Note: PART 2 can be found further down in the article, but please watch this whole video to the end first and then after that scroll down on this page to find the second one.

The subject of today's videos / blog post...

Are you wondering what happens to your brain if you watch too much porn?

Well, if so, you are in the right place because today we are going to take a look a 4 common brain changes that take place if you develop an addiction to porn.

However, you should also know that some of these brain changes can start showing up even if you're not a full blown porn addict. Not all of them, but some. 

 So, do your best to stay focused here and stay with me until the end because this is going to be bot interesting and very helpful for you.

You see, in the second part we are also going to take a look at how you can reverse those brain changes that porn has caused. 

Let's jump in...

This Happens To The Brain If You Watch Too Much Porn

Too much porn and brain changes. I.e. what can happen in your brain is you over-consume porn.

Scandinavian Bob here, hi!

Today we are going to talk about 4 brain changes that happen if you become addicted to porn.

Note that we are not talking about masturbation in and of itself here, but a real addiction to porn.

So many guys think that masturbation and watching porn are the same thing, but they're not. 

Now, I have learned about these brain changes from Gary Wilson’s website and his book your brain on porn, but even so I’ll start with a disclaimer

Disclaimer, this video is information only and is not medical advice, if you need medical advice please see a professional.

 4 Brain changes from watching too much porn...

Ok, so here are the 4 brain changes…

• Sensitization
• Desensitization
• Hypofrontallity
• A malfunctioning stress system

Alright, and you should know that these are the 4 fundamental brain changes that happen in any addiction, from gambling, to alcohol, to cocaine to crystal meth and yes, also in addiction to porn.

But remember, we are now talking about those who are addicted, because not every guy who has used online porn sites has developed a real addiction to it.

The brain change 'sensitization' from watching too much porn...

Sensitization basically means a super memory of pleasure.

Think of sensitization as pathways in your brain that go from your triggers to you acting out.

And you have walked this pathway so many times that they have become completely ingrained.

It’s like, if you walk in a field of grass, at first it’s heavy going, but if you keep walking on that same place many times, finally you have created a path, or a rut, that is very easy to walk on.

Well this is what’s happening inside your brain.

Sensitization is basically a 'super-memory' of your porn watching...

Sensitization means that you have created a 'super path' to your addiction activity. And when you are hit by a trigger, the sensitized pathways fire up and start screaming for you to act out.

And the scary part here is that, when they start screaming, it is actually easier to relapse than to not relapse.

Why?

Well, because, think about the rut in the grass field again...

It’s easier to walk that rut than to walk in the long grass beside the rut.

It's easier to walk a path you're familiar with...

So, when the sensitized pathways are activated they trigger powerful cravings.

And the nasty thing here is that, even if you manage to stop using, these pathways will never really go away.

Now, don’t freak out here because they do become weaker and they become dormant and fall asleep. However, for many addicts they can be reactivated again if they start playing with fire again. 

This is why for example most sober alcoholics need to stay away from even having just one drink, because if they do, the sensitized pathways can start firing again and BAM...

...they suddenly find themselves back in the addiction hell hole.

Feeling stuck? You can transform your life in 13 weeks OR LESS by >>Downloading<< my FREE guide below...

The brain change 'desensitization' from watching too much porn...

Ok, and so desensitization basically means a numb pleasure response.

You have been hammering your brain's dopamine system for so long, that you now have less sensitivity to whatever dopamine you make.

Now, this is so nasty because it affects everything in life.

Since you now are less sensitive to dopamine, every day to day activity that normally would feel somewhat pleasurable, like...

• socializing
• listening to music
• playing a game
• working on your goals
• watching a sunset
• ...and so on...

Well, if you're really desensitized, those small thing can no longer really give you any pleasure. 

This is why you escalate with your porn use...

This is also why guys who are addicted to porn escalate and start watching harder and more shocking stuff.

They do it because they are so desensitized that the normal vanilla stuff no longer does anything for them.

So, in a desperate attempt to get the same buzz, they often find themselves watching all kinds of weird stuff.

This is so nasty because if you get really desensitized, then even that can stop working, and man, this is a bad place to be in, let me tell you, because NOW everything else in your day to day life really pales in comparison...

And you can’t get any pleasure anywhere.

Man, talk about being stuck in a depression hell hole.

So this is one nasty thing that happens to your brain if you watch too much porn.

Indeed, watching porn changes your brain.

Desensitization from watching too much porn can reverse...

But luckily, desensitization is fully reversible.

Once you stop using whatever you are addicted to, then your brain's dopamine system will start growing back more of those small dopamine receptors, and you get more and more sensitive to dopamine again.

Isn't that great?

Now, this takes a while, and just how long it takes, well it’s different for everyone.

Most people have started to see good brain improvements 90 days after quitting porn...

However, most people have started to notice a big difference by the 90 day mark.

Some sooner than that, and some a bit later, but just keep going and you will get there.

In order to not make this video too long, I will continue part two, where I will talk about the rest of the brain changes from watching porn, and also, what you can do to potentially help speed up the reversal of those brain porn addiction brain changes. 

What Happens in your brain when you're addicted to porn PART 2

The brain changes from watching porn PART 2

Note: the resources I talk about in the end of this video, can be found further down in the blog post, but please make sure to watch the whole video first before exploring the links. It's very important that you learn about the brain changes that takes place after watching too much porn, and what you can do about it.

Alright, so in Part 1 we talked about the four brain changes that you will have to face if you watch to much porn and develop a pron addiction...

• Sensitization
• Desensitization
• Hypofrontality
• A malfunctioning stress system

What happens inside your brain when you become addicted to porn...

Let's continue were we left off.

Yeah so those are the four brain changes that can start taking place inside your brain when you watch too much porn.

We talked about how desensitization robs you of pleasure and joy in everyday life, and how the messed up dopamine system can really make all those things you normally enjoy seem grey and boring.

But unfortunately it does not end there, because dopamine is involved with so many things. 

Dopamine is involved in som many things...

This is why addiction to adult sites can come with other nasty things as well, like for example…

• Low motivation and drive 
• Social anxiety
• Concentration problems
• Brain fog and poor short term memory
• Low self esteem
• Feelings of fear and shame
• And that the world is a scary and overwhelming place in general

Ok, but let's move on to the next one, which is hypofrontality...

How 'hypofrontality' can start taking place in your brain from watching porn...

Now Hypo means “less than normal” and frontality refers to the part of your brain that is right behind your forehead, named prefrontal cortex or PFC.

So, it basically means less than normal functioning PFC.

The prefrontal cortex...

Your PFC is the very control center of your brain.

Its job is problem solving, planning, attention and focus, pondering consequences and regulating goal directed behavior.

In other words, it is like your brain's captain.

It’s supposed to plan your future AND also stop you from doing stupid things.

Your PFC and its role in porn addiction...

Hypofrontality is nasty because it gives you less blood flow to your PFC and makes your whole control center underperform.

This also means that when you are hit by urges, with a poor functioning PFC you actually have less control over your actions.

Ouch!

Yeah, so now you understand why it sometimes feels impossible to control yourself when attacked by cravings.

The last brain change is a malfunctioning stress system.

Another thing that happens inside your brain when you have a porn addiction is that you develop a malfunctioning stress system...

A malfunctioning stress system...

It basically means that you get more easily stressed out by small things in life.

And it can also ramp up your anxiety levels in general, and not only that, it often starts screaming for you to use your addiction in order for it to calm down.

It’s kind of twisting your arm forcing you to give it what it wants, or else it’s going to make your day a living hell with cravings, withdrawal symptoms and all kinds of other nasty stress symptoms.

Stress tend to fire up the sensitized pathways, making you relapse back to porn...

And the nasty thing here is that stress tends to fire up the sensitized pathways, you know the ones we talked about in part 1. 

The malfunctional stress system is also one of the reasons behind why I so often warn you guys about stress in the beginning of your reboot. Because even small things that stresses you, that normally wouldn’t be a problem, can in combination with the dysfunctional stress system become this overwhelming stress monster that becomes the straw that breaks the camel's back. 

So, now when you understand a bit more about these brain changes, you are probably also starting to see why quitting can be so hard.

This is why it's so hard to quit using porn...

The desensitization:

You have the desensitization there, making your life look grey and meaningless. Like nothing other than what you are addicted to really matters. so of course that's going to make it hard not to relapse.

 The sensitization:

And then you have the sensitized pathways giving you powerful cravings as soon as it sees something that reminds it of your addiction.

The hypofrontality:

And on top of all of that the addiction has given you less self control by weakening your PFC.

The stress center:

And as the final nail in the coffin, just as a nice bonus, your stress responses go all crazy from time to time.

 If the brain changes from watching porn could speak...

So to drive this home, if the brain changes could speak...

• Desensitization would say “I can’t get no satisfaction” 
• Sensitized pathways would instantly poke you in the shoulder go “Hey, I’ve got just what you need”.
• Stress system would scream, “I need something to take the edge off, now!”
• Hypofrontality would sigh and say, “Bad idea, but I just don’t have the energy to stop you right now”

Oh man...yeah, so it is not easy to overcome a porn addiction, but don’t freak out because you can do it.

If I could do it, you can do it.

When you quit using porn, the brain changes will reverse...

And remember, when you stop acting out, these brain changes will start to go away, one by one on their own.

Except for the sensitized pathways.

But that even that one will become weaker and fall asleep, so to speak. 

Tools for speeding up the porn addiction recovery...

Meditation...

Now, if you want help speed things up, then meditation is perhaps the best tool you can find for strengthening your PFC.

And it’s no coincidence that many nofappers have meditation in their tool box. And you should also know that every time you are hit by a trigger, and you choose to not follow it, you are strengthening you PFC a bit. 

So don’t be afraid of triggers and urges. Look at them the way you view dumbbells in the gym. Each time you say no to a trigger, it is like you are doing one more biceps curl, but for your PFC instead of your arm.

Physical exercise...

Other than that, physical exercise and brain healthy foods, may help your PFC as well. 

And that is also true for your desensitization, as for example high intensity interval training has been shown to help grow new dopamine receptors. 

Intermittent fasting...

intermittent fasting and cold showers can also help desensitization. 

But a bit of warning here, don’t take them to the extreme. Please be careful, and remember that more is not always better.

Feeling stuck? You can transform your life in 13 weeks OR LESS by >>Downloading<< my FREE guide below...

Socializing...

Socializing may sometimes also help increase the number of your dopamine receptors, but probably not if you happen to be at the bottom of the dominance hierarchy. 

 Sunshine...

Then there is also some evidence pointing towards sunshine as helping to upregulate your dopamine system.

And lastly, I’m a bit hesitant to share this, but since I really want to share helpful things with you.

I’ll  do it with the disclaimer of, you having to do your own research and everything you do is at your own risk...

CDP-Choline....

Ok, so there are some studies on animals showing that an over the counter supplement called CDP choline, has been able to increase dopamine receptors up to about 18% if I remember correctly.

Now, these are animal studies and we don’t know it works the same on humans.

And also, don’t think you now have to start using supplements in order to recover, because you don’t.

I’m just sharing interesting things here, and, yes, I do take CDP choline myself. Just like I do physical exercise and take cold showers, but remember, do your own research, be careful, and use your head whenever you want to try something.

Can we fix the sensitized pathways our porn use has caused?

Now, there’s really not much you can do about the sensitized pathways and your stress system, other than, don’t feed the addiction!

Because every time you do, you are also feeding and strengthening those two brain changes.

Just repeatedly say "no" to your cravings and they will weaken on their own.

So once more, as long as you stay away from using your brain will rebalance on it’s own.

Consider getting some help for your porn addiction...

Lastly, as overcoming a PMO addiction can be a bit tricky if you find yourself struggling and failing again and again then perhaps consider getting some help. 

You can for example reach out to me for a 1 on 1 coaching session, but I’m not just saying that to promote myself here...

No, you can just as well seek out some local therapist in your area.

Addictions tend to be progressive...

Or find some other help, but if you have been trying for more than 6 months and you keep relapsing, you should really consider doing something with someone - because unfortunately addiction is progressive, meaning it tends to get worse with time.

If you need help then there is also the possibility of doing an online course at your own pace.

In order to know what course I should recommend if I have been checking it out, a special system, and I  really have to say, it produces phenomenal results. 

You can read more about that system in my article, A good online course for quitting porn.

Thanks for reading. I hope you now have a clearer understanding what happens inside your brain when you become addicted to porn. Or, what can happen to the brain by watching too much porn in general.

-Scandinavian Bob

Related posts:

• How does masturbating to porn affect the brain?
• Dopamine desensitization from watching porn (it looks like this)
• Is dopamine fasting worth it?
• Porn can be damaging to your dopamine receptors
• Dopamine receptors decline with age
• NoFap and cold showers (Dopamine receptors)
• How much technology (dopamine stimulation) can your brain handle?
• What does Jordan Peterson think of porn?