Effects of porn on the brain

[Robittybob1]

Whatever .. this is starting to get annoying. I can't talk about anything without a warning. So be it, I am done here. You all have a nice life now.

Have you gone? It takes a bit of time to settle into the etiquette of science forums.

Edited February 9, 2016 by Robittybob1

[Carbonerd]

Except, you know, the people in that porn... and anyone who happens to look similar.

 

Not really. Porn films/pictures are usually well edited and people are using special equipment to make them look good, so they do not present the standards in a real world.

[iNow]

Not really. Porn films/pictures are usually well edited and people are using special equipment to make them look good, so they do not present the standards in a real world.

Depends on how you define porn and which contents you include in your set for study. AFAIK, there's a whole lot of amateur stuff out there that has none of those things you mention.

[Carbonerd]

Depends on how you define porn and which contents you include in your set for study. AFAIK, there's a whole lot of amateur stuff out there that has none of those things you mention.

I sometimes see women ranks (even on casual websites!) which present artificial beauty as the best. Amateur porn presents "normal" women, so yes, it is different. But seeing big, silicone boobs as #1 makes me wonder how many men are watching this and thus being influenced.

 

We could have more on psychological issues caused by porn after making a study on every porn group watchers. I am not sure if somebody did it.

[Arete]

But seeing big, silicone boobs as #1 makes me wonder how many men are watching this and thus being influenced.

 

I think in the same sense that most people can play a violent video game and not become violent as a result, most ordinary people can separate sexual fantasy from reality. I once read a study which indicated that the industry switched from deliberately using men of lower attractiveness to using more adonis-like actors, because it fit better with the fantasy world men create when watching it - can't find the original study, sorry.

 

Of course in both circumstances, a minority of people (seems like 2% of users in the case of online porn) suffer addiction, and some a warped perception of reality based on exposure to porn/video games, but it doesn't seem to be the case for the majority.

 

Also, pretty much all men watch porn at some point in their lives. Seems that at about the age of 10, most males will seek out visually arousing material. While the technology of, and the media by which erotic material is delivered is changing rapidly, human behavior regarding erotic material has not dramatically altered in the face of increased access to it.

Edited February 9, 2016 by Arete

[iNow]

Seems that at about the age of 10, most males will seek out visually arousing material. While the technology of, and the media by which erotic material is delivered is changing rapidly, human behavior regarding erotic material has not dramatically altered in the face of increased access to it.

Exactly. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_erotic_depictions

 

Also, the worlds oldest cave art (from 37,000 years ago) is of a vagina: http://io9.gizmodo.com/5910425/the-worlds-oldest-cave-art-is-of-a-vagina

[Sirona]

Also, pretty much all men watch porn at some point in their lives. Seems that at about the age of 10, most males will seek out visually arousing material. While the technology of, and the media by which erotic material is delivered is changing rapidly, human behavior regarding erotic material has not dramatically altered in the face of increased access to it.

 

+1

 

However, I'd like to add that females are just as curious about erotic material, however, they're not as open about it for various reasons such as the fear, isolation, judgement from society which deters from openness. Thankfully in Australia we're fairly liberal when it comes to sex, even so that criticism and disapproval still exists, albeit to a lesser degree than other countries.

 

Edit: Grammatical error

Edited February 10, 2016 by Sirona

[Eldad Eshel]

Well I am back. I tried a spiritual forum but it is quite dead. I suffer from boredom and depression and need the livelyhood of this forum. Excusing myself thus I will continue with the subject at hand.

 

I think masturbation and porn are so accepted because everyone does/watches it. It is sort of damaging to the norms of society to step up and say "Hey, this is wrong". Sort of like trying to get a junk food junkie to lay off hamburgers and pizza (though another topic, they are also damaging). Both of these have become so accepted that it is very hard now to turn the wheel backwards. They really have become norms. As Seinfeld said, masturbation is like shaving. Or in other words a common habit, that is accepted by all society, a norm. Really hard to go against something like this. I think even science is afraid to step up against both porn and masturbation, thus the so inconclusive results.

[Robittybob1]

Welcome back. I think you ought to ..... study a bit more. Do you have access to Google etc?

[John Cuthber]

Well I am back. I tried a spiritual forum but it is quite dead. I suffer from boredom and depression and need the livelyhood of this forum. Excusing myself thus I will continue with the subject at hand.

 

I think masturbation and porn are so accepted because everyone does/watches it. It is sort of damaging to the norms of society to step up and say "Hey, this is wrong". Sort of like trying to get a junk food junkie to lay off hamburgers and pizza (though another topic, they are also damaging). Both of these have become so accepted that it is very hard now to turn the wheel backwards. They really have become norms. As Seinfeld said, masturbation is like shaving. Or in other words a common habit, that is accepted by all society, a norm. Really hard to go against something like this. I think even science is afraid to step up against both porn and masturbation, thus the so inconclusive results.

Do you realise that all the evidence indicates that it was always very common. It's nothing new.

It's practically universal in humans, and common on other animals.

 

The reason it's accepted is that everybody does it.

 

" I think even science is afraid to step up against both porn and masturbation, "

Why should it?

Science might "stand up against" junk food- because the actual evidence shows that junk food is bad.

But the evidence shows that masturbation is good in some cases, and not bad in essentially any cases.

 

Why would science stand up against something good?

Edited February 14, 2016 by John Cuthber

[Eldad Eshel]

Why would science stand up against something good?

As I mentioned after masturbating my head itches and I feel "dirty", I have to take a shower. Also I would get back cramps, and all sorts of weird stuff on my penis. My head itching causes me to scratch my head, which leads to hair loss. How is that good ? (Luckliy I don't masturbate anymore.) Masturbation also dries you up, physically and spiritually. My eyes would dry up and I would have to wet them with water. Probably a cause of losing eye sight. My younger life I believe has caused me to lose both some hair and some eye sight. Today my hair isn't receding anymore and my eye sight seems steady, almost like it's getting better instead of worse.

 

Something unmentioned is how porn and malicious content like viruses and spyware are connected. Basically while masturbating you also destroy your computer and possibly your personal safety. Especially young ones and people not very aware of PC safety.

[Phi for All]

Something unmentioned is how porn and malicious content like viruses and spyware are connected.

 

Because porn makes you forget to use protection?! That would make me itchy too.

[John Cuthber]

As I mentioned after masturbating my head itches and I feel "dirty", I have to take a shower. Also I would get back cramps, and all sorts of weird stuff on my penis. My head itching causes me to scratch my head, which leads to hair loss. How is that good ?

We are still waiting to see why you don't think that's psychosomatic.

[Eldad Eshel]

We are still waiting to see why you don't think that's psychosomatic.

It's funny .. I present legit physical evidence, then you turn to pyschosomatic causes. All those physical phenomena cannot all be psychsomatic, I see them as plain physical phenomena. They were with me always, even when I wasn't against masturbation, mainly after I was erased by the psychiatric world. They are also very repetitive, as in will always always happen. Seems very physical to me. Every individual's physiology is different, and in my case my head itches after I masturbate and my eyes become dry, but still I don't think it is psychosomatic. This excuse is just an excuse.

[Robittybob1]

It's funny .. I present legit physical evidence, then you turn to pyschosomatic causes. All those physical phenomena cannot all be psychsomatic, I see them as plain physical phenomena. They were with me always, even when I wasn't against masturbation, mainly after I was erased by the psychiatric world. They are also very repetitive, as in will always always happen. Seems very physical to me. Every individual's physiology is different, and in my case my head itches after I masturbate and my eyes become dry, but still I don't think it is psychosomatic. This excuse is just an excuse.

Have you looked into the definition of psychosomatic? It is different to psychiatric.

[pavelcherepan]

 

It's funny .. I present legit physical evidence,

 

You present BS and anecdotes, nothing more.

 

Maybe you can search for papers describing this ailment, when masturbation causes itchiness of the head and dryness in the eyes and who knows, you might find someone else from your species.

 

I don't think many people have the same thing.

[hypervalent_iodine]

!

Moderator Note

Once again, Eldad Eshel, this is not a thread about what you think happens to you following masturbation. Unless you have general scientific evidence (not anecdotes) to support what you are saying, your contributions to this thread do not belong. I will be removing any more of your posts and any replies that do not fit in accordance with this mod note.

[Sirona]

Because porn makes you forget to use protection?! That would make me itchy too.

I haven't laughed that much in a while! You're hilarious.

 

Though on a serious note, you hardly ever see porn stars wearing condoms (do they make them that big? ) and when you do it's always like seeing a dog walk on its hind legs! I suppose you could argue that porn encourages unsafe sex and some STDs are bad for the brain! (I can only think of one off the top of my head).

[iNow]

[swansont]

I have another anecdote.

 

!

Moderator Note

We're here to discuss science. Leave the anecdotes out of it.

[Eldad Eshel]

Ok so I am being censored now. You say it isn't scientific enough. I have a question for you. Don't you want science to include everything ? Like things I have to say. Don't you want it to be as broad as possible ? I would certainly have more respect for it if it was.

[hypervalent_iodine]

!

Moderator Note

You are not being censored, you are being asked to follow the rules. I explicitly told you that any more posts that were not on topic (as per my mod note) would be removed. For what is now the forth time, I am asking you to stick to the topic. If you have nothing beyond anecdotes to contribute, then your posts are inappropriate for this thread and will continue to be removed.

 

If you keep this up you will be suspended.

[Robittybob1]

Ok so I am being censored now. You say it isn't scientific enough. I have a question for you. Don't you want science to include everything ? Like things I have to say. Don't you want it to be as broad as possible ? I would certainly have more respect for it if it was.

@EE - We all have our differences and if all those differences were listed we would never get to the end of that process. So even if your reactions are extreme and interesting in themselves you need to have worked out how they compare to the average in your group, country and such like. Then you could say you were the odd one out. I think that is what they are after.

You know your own feelings (possibly) and reactions but you don't know the other's and you need to know both, before you can say you are different.

[Arete]

Ok so I am being censored now.

 

No you're not.

 

You say it isn't scientific enough.

 

No it's not science at all.

 

I have a question for you. Don't you want science to include everything ? Like things I have to say. Don't you want it to be as broad as possible ?

 

If you can back up what you say using data and evidence, sure, of course. The more opinions the merrier. What I don't want is someone offering up their opinion as fact with no way to support it. When you present us with "I feel itchy/dirty after a hand shandy" we have an anecdote. A single anecdote does not evidence make.

 

When I say "jerking it (or heading on down to towel town, if that's floats your boat) what 3-7 times a month can lower the risk of prostate cancer in men; here's a study". That's an evidence backed statement. Do you understand the distinction?

[Phi for All]

I have a question for you. Don't you want science to include everything ?

 

Absolutely NOT. I don't want it to include useless opinion and anecdote. I want it to focus on supportable explanations.

 

Your anecdotes might be interesting elsewhere. They aren't useful here.