ve never been with a woman) an idea of how women should act in bed, it also emphasizes the male’s pleasure first and foremost and hardwired that idea subconsciously
Tons of studies show that it has the same impact on your brain as drugs, you become addicted to it because its fake, temporary dopamine hits

Gilmoregirlin · 2022-10-07T15:34:45+00:00

I never thought it did, until I got into a relationship with someone that had PIED, specifically delayed ejaculation and death grip. It basically ruined his ability to have a normal sex life. If he stopped using it it would work a little bit but he never was able to perform normally. I think for some men it does, for others it does not.

caption291 · 2022-10-07T16:24:00+00:00

Porn addiction is a significantly bigger issue for modern society than drug addiction...but it's not going to get addressed because it would require actually caring about "losers" being more acceptable socially.

elevatethysoul · 2022-10-07T12:19:42+00:00

Evidently yes.

Simply put, you aren't the one having sex. It's all atleast some part voyeurism; watching others have sex.

darkvalleys · 2022-10-07T14:16:18+00:00

Why wouldn’t it ? Your are interacting with your environment; you’re supposed to adapt to it

Life_Level_6280 · 2022-10-07T15:33:23+00:00

Dare you to do the following experiment:

Watch porn every day for a week, now on day 7 I want you to describe on a scale of 1 to 7 how turned on / excited you are to watching a porn video.

Now I want you to stop watching porn for 1 month. I now want you to look at a porn video and once again rate from 1 to 7 how excited you are.

I personally did this experiment. And the feeling I had watching porn after 1 month....i was almost shivering from excitement. Sorry to be explicit but I didnt even know my penis could turn that hard.

Porn really changes your brain and as an extension your body works. Its fine to watch it once in a while probably, but regular usage....strongly not recommend

Useful-Ad-5413 · 2022-10-07T13:06:18+00:00

Yes, 100%. If I go without porn for weeks, up to a month, I just feel better. I see hot women around school and the gym and just see them as normal people, whereas if I’m watching a lot of porn I feel guilty for even looking at them. Frequent masturbation in general is not good for you. After abstaining, I will also become much more in touch with my emotions and my thoughts will become much more clear. I will just generally be a happier person. But after about a month if I haven’t had sex I get so horny that I have to do it or else it will have adverse effects and I will only think about women as a means to have sex. Just being honest. That’s why I still masturbate every now and then. I think there is a fair balance somewhere in between, and I also think that a lot of mens problems could be solved if they stopped watching porn every day. Or at least, that is the root of the problem. They are sexually satisfied so they don’t seek out a partner or seek to improve themselves to be attractive enough to find a partner, and they remain lonely because they are substituting that partner with videos on the internet. It is wholly unsatisfying. For every woman exploited in porn there are thousands and thousands of men who are exploited. Because they both have the choice, right? They are both exploiting themselves.

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BeepBeepSaysTheJeep · 2022-10-07T10:58:09+00:00

I don't even look at it that deeply. They can have a big tiddy redhead they can feel, smell, taste, or they can have pixels. It's a no-brainer.

Alive_Time · 2022-10-07T11:28:20+00:00

You are getting a digital quick fix vs doing the real thing.

I would compare it to sports video games and TV vs playing a sport.

Watching football or playing sports video games allows you to watch others doing things you can't in real life. It requires no real skill or effort. But you also never get good at playing sports in real life playing video games. In fact if you play sports video games and never excercise it harms your health. On the positive side you run no risk of injury.

Weigh those risks against stds, accidental pregnancy, unwanted abortion, false patternity. It can reduce the risk of sex but the trade off is you aren't putting forth effort to get good at the real thing.

With that said sex isn't that hard to learn. All other 9,000,000 sexually active species don't need any special instruction. unless of course your wife demands you perform like a perfect lover in a romance novel which is a related but different topic.

2022-10-07T14:18:05+00:00

The first point might not even be relevant in the future considering more and more ppl move from live action to anime/manga/hentai/animated shit. Fuck I just checked the stats for most searched terms on pornhub in 2021 and hentai was number one. Now thats actually kinda crazy hahaha🤣😂

I can maybe agree with the other points tho☝️

wtknight · 2022-10-07T14:26:55+00:00

These all seem like the same type of arguments that people make against soft drug use. I don’t think that there’s an issue with mild porn use and I don’t think that most men who consume it become addicted to it or to worse forms of porn. It’s the few men who do get addicted to it or obsessed by it who make things look bad for the men who can use porn responsibly.

CimZim · 2022-10-07T16:30:01+00:00

Everyone knows 1 is bad, so leaving that aside I haven't noticed 2 or 3 in my own viewing of porn. I've been watching it at least twice a week since I was a teen, and don't think it's unrealistic (unless you watch really fringe stuff) and I don't need more intense topics to get off.

Now, I will say my guy has started to watch more...story driven?...topics, when 10+ years he used to just watch quick videos. He's also started to broaden the videos he watches, which he shares with me. Nothing weird or bad, just different than before.

Could this be due to age aka "mid life crisis"? Probably a little since he's in his early 50s now. But unless someone has an addictive or thrill seeking personality, it doesn't seem that it'll significantly change your viewing behavior.

Drive-By-Cuckers · 2022-10-07T16:47:53+00:00

Everything you do affects your brain, your brain is you, the entire universe the way you perceive it (which is unique) is in there

Porn, tv, video games, reading books, doing drugs, eating food, having sex, thinking about things

All that shit changes your brain chemistry and structure. The younger you are, the more it affects you

hungrychick404 · 2022-10-07T17:45:21+00:00

I think it’s gotta have some negative effect. It’s like if you were be able to ask people of any body type to perform any sex act in front of you. Everyone says that it’s different because it’s on a screen, but you’re basically watching people having sex in ways that are influenced by an algorithm. Boys especially have been watching people have almost any sort of sexual encounter since they were 8 years old sometimes. I can’t see how that wouldn’t possibly influence how men see women in some way. Some of the more “wtf” opinions about women on PPD might be influenced by porn, for example. I see a bunch of weird racial attitudes some dudes have that sadly might be perpetuated by porn.

I know women who have had guys try to choke them, finger their asshole, and spank them without their permission. I have a feeling I might know why they think they’re supposed to do these things without consent…

I don’t know if I would say that it changes people’s brains, but it certainly changes ideas about sex and how it should work on both a personal and social level.

hhhhhhikkmvjjhj · 2022-10-08T18:42:30+00:00

Altering brain chemistry lol. That’s like saying adhd or depression is caused by bad brain chemistry.

I see it as a none chemical stimulant. Like music, art, gaming or tv series. When we are depressed or have anxiety or other problems we crave escapism and any of those sources can get you in a bad pattern. Yes you do get numb to jt, like we do with any stimulus. However it does not leave permanent damage. I would not say you get addicted to it like you get addicted to alcohol, because it does not add or remove dopamine etc.

I see a lot of problems though. I think boys and young men should have access to it, but not the violent choking and abusive sort of porn. Same with the production. There is a lot of abuse in the industry. Just like most prostitutes have experienced childhood abuse I think it’s quite common in the porn industry as well.

Most abuse in relationships statistically happens where you have a teenage woman and slightly older guy. The guy has not matured (brains reach adult age at 25) and the woman have poor boundaries. Boys who have consumed a lot of violent porn might act it out.

For older people I think it’s less of an issue.

Annual_Werewolf_5448 · 2022-10-08T23:48:38+00:00

Yea because 3 literally happened to me

ConvolutedMaze · 2022-10-09T06:57:35+00:00

For some men it's true not for me though.

ihopeicanforgive · 2022-10-09T22:59:56+00:00

https://www.insider.com/guides/health/mental-health/porn-addiction?amp

Title	Does porn really mess with your brain?
Author	Noble_trader
Upvotes	6
Comments	161
Date	October 7, 2022 4:33 AM UTC (3 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/PurplePillDebate
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/PurplePillDebate/comments/xxpnq7/does_porn_really_mess_with_your_brain/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/PurplePillDebate/does-porn-really-mess-with-your-brain.1134769 https://theredarchive.com/post/1134769

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