Porn 'Addiction' Isn't Really Addiction, Neuroscientists Say

Porn "addiction" has been a subject of considerable debate among psychologists and in pop culture. Some argue that porn encourages sexual violence and harms relationships. Others say it may have a place in a healthy sex life. New research suggests that there's one thing porn isn't, and that's addictive. A large study from neuroscientists at UCLA found that when people are shown erotic images, the brain's normal addiction reactions are reversed. In the brain, porn "addiction" looks the opposite of addictions like cocaine, smoking cigarettes and gambling -- and therefore should be treated with different therapies. Your brain on porn. Typically, addicts show increased brain reactions to the object of addiction. However, the new findings, which were published this week in the journal Biological Psychology, showed that people who struggled with excessive pornography consumption had decreased brain reactions when viewing porn. For the study, researchers recruited 122 men and women. Some of them struggled to control their pornography use, while others watched porn but said they did not have any problems with their viewing habits. The participants viewed a variety of images -- some sexual, some non-sexual -- while their brain waves were monitored using electroencephalography technology. Using EEG, the researchers measured late positive potential (LPP) in the brain, which reflects "the intensity of an emotional response," study co-author Dr. Dean Sabatinelli explained....
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news