The
study finds significant reduction in brain activity in some parts of
the brain associated with porn use. The scientists were not able to
determine whether this reduced brain activity is a cause of increased
interest in porn or whether the porn use causes the reduced brain
function, though they hypothesize that over-stimulation of the
brain's reward center could be the cause of impaired brain function
elsewhere.
Either
way, I think it's safe to say that it's smart to avoid porn.
Here's the abstract:
Importance
Since pornography appeared on the Internet, the accessibility,
affordability, and anonymity of consuming visual sexual stimuli have
increased and attracted millions of users. Based on the assumption
that pornography consumption bears resemblance with reward-seeking
behavior, novelty-seeking behavior, and addictive behavior, we
hypothesized alterations of the frontostriatal network in frequent
users.
Objective
To determine whether frequent pornography consumption is associated with
the frontostriatal network.
Design, Setting, and Participants
Sixty-four healthy male adults with a broad range of pornography consumption at
the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin, Germany,
reported hours of pornography consumption per week. Pornography
consumption was associated with neural structure, task-related
activation, and functional resting-state connectivity.
Main Outcomes and Measures
Gray matter volume of the brain was measured by voxel-based morphometry
and resting state functional connectivity was measured on 3-T
magnetic resonance imaging scans.
Results
We found a significant negative association between reported pornography
hours per week and gray matter volume in the right caudate (P
< .001, corrected for multiple comparisons) as well as with
functional activity during a sexual cue-reactivity paradigm in the
left putamen (P < .001). Functional
connectivity of the right caudate to the left dorsolateral prefrontal
cortex was negatively associated with hours of pornography
consumption.
Conclusions and Relevance
The negative association of self-reported pornography consumption with
the right striatum (caudate) volume, left striatum (putamen)
activation during cue reactivity, and lower functional connectivity
of the right caudate to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex could
reflect change in neural plasticity as a consequence of an intense
stimulation of the reward system, together with a lower top-down
modulation of prefrontal cortical areas. Alternatively, it could be a
precondition that makes pornography consumption more rewarding.
Remember,
to be fair and scientifically accurate, these scientists are not
saying that porn necessarily causes the reduced brain function. It
could be that reduced brain function increases the tendency to do
porn.
Thus,
an important scientific question remains unresolved: does porn make
you stupid, or does stupidity make you do porn? My guess: some of
both. Either way, shunning porn is the smart thing to do.
In
all seriousness, the impact of porn on people's lives is dramatic in
many cases, though they rarely see it themselves. They do not see how
their attitudes toward other become more callous, how they become
less sensitive and thoughtful, how they become less trustworthy and
sometimes, a bit creepy.
And
surprisingly, some porn users, especially self-styled intellectuals,
feel that porn use is what smart people do. Wrong direction, folks.
I've seen too much pain and heartache from porn, too many failed
marriages and damaged relationships, and just way too much reduced
brain function.
Do
something good for your brain (and spirit) today and flee from porn
in every form.
Jeff Lindsay has been defending the Church on the Internet since 1994, when he launched his
LDSFAQ website under JeffLindsay.com. He has also long been blogging about LDS matters on
the blog Mormanity (mormanity.blogspot.com). Jeff is a longtime resident of Appleton,
Wisconsin, who recently moved to Shanghai, China, with his wife, Kendra.
He works for an Asian corporation as head of intellectual property. Jeff and Kendra are the parents of 4 boys, 3 married and the the youngest on a mission.
He is a former innovation and IP consultant, a former professor, and former Corporate Patent
Strategist and Senior Research Fellow for a multinational corporation.
Jeff Lindsay, Cheryl Perkins and Mukund Karanjikar are authors of the book Conquering
Innovation Fatigue (John Wiley & Sons, 2009).
Jeff has a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Brigham Young University and is a registered US
patent agent. He has more than 100 granted US patents and is author of numerous publications.
Jeff's hobbies include photography, amateur magic, writing, and Mandarin Chinese.