How Porn Destroys Sexual Health

References Gary Wilson’s TEDx Talk “The Great Porn Experiment” and his YouTube video“Adolescent Brain Meets Highspeed Internet Porn” 

Pornography is destroying young men’s sexual health.

Technology has finally enabled pornography to become a public health issue. Heavy Internet porn consumption has demonstrated a powerful ability to alter sexual psychology in adolescents and cause physical problems such as erectile dysfunction.

The New Age of Pornography

How is Internet porn different from its predecessors? Two key characteristics: ease of access and escalation of content. There is a concept in Internet subculture called Rule 34– it says, if you can think it up, there is porn of it online somewhere. And it’s often free.

Surveys show that trying to find a guy younger than 30 who has not sought out porn online is about like trying to find a unicorn. They are so unusual that researchers cannot find enough to support their studies. Young people are curious about sex, and they spend a lot of time alone with their computers. It’s only a matter of time before they decide they will see what all the fuss is about.

It does not help that the consensus among young people is that porn is no big deal. But the Bible teaches that it is still sinful to dwell on fantasies of wrongdoing, even if you do not do carry them out. As Jesus clarifies in Matthew, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matt. 5:27-28 NIV) The issue here is not looking at an attractive woman and recognizing that she is attractive. Jesus is condemning a sustained attitude of the heart, not a fleeting thought. There is a difference between a glance and following someone with your eyes. Believers may excuse looking at porn because they are not actually having sex, but quickening and feeding that desire for inappropriate sex by watching pornography proves an unwillingness to eliminate it from their lives.

Pornography and The Brain

Pornography is not exactly a new thing. So how is it now destroying male adolescent sexual health? Because technology has allowed it to become easily accessible and extreme. Porn is enticing, stimulating, and much easier than seducing a real woman. For some of today’s young men, Internet porn is all they’ve ever known. They’ve grown up browsing porn sites and masturbating. Their brain is wired to respond to that.

You see, the brain is a “plastic” organ. It’s like a muscle. How you use it changes its structure. When a boy spends his teenage years self-stimulating with a computer instead of courting the girls at his high school, his brain assumes that’s how sexuality is supposed to work.

Viewing porn works like this– the brain releases a pleasurable chemical called dopamine whenever we engage in activities that encourage our survival or the survival of our genes. This is part of the reason why eating rich foods and sex feel so good. And why we want to do them again. But the novelty wears off if you consume too much. You need to find more extreme material to get the same stimulation.

This is exactly how scripture tells us human depravity works. It is not people waking up one morning and deciding to turn into monsters. Rather, it is a gradual searing of the conscience, as I Timothy says. You keep moving the boundaries of your integrity, and making excuses for your behavior until you become like those in Ephesians, “separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.” (Eph. 4:17-19 NIV)

Consequences of Pornography

This is particularly problematic for young porn addicts because their habit creates an unhealthy and unrealistic understanding of sexual relationships. They develop two problems: corrupted brain architecture and desensitization. Spending so many years as a voyeur of sorts being sexual alone makes it difficult for hardcore porn viewers to be sexual with women. Wilson quotes one recovering porn addict who says intercourse feels “alien” and “artificial” because his brain cannot comprehend sex without a computer video.

The body agrees. Heavy porn consumers have to rely on stronger content to keep being aroused. Erectile dysfunction becomes a problem during intercourse. And Viagra does not help, because the problem is not in their groin. It is in their brain that won’t wake up for anything less than extreme sexual behavior.

Heavy porn use can also condition viewers for unhealthy expectations about sex. Because desensitization drives them to seek more intense content, they start to think sex is supposed to involve violence or fetishes. Modern porn is not like the sensual nude photos and intercourse-with-the-plumber material most people are used to. A 2011 study published in the peer-reviewed journal “Violence Against Women” analyzed 304 pornographic scenes. Of these scenes, 88 percent involved physical aggression, while 48 percent involved verbal aggression. The aggressors were often men, while the victims were often women. The women usually responded to the treatment with pleasure or neutrality. (Abstract)

So much consumption of this kind of sex gives heavy porn users unhealthy ideas about what sex is supposed to be like. Violence becomes erotic. They struggle to understand why their partner does not want to have sex that way. The Bible condemns taking advantage of others. It encourages us to outdo one another in showing honor, and urges husbands to care for their wives as they would themselves. Respect is crucial to a sexual relationship that satisfies both spouses.

Christian Counseling for Porn Addicts

A porn habit is not the end of the world. Christian porn viewers may feel isolated in their shame, but they are clearly not alone. It is time you acknowledge the damage heavy porn viewing may be doing to your body and your relationships. Consider getting in touch with a professional Christian counselor who can help you get a handle on your porn habit. A good counselor is not there to judge. They are there to help. A professional Christian counselor will help you build a more fulfilling life by getting at the psychological and spiritual roots of your behavior.

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