Your Brain On Porn: Porn Addiction (Part 2)

[prajnasword]

Although we may not be evolutionarily suited for so many partners (albeit virtual), our environments may be so stressful that the greater levels of dopamine are compensatory and may be necessary to maintain overall health. I think that the increase in internet porn is a symptom of something greater that needs to be addressed. To mix literary metaphors, maybe the proles need soma to keep them from realizing that they are proles and will always be proles.

[BodyWisdomVideos]

@prajnasword Short term stress causes a burst in dopamine leading to cravings, while long-term, chronic, everyday stress can decrease baseline dopamine levels, leading to less pleasure experienced with "normal" rewards. So yes, stress plays a role in craving more dopamine - but not getting it. Addiction is LESS baseline dopamine, interspersed by short bursts of high dopamine when using (porn, alcohol, drugs). Not true compensation as one is on a rollercoaster of highs & lows. Not very healthy.

[prajnasword]

@BodyWisdomVideos. Yes, I agree. Perhaps I mispoke. It is maladaptive and unhealthy, but I think that the ready availability of porn is endogenous with these other factors, in the sense that many of the same unobservable determinants of the availability of porn are also unobservable (environmental) determinants of the mental health outcomes you point to. In other words, the availability of porn is not a completely exogenous variable. 

[ShaxAMV]

if it's all about reproduction, then how do gays get horny?

[BodyWisdomVideos]

@ShaxAMV The question is not why do gays get horny? One would have to remove structures in the brain to prevent sexual desire from occurring. Rather the evolutionary mystery is - why does homosexuality exist? What is the evolutionary advantage is of homosexuality, since it leads to no offspring. One theory is that the genes (from the parents of gay men) may lead to more promiscuity in the sisters of gay men. But theories abound.

[Jamesx1010]

@BodyWisdomVideos

Maybe homosexuality exists because of an inbalance in male or female hormones in a person's gender. Thats my theory.

[MaximumGKB8]

Evolution is a Joke

[maccajoe]

@MaximumGKB8 Quite Bible Basher the grown ups are talking

[MaximumGKB8]

@maccajoe

Freedom of Speech

If I have No Right to Have a Voice

Neither do You

[maccajoe]

@MaximumGKB8 Lol getting all hurt coz i called u a bible basher, my point exactly i can call you whatever

[raider2661]

It's crazy how much of a negative effect porn can have on your sex life. When I first started having sex I was completely unable to come even though I was really attracted to the girl I was with. I started thinking that I was sexually screwed up, it was actually really scary. But then I began to discover that it was excessive porn use and masturbation. When I'm able to get it under control, my sex life is fantastic. But when I'm binging out on porno I like don't even care about getting laid

[BodyWisdomVideos]

@primenemisis Yes, cravings drive most addictions, and the withdrawal symptoms.

Not sure what you men by “override dopamine levels”. Recovery from addictions involves returning you dopamine receptors to their previous levels, and elevating your baseline dopamine levels.

[NightmareContinues]

@BodyWisdomVideos And elevating your baseline dopamine level is like being on aderal all the time, its awesome

[thepower1802]

Jesus Christ, why was I not taught this at 10 years old...

[Wsj1994]

These groups of videos are some of the best videos/information on desire, emotion, addiction, brain function I have ever seen BY FAR. Fantastic job

[zefem]

I just realised i have porn opened in another tab right now...

[Keon994]

@zefem

Better close it ;)

[gayforlife2020]

Hope you don't mind: fascinating stuff! know parts of it. I'm Bipolar/Borderline, HIV+, gay, and 48. I present myself as an example. When young, I was a sex addict. After about 12 years of HIV (CD4 >200), my libido lowered drastically. Now, I am okay with sex once/year, if at all. Antidepressants make me manic: hypersexual. Provigil (stimulant) too, but less severe. I needed Provigil for chronic suicidality (since 2000). I'm learning new behaviors, too. Dopamine: right on. I intuited its power.

[kingkevinjoy]

mommy good, snake bad....hold on lemme write this down

[Jamirofan89]

yep.this made my life broken.if you suffer from over masturbation or sexual exhaustion send me a pm so you can discuss this with thousands of people who are actually suffering from this.

[Shark112]

This also explains procrastination. If a lack of reward people will not want it.

[WhiteTrashSingers]

Now what about the negative affects of porn? What about the negative affects from suppressing it?

[BodyWisdomVideos]

@WhiteTrashSingers No where do we say anything about suppressing or banning porn. We believe in free speech, and don't take a moral view on porn use. That said, I doubt anyone has been harmed by not using Internet porn.

[killerwabbit95]

this is the most cleaver video i have ever seen

[PabloPena108]

I think this modern tendency to try and "physicalize" everything and make everything about some kind of Anthropoligic urge is really just base and not indicative of true intelligence. There are millions of Buddihsts monks who would try and suppress nearly every "natural urge" including sex all in the quest for Enlightenment which biologically has no basis whatsoever.

I'm not against understanding things biologically but it only paints 1/2 the picture.

[BodyWisdomVideos]

@PabloPena108 Since you are invoking Buddhist teachings, one of the main tenants appears to be that cravings and desires lead to suffering. This video is about the human reward circuitry, which is the source of all cravings and desires. Why do you think the Dali Lama is such a neuroscience geek? Perhaps the experience of “enlightenment” is activation of specific neural circuits.

[theplanetdestroyer]

t/his will def help in lots of things i do ..and school work..

[MissJemimaPuddleduck]

Anorexia is another addiction worth mentioning.

[Ignozi]

How can humans overcome their primitive urges is the big question for me.

Technology is advancing at a rapid rate each year, yet out brains are poorly adapted at living in such conditions.

Imagine if the technological Singularity came true in 2045.

It could either be salvation for humans or their end.

[FrazzleAndTheWolf]

Kind of depressing knowing we are hard wired to cheat >_<

Why have we evolved to be so "intelligent" if this is the case?

[BodyWisdomVideos]

@FrazzleAndTheWolf Only 3% of mammal species are pair-bonders, which means they pair up to mate and raise kids. No species of mammal is sexually monogamous. So we have a push-pull between our pair bonding brain programs and our urge to have other multiple sexual partners. The purpose for fooling around is to increase genetic diversity of our offspring. Intellegience has nothing to do with pair-bonding or promiscuous mating styles. The urges for either arise from our primtive limbic systems.

[FrazzleAndTheWolf]

@BodyWisdomVideos Um, I know all this.

I'm just saying that the desire to be with someone long term seems pointless and could save people a lot of pain if it didnt exist.

[BodyWisdomVideos]

@FrazzleAndTheWolf Hardly pointless. In fact, knowing about the evolutionary forces working on our limbic brains can help a couple steer towards genuine monogamy. One key is understanding what signals strengthen bonds between mates, and what behaviors can cause habituation, and can erode bonds.

Google - Psychology Today, and each article: 1) An Uncanny Love Potion, 2) The Lazy Way to Stay in Love, 3) How to Talk to Cupid

[gnovakov]

@FrazzleAndTheWolf

You kidding me, that is the reason we have evolved so intelligent.

We aren't wired to cheat, but wired to search for new things to stimulate you.

Women buy a new pair of shoes, ah nice, but 2 weeks later they want a brand new pair that is nicer than the one they bought before. Or a man with DIY gadgets.

When intelligence comes along, we invent something, then we want to improve it. Thus we learn new things in the process.

Marriage was invented to suppress nature.

[FrazzleAndTheWolf]

@gnovakov I'm a woman and I don't need another pair of shoes every two weeks. Maybe I'm a freak of nature.

[gnovakov]

@FrazzleAndTheWolf That was just an example. Its probably handbags in your case. :p

[FrazzleAndTheWolf]

@gnovakov Wrong again XD

[saveyoursoulyt]

@FrazzleAndTheWolf I'm a woman and I hate shoes! We are not freaks, we are sensible.

[fuzzalicious]

I want a lever that stimulates my reward center!

[BakMau]

I need dope(mine)

Just hope that I won't forget abt this tomorrow:)

THX for sharing your wisdom.

Respect!

[Fl4dd3rm0uz]

Thank you, very informative and easily understandable.

[deflowering2by2]

And THIS is where you get horny!- lol

[geilallday]

This is awesome thank you..You explained it perfect...Pure genius...