Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin recently published a study in JAMA Psychiatry that detailed a correlation between the gray matter volume in a specific region of the brain and watching pornography. Lead by Dr. Simone Kuhn, this is the first study that has found evidence of a link between the amount of porn viewed and a decrease in brain activity and size in response to sexual stimuli. At the conclusion of the study, obvious differences were found when comparing the brain of the men who refrained from watching porn from those that regularly viewed sexually explicit videos or images.
For the study, scientists choose 64 healthy men between the ages of 21 and 45. Each participant was asked to complete a survey detailing how much time they spent watching pornography in a one week period. While there was a significant variation in the participant’s answers, most were found to spend no more than 4 hours per week watching porn.
- THE EFFECTS ON THE BRAIN
After completing the survey, each participant’s brain was scanned using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) while viewing either non-sexual images or pornographic images. Researchers came to three conclusions.
A negative association exists between the amount of time spend viewing pornographic images and the volume of the gray matter located in the right caudate of the striatum. Essentially, the more porn someone watches, the smaller the striatum becomes.
While viewing pornographic material, there was an obvious decrease in function in the area of the connected to motivation and reward response.
Research suggests functional connectivity between the right caudate and the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex are negatively associated with the length of time reported watching porn.
One thing that researchers are not able to determine is whether viewing porn causes changes in the brain or if people born with specific brain types are more inclined to watch porn.
Dr. Kuhn emphasized, “The study can’t prove porn-watching causes changes to the brain. It’s not clear, for example, whether watching porn leads to brain changes or whether people born with certain brain types watch more porn. Unfortunately we cannot answer this question based on the results of the present study.”
- WHAT OTHER RESEARCHERS THINK?
The study caught the interest of several others, including Dr. Gregory Tau, a psychiatrist and Assistant Professor at Columbia University. He has conducted numerous studies regarding MRIs designed to understand how the brain’s neural system functions in substance abusers.
Dr. Tau states, “Everything is going to be bad in excess and it’s probably not terrible in moderation. It’s possible that there are individuals with a certain kind of brain that are more susceptible to these types of behavior.”
Dr. Tau, who was in no way affiliated with the study, suggests that more research should be completed before any conclusions can be made, particularly in regards to whether watching porn leads to changes in the brain.”
At this time, Dr. Kuhn has not indicated whether or not there any plans in place for further studies.
Abra Gordon
Source: Reuters
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