I have been meaning to write this post for a very long time, but have been hesitant because the topic of pornography can be very emotionally charged. There are many current news articles, websites, and movies that depict porn in a solely negative light. I believe the primary reason for this is the enhanced use of technology and the ease of access to pornographic materials. While I do not believe pornography in and of itself is inherently evil or dangerous, excessive viewing can certainly create devastating consequences.
It was recently posited in a TIME magazine article, "Porn and the Threat to Virility", dated 4/11/16, that the significantly increased viewing of porn is causing a dramatic rise in medically diagnosed erectile dysfunction in men under the age of 40 (ED rates in 1992 = 5% vs. ED rates in 2013 = 26%). This science is based on the fact that excessive viewing of pornography increases the craving centers in the brain to want more dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphin (happy hormones) production in order to experience the same degree of arousal. This can then cause arousal addiction as the previous arousal responses become numbed causing the viewer to seek more or different images to provide the same biochemical rewards. This process is well depicted in the TED talk on "The Great Porn Experiment" given by Gary Wilson. There are multiple porn addiction recovery websites that are also gaining in popularity, which would seem to suggest that more people (both men and women) are suffering from the effects of excessive pornography viewing. These websites include (but are not limited to): Noah Church's addictedtointernetporn.com, Gabe Deem's rebootnation.org, and Alexander Rhodes' nofap.com. Additionally there are 2 great movies (Don Jon and Thanks for Sharing) on both porn and sex addiction that can help viewers understand how the viewing of pornography can help people develop unrealistic expectations of the sexual experience with a real partner.
Now for the potentially good news. Studies show that the recovery time ranges anywhere from 2-5 months depending upon age and amount of time spent watching pornography. This means that the brain has the ability to become "rewired" back to pre-porn watching capacity and that erectile dysfunction can eventually be reversed completely. However, simply discontinuing the viewing of pornography is not in itself sufficient. The brain also needs to learn new methods of experiencing sexual activity with a real human as pleasurable, and ultimately, rewarding.
As with all intimacy issues, there is no perfect answer to any one topic. The use of pornography either as an individual or as a couple must be openly discussed and revisited if intimacy problems arise. While one glass of wine does not make an alcoholic, occasional viewing of pornography does not indicate an addiction. In order to create and maintain strong attachment and intimacy with another human, honesty, vulnerability, and continuous effective communication must be present.
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