booo porn

In today’s society, sexual experiences or sexual expression, including but not limited to pornography use, are very nuanced and widely debated. On both sides of the aisle, there are arguments about how porn usage may or may not impact sexual behavior and neuroplasticity of brain development. This will discuss the arguments for each of these perspectives: arguing that porn enhances sexual experiences, versus arguing that porn inhibits sexual experiences.

This topic is important because understanding the implications pornography has, both on sexual behavior and the neuroplasticity of brain development, can influence the treatment provided to patients seeking sex therapy for such issues. This is debatable because sex educators and sexual health therapists and practitioners take varying stances on whether or not the overuse of pornography either enhances or inhibits sexual wellness overall. In a society that is wrought with debate regarding sexuality, sexual expression, and access to sexual healthcare, debating these topics can be vital in informing policies and securing funding pathways–all of which can be utilized to advocate for further research that could bridge the gap towards services needed. 

Some sex therapists believe pornography enhances sex and will even prescribe it to their individual clients and couples. It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact number of people in sex therapy, although it’s estimated that around 43% of women and 31% of men are engaged with sex therapy services. Additionally, Affection Exchange Theory is a theory that argues that humans express affection to form and maintain close relationships, and that this expression of affection is linked to both physical and mental health benefits for both the giver and receiver. As such, some therapists argue that watching porn together, as a couple, creates this level of intimacy in meaningful relationships and thus enhances sexual experiences with couples.  

The AACEPT American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, & Therapists states pornography is not addictive. “AASECT recognizes that people may experience significant physical, psychological, spiritual and sexual health consequences related to their sexual urges, thoughts or behaviors. AASECT recommends that its members utilize models that do not unduly pathologize consensual sexual behaviors. AASECT 1) does not find sufficient empirical evidence to support the classification of sex addiction or porn addiction as a mental health disorder, and 2) does not find the sexual addiction training and treatment methods and educational pedagogies to be adequately informed by accurate human sexuality knowledge. Therefore, it is the position of AASECT that linking problems related to sexual urges, thoughts or behaviors to a porn/sexual addiction process cannot be advanced by AASECT as a standard of practice for sexuality education delivery, counseling or therapy.” 

Although I agree that pornography is not addictive, its frequent use causes the brain to become reliant upon the release of dopamine that causes dependency upon pornography to achieve sexual satisfaction. We now see that images of brains of pornography users are similar to that of brains of people battling drug addiction, attaching to the constant need for a dopamine hit. Approximately 11% of men and 3% of women consider themselves addicted to porn. 

Arguing against Affection Exchange Theory, some practitioners would say that adding a third party, such as porn, doesn’t help the viewer connect deeper with their partner while viewing something entirely separate. You are connecting more with the performance than your partner. You don’t go to the movies to have deep conversations or get closer to someone. As a result, if people are watching unrealistic porn, and you attempt to mimic what you see on the screen that isn’t reality, it’s going to have a negative impact of guilt on your own sexual performance and desire. If you see men having intercourse for 20 minutes on the perfectly edited video, you are more likely to expect your partner to be able to last the same amount.  47% of U.S. families consider porn a major issue. Marriages suffer from porn use. 68% of divorce cases involve one partner’s online involvement with pornography. 

The utilization of pornography fundamentally alters the elasticity of one’s brain, teaching the brain to deprive itself of sensory immersion one can only achieve from physical intimacy, and thus negatively influencing sexual behavior. Approximately 67% of American men and 41% of American women view online porn each year. Additionally, 28,258 people access porn every second, with 37 porn videos are created daily in the U.S. and an estimated $3,075.64 being spent on adult content every second. 

The best analogy I can come up with is, sex is a road trip to Florida. Florida being the climax. Disclaimer, the climax isn’t always the goal of sex, but in this example it is. If the point of the road trip is the experience until we get to the destination, we can leave Cincinnati, stop and have a drink in Nashville. We can see the bamboo forest in Alabama, then see some shows in Atlanta. In this example, the road trip is sex, hitting all the 7 senses. OR we can go from point A to point B. Driving straight through from Cincinnati to Florida. Porn. We get to the same end destination (climax) but the experiences are two very different paths. One, hitting all the senses, the other hitting visuals and possibly audio.  

Studies have proven pornography alters brain elasticity and development, including modifications in the prefrontal cortex which is the part of the brain responsible for higher-order cognitive functions such as decision-making, planning, and impulse control. This part of the brain typically reaches full maturity around the age of 25. However, the average age at which children are first exposed to pornography is around 11-12 years old. Even further, pornography exposure can occur as early as age 10 or even younger, with some studies indicating that 15% of teens reported first seeing pornography at age 10 or younger. Porn also has neurological implications on the striatum. Studies have shown a negative correlation between hours of pornography consumption and the volume of gray matter in the right caudate, part of the dorsal striatum. Which just means messages send slower between the parts of the brain. This reduction could reflect changes in neural plasticity resulting from the intense stimulation of the reward system.  

Pornography causes the brain to attach to sexual completion instead of sexual experience, leading to desensitization and sensory deprivation caused by chronic pornography usage. This also has implications on mental health and self-esteem, with 60% of men watching porn daily reporting feeling lonelier and more isolated. Consequently, 78% of men who watch porn frequently are unhappy with their appearance. 

Pornography disinhibits sexual experience because it causes the brain to develop new neuropathways, essentially “shortcuts” in the brain, leaving out vital sensory experiences that are vital for sexual satisfaction and intimacy. Sex is supposed to be a sensory engaging activity. Why would the brain do its full job when it has been trained that it doesn’t need to hit all the switches? 

In conclusion, sexual experiences or sexual expression such as pornography use are widely debated in today’s society. Though some argue that pornography usage may or may not impact sexual behavior and neuroplasticity of brain development, this essay has provided information that both for and against the overutilization of pornography and its impact sexual experiences. Consequently, it remains important to understand the implications pornography has, both on sexual behavior and the neuroplasticity of brain development, as well as how this can influence the treatment provided to patients utilizing sex therapy services. The importance of debating these topics is that it can assist in driving policies and securing funding pathways that can be used to further sex research as well as brain development and sexual wellness overall.