By now, it’s common knowledge that smoking cigarettes is unhealthy for you. Most of us can list off the negative effects that smoking has on the human body: it can lead to cancer, damage your lungs, mess up your teeth and gums, just to name a few things. All of this is widely accepted as fact due to science and research showing these harmful results. However, it wasn’t always this way.
Let’s rewind the clock a few decades.
For years, society believed that tobacco was harmless, and even good for you. They claimed that it was good for stress, improved weight loss, and enhanced your sex appeal. This line of thinking lasted for a long time until scientific research started to provide hard evidence that tobacco use was harmful and addictive. The tobacco industry tried hard to fight against this changing tide through a series of advertisements and marketing campaigns, but to no avail.
Over time, the facts changed opinions, and people were able to make a healthy, educated decision as a result.
Fast-forward to today and we find ourselves in a similar situation. Many in our society believe that pornography provides a series of benefits such as a hotter sex life and improved sexual performance and knowledge. Often, you’ll hear things like “boys will be boys” or that “it’s totally normal and natural” for guys and girls to consume it. You’ll also hear that it’s a great tool for couples to “spice up the relationship.”
The porn industry works hard to keep up these beliefs and promote a glamorous and sexy image. Much like with tobacco back in the day, porn has become socially accepted and normalized in our society. But now science has caught up with the truth.
Related: Why Internet Porn Is The New Tobacco
So what is it about porn that causes millions of people to be negatively affected physically, mentally, and emotionally? After all, some people believe that consuming porn is a healthy sexual outlet and a harmless matter of personal choice. While we respect everyone’s right to choose for themselves, the research indicates that porn is not as harmless as the industry and society would have you think.
1. Porn And Sex
Porn has numerous harmful effects on the human body, including harming men’s ability to have sex with a real partner.
Thirty years ago, erectile dysfunction in men under the age of 35 was unheard of because it was generally caused by blocked blood vessels in a man’s aging body. [1] That’s no longer the case. Now, with the availability of porn, erectile dysfunction is a common problem for young men as young as 16 years old. [2] The problem is not in the body, but in the brain.
What often ends up happening is that the young consumer’s brain, wired to be turned on by porn, [3] can no longer achieve an erection with a real partner. [4] After some time, even being turned on by “regular” porn may become difficult as more porn and harder forms of porn are needed to get aroused. [5]
Basically, consuming virtual sex can eventually make having actual sex impossible. That’s not sexy…and it’s definitely not healthy.
Related: 21 Year Old – I Had Porn Induced Erectile Dysfunction
2. Porn’s Mental Costs
Depression and anxiety are major problems in our world today, but did you know that developing a porn habit can be a major fuel of these issues? [6] Because of porn consumers’ desire to keep their habit a secret, their relationships ultimately suffer, leaving them lonely and vulnerable to having other emotional issues. [7]
Studies show that porn consumers also commonly develop body-image issues, low self-esteem, and insecurity. [8] Watching just isn’t worth it.
Related: Why Watching Porn Leaves You Feeling Lonelier Than Before
3. Porn Kills Love
Porn takes a heavy toll on relationships. Human beings are social beings and have a need for intimacy, but porn tries to fill that need for intimacy with something fake. Not only is porn not fulfilling, it can also ruin any real intimacy-providing relationships the consumer has. Studies have shown that after just one exposure to pornography, consumers can rate themselves as less in love with their partners and rate their partners as less attractive. [9] Furthermore, one study found that 56% of divorces involve at least one partner’s interest in porn. [10]
In other words, porn kills love. It’s obvious that porn is definitely not healthy given its ability to cause erectile dysfunction and a bunch of other mental and emotional problems.
Related: Research Says Married Couples Who Watch Porn Are Twice As Likely To Divorce
4. Porn’s Addictive Potential
Just like tobacco, porn has the potential to be habit-forming and even become addictive. You might be wondering, “How does watching videos or reading words become an addiction?”
When porn enters the brain, it triggers the reward center to start pumping out dopamine, which sets off a cascade of chemicals including a protein called DeltaFosB. [11] DeltaFosB’s regular job is to build new nerve pathways to mentally connect what someone is doing (i.e. consuming porn) to the pleasure he or she feels. [12] Those strong new memories outcompete other connections in the brain, making it easier and easier to return to porn. [13] (See How Porn Changes The Brain.)
Related: How Watching Porn Changes Your Brain
As porn consumers become desensitized from repeated overloads of dopamine, they often find they can’t feel normal without a dopamine high. [14] Even other things that used to make them happy, like going out with friends or playing a favorite game, stop providing enjoyment because of the dulling effects of CREB. [15] They experience strong cravings and often find themselves giving more of their time and attention to porn, sometimes to the detriment of relationships, school, or work. [16] Some report feeling anxious or down until they can get back to their porn. [17] As they delve deeper into the habit, their porn of choice often turns increasingly hard-core. [18] And many who try to break their porn habits report finding it really difficult to stop. [19]
Time to Change the Conversation
Public opinion doesn’t change overnight; people didn’t instantly accept the dangers of smoking cigarettes. Similarly, it is taking time and effort to help society see the harmful effects of pornography. The conversation is changing, the facts are spreading, and people are taking notice. Small victories are visible: news outlets, corporations, celebrities, and even governments are speaking out.
Related: 8 Hollywood Stars Who Don’t Watch Porn
This is not an issue based on religious or political ideals. This is the spreading of facts and awareness on a legitimate health concern. The facts are clear: pornography is harmful to the brain, to relationships, and the world as a whole.
Society has accepted the fact that tobacco is harmful, now it’s time we spread these facts about porn.
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