IS IT ADDICTIVE TO HAVE PORN VS. YOUR BRAIN?

How addicting is porn?

Everyone has been familiar with the phrase "porn addiction" which suggests that those who enjoy porn may become addicted to it, as do drug addicts. As the technology and scientific-based therapies advance experts say that we might have been rushing in to this whole "porn has addictive properties" idea a bit too fast without having any scientific proof. When I refer to scientific evidence, I mean carefully studying the brain in relation to porn and neurologically showing that the brain's response to porn is as other addictions well-documented.

However, tests such as those have been carried out and the results show that porn can't be considered to be an addiction. It is not, at least in way that causes people's brains behave similarly to those who are addicted of heroin when they are looking at their preferred drug.

Could we conclude that porn is more addictive in the habit instead of neurologically? If so it means that those who love watching porn are able to manage themselves and reduce the amount of porn they consume, as it's purely for enjoyment and enjoyment, not "ruining their lives" according to some claims. Let's see what the research and psychology have to suggest.

The concept of addiction to porn

The notion that porn is addictive is backed by a number of therapists who deal with porn addiction using an addiction model rather than using a different model of which we'll speak about in the next section. There are numerous religious organizations that are committed to maintaining an idea that porn addiction is a reality "porn addiction" as it is their main source of income.

But, the study undermines the use of clinical language in their discussion of the controversial substance. But definitive evidence of "sex addiction" as well as "porn addiction" is still impossible.

A new study proves otherwise.

Researchers from a group published research published in Biological Psychology journal and further proved the notion that "porn addiction" as well as "sex addiction" as we know as they are, might not be actual. It doesn't mean that people who exhibit addicted behavior are wrong regarding their emotions. This is simply a sign that we've been implementing an incorrect way of looking at the entire issue, and that's why we haven't been able to properly plan the treatment too.

In particular, it is to the present the largest study of neuroscienceof porn addiction that has ever been conducted. A group of UCLA researchers compiled a questionnaire for 122 women and men who frequently watched movies and believed they were dependent to some degree. They were required to disclose the way they felt about their connection to porn, while the "visual sexual stimulations" were scrutinized to see if they suffered issues as a result of their use of porn.

For instance, when connected with Electroencephalogram (EEG) which is a device which measures the electrical activity of the brain, every person was shown a range of images ranging from neutral portraits to disturbing images of bodies that were mutilated and different sexually explicit pictures. The subject's reactions were observed to determine whether they are "problem users" or not.

The result

In the final phase of the study, researchers presented a vast body of evidence that showed participants in the study who had reported having problems due to pornography didn't exhibit typical addictive brain activity while viewing sexually explicit images. The reason for this was its late positive potential (LPP) which is a commonly used measurement of the intensity of the mind's emotional reaction at any given time.

To give an example the cocaine addict will exhibit "increased LLP to cocaine-related pictures"--one of the most accurate indicators of addiction to psychological substances. Contrarily, those who say they're porn addicts do not show any increase in this indicator, nor do they exhibit the similar LLP pattern when looking at sexually explicit images. It is interesting to note that they "showed reduced brain responses when they were shown sexually explicit images, instead of increased activity"--the contrary of the kind you would expect to see in the brain of an addict. It is possible to be able to conclude that their brains are filled with this type of media and isn't engaged as other people who don't see as much might be.

This is not to suggest that those who refer to themselves "porn addicts" do not suffer from legitimate issues due to their behavior. However, it does prove that, neurologically speaking they don't seem to be in the exact neurologic connection to porn that an addict with their preferred drug. What's more important, the thing researchers like to stress is that sex and porn addictions are not necessarily addictions at all in their real meaning and treating them as such may produce counterproductive outcomes.

There is a lot of evidence

Although it's the most significant study so far but surely it's not the only one that has produced similar results to the addiction to porn. The researchers behind this study conclude "This study seems to be a part of a growing collection of studies that haven't identified any pathology that is consistent with substance abuse models."

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has said that the evidence for "sex dependence" isn't as solid and positive as those for other addictions. This is the reason they're not as supportive of diagnoses for sex and sexual addiction that are added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) as well. In 2012, they denied a suggestion for an illness dubbed "hypersexual disorder" to be added to the DSM-5.

Do you believe it?

Researchers of this study have stated: "Many people have misinterpreted our findings as indicating that people are creating these issues, but we've never made this claim."

All they've ever wanted to prove was that the two types of addictions (porn and sexual addiction) aren't identical to the other addictions that are listed as part of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). They believe that by further investigation the therapy professionals will be able give the right treatment that is "supported with research" and actually produce positive results. At present this, these "addictions" seem to be addressed by the wrong model.

Yet, even until today there are therapists and large religious groups that believe porn addiction and asserting that "brain scans reveal that an addict's brain identical to the brain of an addict to drugs." They continue to treat issues with pornography and sexual sex by using an addiction-based treatment approach.

However, research suggests that making false claims that there exists a phenomenon known as porn addiction , and is just as addicting as drugs does nothing to help person, particularly those who truly would like to alter their relationship to porn.

"Labeling the person's efforts to manage urges as a sexual addiction' could hinder treatment methods like Acceptance as well Commitment Therapy (ACT) which may help to decrease sexually distressing behaviors," said co-author and Idaho State University psychologist Cameron Stanley.

Contrary to the addiction recovery method, which attempts to curb problematic behavior -- Prause informs The Daily Beast that an ACT strategy could involve "reducing the amount of time spent watching but not necessarily removing it completely."

"ACT is also adamant about finding ways to feel comfortable with negative emotions that come with watching sexually explicit films, which in the end can lead to less of them," she says.

What's ACT?

ACT is a treatment that was developed by a concept of Acceptance and Commitment to the problems one faces and solving them with acceptance and mindfulness techniques. The Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT) is an innovative, empirically-based psychotherapeutic therapy that teaches people how to improve their mental flexibility and flexibility through commitment and behavioral change strategies.

Utah State University has already conducted research preliminary to recommend ACT as a viable method to aid people who have an "Internet porn dependence." In this first study, therapists provided six patients for eight 90-minute sessions ACT. After three months, the patients had a reduction in their consumption of porn by 85percent without the need to commit to any limitations or obligations to never go back to watching porn.

They could simply lower their consumption of porn however, they also changed their routines and realized they could enjoy this kind of video without losing the control over their life , and even ruin their relationships.

ACT is the kind of therapy that must be created because it alters people's behavior without imposing limits and reducing their quality of living.

In the end, it appears like porn and sex are both a part of the habitual dependence that are not connected with other addictions. That's why they need to be treated in a different way. To be successful in the long run, we might need to put aside the term "addictions" first.