Pornography destroys both the body and the soul.
If you are a Christian, acknowledging pornography is outside of God’s design for sex and relationship is itself reason enough to reject consuming it. The spiritual harms of any evil should never be ignored. Pornography exploits men, women, and children for pleasure and profit, directly counteracting what the Bible says about human dignity and worth. Its spiritual implications cannot ever be fully calculated, but the myriad of negative impacts pornography has on the physical brain are also worth noting.
God is intricate in His design, and the way our brains work is no exception. God created the brain to interact intently with the world around us. As we experience our various surroundings, our brains respond by releasing chemicals that carry out a variety of functions. These chemicals, called neurotransmitters, are what make us feel good when doing a hobby that we love, achieve something big, or feel connected to the people around us. However, just like all things in our broken world, this system is often misused, such as when we don’t guard our mind from the content we are consuming.
Dopamine, one of the primary chemicals in the brain’s reward system, is released when an individual watches pornography. This is what makes pornography highly addictive. After usage, the brain will seek out that chemical “high” that was experienced in that moment, which will keep bringing that individual back to the source of it. This is what leads to the phenomenon of “escalating behaviors,” which requires the content consumed to get more and more explicit in order to produce the same dopamine effect. Our experiences are written into our brains through neural circuits, and when consuming pornography, the brain responds by creating a corresponding neural circuit through repeated exposure. This is largely what causes desensitization for long-term pornography users.
Usage of pornography also affects cognitive function. Pornography is a “supernatural stimulus,” which means it is an unnatural experience for the brain. Hyper-stimulation reduces the number of receptors in the brain, causing impulsivity, brain fog, reduced pleasure in normal activities, and changes in attention. Studies have also shown a reduction in the amount of grey matter in the brain which is responsible for learning and the reward system itself. This is especially harmful when exposure happens to developing brains. Tragically, the average age for first exposure to pornography is 14.
Pornography’s effect on the brain also impacts bonding in future relationships. When experiencing a counterfeit version of love, it reframes the way our brains will respond to future intimacy in the context of marriage. When a husband and/or wife have pornography in their past, statistics show devastating impacts on the marriage. This is also seen in dating relationships.
Despite all this, nothing is beyond God’s redemption. He even created the brain with this in mind through what is called neuroplasticity. This means that neural connections can be rewritten, and it’s never too late to seek healing. There are many resources available through local churches and national organizations that seek to educate and give practical support for freedom and restoration.
Resources:
Fight the New Drug exists to educate individuals about the harms of pornography through scientific evidence, data, and personal stories, focusing on its impact on individuals, relationships, and society.
Covenant Eyes offers internet accountability and filtering software
CWA Sexual Exploitation Resources
*Chloe Kramer is a Young Women for America (YWA) Fellow in North Dakota.
