Read Your Brain on Porn for Free Online

mechanics of what is actually happening. Research could also help sort the porn-afflicted from those with other disorders, such as those stemming from childhood trauma and attachment problems. It goes without saying that not everyone's problems can be traced back to internet porn use. It also goes without saying that an attraction to transgender people, an interest in being dominated, and any number of other things, can form part of a durable and happy sexual identity. The problem is in the effects of porn on the brain, not in any particular aspect of human beings' astonishing diversity in matters of desire.

Common Symptoms
    Although most early trials in giving up internet porn were desperate ploys to reverse deteriorating sexual function, today many people make the experiment in order to gain a whole range of benefits. In this section you'll find a sprinkling of self-reports describing improvements after quitting porn, broken down into categories. But many users see a wide range of diverse improvements. For example, this ex-user wrote:
     
    Improvements since quitting:
     
    - Social anxiety improved drastically – includes confidence, eye contact, comfort
    interacting, smoothness, etc.
     
    - More energy in general
     
    - Clearer, sharper mind, more concentration
     
    - More vibrant looking face
     
    - Depression alleviated
     
    - Desire to interact with women
     
    - Boners are back!!
     
    Another guy described himself during his porn use:
     
    - My friends were drifting away. I gave up socialising to sit in my room and pleasure myself.
     
    - My family loved me unconditionally, but did not enjoy my company.
     
    - I had trouble focusing on my job and as well as my classes at my university.
     
    - I had no girlfriend.
     
    - I had an enormous amount of anxiety with human interactions in general.
     
    - I worked out furiously, but never seemed to gain anything.
     
    - Everyone told me I was mentally checked out. I even caught a glimpse of me in a video
    and you could see a blank stare in my eyes. No one was home. Definition of space cadet.
     
    - No ENERGY, no matter how much I slept, NONE. NOTHING. AT ALL. Always tired. Bags
    under my eyes, pale, acne, and dehydrated.
     
    - I was terribly depressed.
     
    - I had porn-induced ED.
     
    - I was stressed, anxious, confused, and lost.
     
    - I was not living life, but I was not dead either. I was a zombie.
     
    People naturally wonder how such disparate symptoms could be associated with internet porn use, and what physiological changes might be behind the improvements. They also wonder why some
    users see different results or no results. Solid research on internet porn's effects is just beginning, but in the next chapter I'll hypothesize based on the abundant relevant science already available on brain plasticity and internet use.
     
    Meanwhile, let's take a closer look at people's accounts of what they're experiencing.
     
    Interfering with life, losing control
     
    Inability to control use and use that interferes with one's life are two cardinal signs of addiction. Priorities have shifted due to changes in the brain that we'll look at later. In effect, life's natural rewards, such as friendship, exercise and accomplishment, can no longer compete.
    Your brain now believes that IT – in this case internet porn use – is an important goal, and equates it with your survival:
     
    Most days I would wank so much that by the end of the day when I orgasmed nothing would even come out. ED my first time sent me into a porn spiral. I would literally wake up,
    roll over and masturbate, masturbate all day, then at night masturbate and go to sleep. 6
    times a day or more, no joke. Safe to say my life was an absolute mess, all the bad effects of porn x 10. I knew that the porn and masturbation was affecting me but I was in denial, masturbation is good for you right? You can’t be addicted to porn.
    *
    My lowest point was when I lost out on my pharmacy diploma and lost my girlfriend