Bulimia porn

Pornography, an old disease 

Pornography, a word that few people say out loud, but which is in the search bars of many of us. This heightened eroticism is not a modern invention, but has its roots in many ancient cultures – whether we’re talking about Greek orgies in honour of Pan or Bacchus, Roman Saturnalia or various forms of sacred prostitution. The Antiquity, especially the pagan Antiquity, abounds in various art forms or rituals whose main theme was the unleashing of the sexual impulse. Today’s society is no more special than that of our ancestors. On the contrary, it is more a banal and commercial one, therefore taking this compulsion towards eroticism – already present in our collective mind – and turning it into a consumer good. And the accessibility of pornography is within the reach of anyone who makes the effort to use the internet. The purpose of this text is to present the effects that pornography consumption and addiction have on our development as individuals, as sexual partners and as a society.

Everyday bulimia porn  

Pornography consumption itself involves avoiding the natural setting in which sexual intercourse takes place. A setting that involves an emotional connection and physical assumption of the partner. Not to mention the whole courtship ritual that leads to traditional consent and real intimacy.  Virtuality has always been a temptation, which in the past we had to conquer only at the level of imagination. But now, with the massive digitisation taking place, simulating the real is becoming an increasingly sought-after and perceptually credible option. The same thing is happening with pornography, i.e. we are virtualizing sexuality. But the problem that is becoming more and more acute is that what used to easily arouse the viewer is now considered banal, and that violence, humiliation, control of the other, and many other aspects that shock those who have not been exposed to such perversions are increasingly cultivated in pornography. The even deeper problem is that these perversions have long existed in the spectrum of human behaviour, whether we are talking about characters like the Marquis de Sade or myths like those of the incubus and succubus, but they have never been normalized, legalized, encouraged even, and turned into consumer goods as they are in today’s society. So, if before we were talking about isolated cases in history, which did not represent value benchmarks, now, with the rise of this expression of human violence, we are talking about an epidemic of pornography addiction. According to semrush.com, Pornhub was the most used website in the United States, after Google, Youtube and Facebook. Pornhub racked up over 2.14 billion views in a single month in 2023 – more than Instagram, Netflix, Pinterest and Tik Tok combined. So yes, we can start talking about a pandemic of porn.

Pornography addiction

Pornography addiction is formed based on the same neural reward circuitry as any form of addiction². What researchers call the Coolidge effect is responsible for novelty-seeking when concerning sexual partners – because novelty increases arousal, which also promotes the spread and multiplication of genes³. From this point of view there is no difference between us and guinea pigs, the ones on which the studies in question were done. And this is because when we are faithful to a partner the intensity of arousal decreases on a biological level, due to its replacement with emotional attachment. It’s more oxytocin than dopamine, if we are to go back to biochemical language. We are just like animals, but we have the chance to become more so. Well, pornography offers you endless virtual possibilities and your brain doesn’t know the difference between real and virtual. And this multiple anticipation feeds this reward circuit by turning you on without censorship and limits, endlessly amplifying your search for new partners. Feeding the animal inside you, you might say. Pornography in the past was casual and much more limited in its possibilities. Today all you need is an internet-enabled device, a search module, and new web tabs with different sexual scenarios can open endlessly.

Effects of pornography addiction

Addiction to pornographic material is strongly correlated with erectile dysfunction in men, and with decreased sexual and relational satisfaction in couples⁴. There is also a statistically proven link between pornography, social anxiety and loneliness⁵. Not to mention the fact that openness to highly obscene material ultimately puts the emphasis on dominating the other, and that’s for the simple reason that the one consuming it is the one in control of the entire scenario. Thus, a deeply unethical attitude develops.  As a result, the porn addict no longer considers the other partner in terms of needs different from his or her own, but only as a means of personal satisfaction⁶. This only speaks to us as individuals and how we are personally affected in our subjective development, but how does this increased consumption of pornography affect us as a society? The psychology of addiction talks a lot about salient incentives, or how we as humans can want something we don’t like⁷. Mind-blowing, isn’t it? But what do we do when such an addiction-driven culture is created? Our society has a culture where our desires are no longer dictated by what we really like, but by our unmet needs that seek relief in the moment. Thus, we become easy prey for those who know how to exploit an addiction. On a factual level we are talking about a growing demand for pornographic material, and at the same time a growing need for people to produce this material. And while there are sex workers who are employed, have contracts and have regular medical check-ups, we are also talking about an immensely larger crowd of other people doing this job anonymously. And this space of silence involves a lot of child trafficking, abuse in the production of violent material, depersonalisation, very intense emotional consumption and, ultimately, social exclusion. Because, after all, no one brags about being a sex worker and what goes with such an occupation. But it is no mystery that exploitation and dehumanization are inevitable in such professions⁸.

Education on pornography

And yes, we are talking about a social stigma attached to highly erotic material, and most parents and educators don’t want to bring up. But we are facing a current crisis unprecedented in human history. To ease this laborious but much needed discussion, some suggest talking to your child about pornography while traveling by car – because then you won’t have to look each other in the eye and your child will have nowhere to run ⁹. This might be a solution in a crisis, but how do we proceed wisely to create a framework that prevents pornography addiction? And at the same time, how do we address those who are already struggling with such an addiction? We need to recognise that we have a macro-level problem with pornography and we need to understand the psycho-social reasons that have led to such an addiction. Equally, we need to understand the role of pornography in the culture and economy that we as a society promote and develop. Only in this way will we be able to offer a helping hand to those who wish to free themselves from such an unhealthy bond with virtuality, and then manage to connect to concrete reality⁹. One thing is clear, education about pornography is no longer an option!

Conclusion

The reality is harsh and painful at first for those who prefer illusions, but for the brave, those who dare to go beyond their addictions and beyond the pornographic culture of this sick society, the peaceful joy of life is revealed. Only then do all this excessive stimulus and sensory hallucination become empty in the light of what is truly real. So, choose reality, choose life, not illusions! 

Bibliography:

1. Top 100: Most Visited Websites in the US Semrush Blog
2. Methamphetamine acts on neuronal subpopulations that regulate sexual behavior in male rats 
3. Studies on pornography addiction, novelty seeking through pornography, and the Coolidge effect  
4. Studies on pornography addiction, link between pornography addiction, sexual dysfunction and poorer sexual and relationship satisfaction
5. Studies on pornography addiction, social anxiety and loneliness developed through pornography use a mediation analysis 2021  
6. Studies on pornography addiction, effects of pornography on unethical behaviour in business 2019  
7.  PSY305: Neurobiology of Addiction          
8.  Why I stopped watching porn | Ran Gavrieli | TEDxJaffa
9.  Let’s Talk Porn | Maria Ahlin | TEDxGöteborg