Think You’re Addicted To Porn? You Might Be Wrong
Ever been told you’re “addicted” to porn?
Or perhaps even addicted to sex…
Either way, if you’ve ever been accused of such addictions then we have good news.
Today is your lucky day.
Why?
Because you can go tell whoever said it that they are completely wrong…
Sex and porn addictions don’t exist.
Well, at least not in the clinical sense.
A recent study from the University of California, Los Angeles suggests that the idea of “porn addiction” — as well as sex — is actually a myth.
The reason is simple:
Desensitization.
When you show a crack addict a video of someone smoking crack, their brain’s pleasure centers will fire in response. This is typical of any addict — they experience increased brain activity after being shown relevant stimuli.
That’s simply because an addicted brain gets excited by just the thought of getting high. Memories of the euphoric feeling brought on by the drug will flood their brains. And they’ll crave that substance in response.
Researchers have found similar responses in gambling addicts as well as in people who are addicted to food. For them, just one photo, video, or situation where they are surrounded by other people indulging in their addiction is all it takes for the brain to kick into high gear.
That amplified, excited response a traditional addict gets when shown their “stimulus of choice” is called sensitization.
It’s the compulsive, conditioned response that happens over time that is responsible for causing very intense cravings in the user.
Funny enough, sensitization is also the reason you aren’t addicted to porn.
When researchers at UCLA hooked an electroencephalogram or EEG (fancy name for a brain activity scanner) to people who identified as ‘struggling to control porn consumption,’ something interesting happened…
“Relevant stimuli” — in this case, sexual/erotic images — did NOT spark their brain or increase its activity as one would expect in an addicted person.
In fact, the complete opposite happened.
People who struggled with excessive porn consumption actually had decreased brain reactions when watching porn.
Meaning they don’t get cravings like a crackhead does when he sees a pipe…
They’re desensitized to sexual images.
Which is an important factor, considering every other addiction is characterized by sensitization.
On top of that, we’ve been treating ‘sex and porn addiction’ the same way we would treat drug, food, or gambling addicts… despite them being polar opposites. Literally.
As one of the study’s leading researchers Dr. Nicole Prause (we’re beginning to really like this lady) noted:
“While we do not doubt that some people struggle with their sexual behaviors, this data shows that the nature of the problem is unlikely to be addictive.”
Just last year Cambridge University conducted a similar study, but with opposite findings. However, it’s been suggested that their method for finding participants was flawed — and therefore, so were their results.
Which is why we’re siding with the opinion of our favorite scientist, the lovely Ms. Prause on this one.
We leave all you avid porn consumers and sex enthusiasts alike with this final message:
Turns out ‘your brain on porn’ isn’t that bad after all…
Enjoy responsibly.
Reposted here with permission from simplepickup.com. Check out the original article here.
