Pornography use and depression
It's no surprise that a high proportion of addicts are also clinically depressed. It's a chicken and egg question: are depressed people more prone to addiction, or does their addiction cause depression?
A recent Leeds University study leaves this question open, but confirms the link between excessive internet use and increased likelihood of depression. To quote Dr Catriona Morrisson:
What is clear is that, for a small subset of people, excessive use of the internet could be a warning signal for depressive tendencies.
Commenting in the Guardian today, John Crace asks:
How long do you think a normal person could spend surfing the net before starting to feel really depressed? The Leeds researchers identified social networking, porn and gambling sites as the natural habitat of depressed addicts. No surprise there. Talking online to people you don't really know, sweaty silicon faking orgasm, and losing money you can't afford to lose. All in perpetuity. What's not to get depressed about?
And he has an novel take on the motivation/depression balance:
More interesting research might have been to identify which sites make you depressed the quickest. Could 10 minutes of Facebook or porn make you feel quite happy? It's minute 11 and thereafter you have to watch out for.
I'd say that high levels of anticipation and inner-wrangling contribute to porn addiction, in addition to the number of minutes spent absorbing it. Even people who spend 20 minutes a day surfing porn can feel hooked and emotionally drained.
Also, it is interesting to note that of the 1,319 people surveyed in the Leeds University research, only 18 - 1.4% - were classified as internet addicts.
The Guardian comment can be read here, and the Leeds University research abstract is available here.
Porn Game Over is Jason's self-help plan for quitting the habit. Click here for a fresh approach to internet pornography addiction...
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8 comments
I feel that this research
I feel that this research carried out at Leeds University holds a strong element of truth to it, I'm sure that using porn on a frequent basis would lead to a greater chance of feeling depressed than if you hadn't used any porn at all. I often found myself feeling very down after having indulged in using porn, including much regret & self dislike.
Indeed the more I think about porn and what it is and how it exploits people the more depressing it seems. The only people that don't appear depressed are the pornographers who are making mega profits from their trade (see them sitting around there large swimming pools in the California sunshine next to the over sized garage with several new top of the range sports cars,etc,etc living the jet set life style). Its all winners & users & consumers & money.
I'd suggest that porn itself
I'd suggest that porn itself isn't the actual problem here, its our relationship & use of porn that creates the problems. Just like in the same sense that money itself is a neutral entity i.e. money itself is just bits of paper, bits of plastic, pieces of metal or electronic bits (atoms that travel down wires in cyber space). Its what we do & how we use porn that is truly the significant issue here at every level.
**Porn at one level is just images or moving images, or photographs in a magazine or book.
**Therefore if porn is just images it must be something to do with the nature of the images themselves which triggers such an immensely powerful reaction in people. OK! its pretty obvious that its the sexual nature of these images which triggers something in us, something pretty primordial & very primitive. Porn triggers a physiological (bodily) reaction, at the hormonal level. Our obsessions with porn & porn images I'd like to suggest is actually an obsession with the highs & low's of this hormonal pattern. Its very similar but not quite the same as the marathon runner, using porn can end up becoming like the fitness fanatic. Porn users get a similar experience to the endorphin hit runners get.
Apart from porn being a form
Apart from porn being a form of escapism & or used as a pain of pain killer i.e. to numb out. Porn becomes a form of hormonal habit which could appear like a drug users habit, this is probably why people "wrongly talk about porn addiction" which in my opinion is actually a complete mistake & error. Its NOT the porn that the person has an obsession with but it is the effect of using the porn, using the porn induces a bodily released hormones & it is this that become the basis of the persons habit. In other words we get obsessed with our own hormonal highs & lows, the rush of arousal followed by a release then followed by a sense of inner emptiness & perhaps depression too? The porn is just a means to an end, a way to get that rush of bodily sensations.
Good insights there Alex - I
Good insights there Alex - I totally agree.
Scientific research has proven that the brain naturally produces its own drugs, which are essential for our motivation and reward systems, and to help us deal with pain. This includes the neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine levels are raised by ingestion of many class-A drugs, exercise, orgasm and sexual arousal.
Anticipation of reward is also sufficient to elevate our dopamine levels. This happens when we experience cravings for porn, see a 'triggering' sexy advertisement or simply obsess over pornography and sex.
So you are quite right - we're talking about a rush of mental and bodily sensations. It's a chemical carousel. Neurological research continues to shed light on the 'addicted' brain, producing some intriguing theories. It's something I intend to blog about more here.
If the research & theories,
If the research & theories, or observations about the chemical hormonal nature of a porn habit is accurate then this also points to the fact that porn has the power to totally subvert our physiological (bodily) reaction which is meant to be a healthy part of love making i.e. arousal and being turned on by your partner. And of course this arousal in a normal healthy aspect of a relationship & it is the result of our evolutionary past i.e. it served a specific purpose meaning reproduction.
Therefore looked at it from this view point it appears that porn over stimulates our sexual responses i.e. we get the arousal but the arousal is now completely out of context meaning its now got 100% nothing to do with a relationship with another real human being (a real partner or actual relationship) and the arousal has nothing to do with reproduction. That means we now have a sexual response which is completely removed from its original evolutionary purpose (the getting of children i.e. reproduction) and that leaves us with a rather empty obsession or selfish focus on the bodily sensation alone i.e. arousal & hormonal rush felt in the body.
And as porn has nothing to do with a real relationship its rather a lonely experience, it doesn't enrich us in the way actual intimacy can with another person. Meaning porn can never ever bring happiness to our lives because it cannot fill us up emotionally because emotional fulfillment can only come from giving & receiving. Giving & receiving with a partner are NOT based purely on a chemical response to a specific set of visual stimuli i.e. images.
In a real (actual)
In a real (actual) relationship with a partner sex & sex play (& foreplay) are expressions of love, are part of what creates intimacy. Sex & intimacy are what creates the bonds of a loving relationship. All of this are built on trust & mutual meeting of our inner most emotional needs & wants. If we are aroused (turn on) by our partner its usually in the context of our relationship with that person, its a natural ebb & flow (give & receive) of the sexual dynamic between two people.
I am utterly struck & amazed as I write this bye just how massively vast the gap is in contrast with porn and how porn cannot provide any of the above fulfillment. Porn is emotionally bankrupt, it cannot provide intimacy (perhaps it creates an illusion or delusion of intimacy) therefore it cannot enrich our lives like another real person can. Porn can only stimulate a misplaced physiological reaction & a purely chemical hormonal sensation, porn is not a part of any kind of bonding process, porn doesn't bring us closer to someone we love quite the contrary.
Porn can only provide a purely physiological reaction and even this is disconnected from anything else which is why it is such a dissatisfying experience and will always be. Using porn should thus be seen in a similar context to a sugar rush, you get the high followed by the depression as you blood sugar levels crash through the floor. Same with porn use i.e. a high or rush followed by a release & crash it does nothing to enrich your life or emotional well being in the longer term, does nothing to improve the quality of your life. Porn is pure illusion & delusion it takes no no where positive as far as I can see.
Using porn is a method bye
Using porn is a method bye which we stimulate our physiology in order to get a reaction, it is a way to get our hormonal hit. This is the basis for our real obsession or habitual use of porn.
It is a drug like any other
It is a drug like any other and the more a person indulges the more is needed to get the same level of a 'fix'. Pornography robs people of tenderness and compassion and makes us a far more selfish and cruel society. I am very thankful that at age 48 I was spared the misery that the current crop of young people in the world are enduring as a result of the widespread availability of porn. I can only imagine how messed up my life would have been had I, as a hormonally charged teenager, had access to the type of porn that is free on the net today. They are becoming a selfish breed of animal the likes of which our culture has never seen. With hundereds of new porn sites going up every month, the snare is getting even wider and few are able to escape the bondage. Cold turkey is the way to go. The porn and masturbation cycle can be broken and freedom can ensue.
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