Pornography

Studies have shown that watching pornography adversely affects the brain in many ways including:

  • Decreases sexual satisfaction. Studies have shown a correlation between the amount of pornography one views and one’s overall sexual satisfaction in real relationships. The more porn is viewed by someone the less satisfaction they have with their intimate partner.
  • Disconnects people from real relationships and emotional involvement. Pornography alters the way men think of romantic relationships. It trains men to desire the cheap thrill of fantasy over a committed relationship.
  • Lowers men’s view of women since pornography often portrays women as people glad to be used and objectified. After being exposed to pornography, men reported being less satisfied with their partner’s physical appearance, sexual performance, and level of affection.
  • Desensitizes people to sexual violence. Studies have shown pornography conditions participants to trivialize rape and other sexual violence.
  • Makes people want to watch more and more porn. Studies have shown that those exposed to more pornography were significantly more likely to want to watch hardcore porn.  In one study, ninety percent of therapists believed people can become addicted to cybersex (some therapists call it “hypersexual disorder” or “sexual compulsion”).
  • Causes Depression. The frequency of pornography consumption correlates with an increase in depression, anxiety, stress, and social issues.
  • Affects Cognitive Function. Even moderate pornography consumption is correlated with shrunken grey matter in parts of the brain that oversee cognitive function.

While it’s predominantly males who watch pornography (70%), females watch pornography as well (30%).

Pornography is easy to find for children and teenagers.

  • The average age of first exposure to pornography is 11 years old.
  • Of people younger than 18, children under the age of 10 account for 22% of those watching online pornography.
  • Pornography has become the primary mode of sexual education for teens and preteens.
  • Bark, a watchdog group founded to help children stay safe on the Internet, stated in a January 2021 article that “70.7% of tweens and 84.0% of teens encountered nudity or content of a sexual nature online.”

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