The great porn experiment | Gary Wilson | TEDxGlasgow

Summary

The script delves into the impact of internet pornography on young men's brains, highlighting the Coolidge effect and the release of dopamine, which fuels addiction. It discusses the rewiring of the brain due to constant novelty and the resulting issues with real-life sexual performance, including erectile dysfunction. The talk also touches on the difficulty of studying the effects due to a lack of non-users and the potential for recovery as evidenced by individuals who have quit porn, experiencing improvements in mental health and social skills.

Takeaways

• 🌐 The widespread use of Internet porn is akin to a global, unconscious experiment with young men as test subjects, often seeking it by age 10.
• 📈 Internet pornography is perceived as more compelling than traditional forms due to its unending novelty, which triggers arousal.
• 🐏 The Coolidge effect explains the excitement around novelty in sexual stimuli, where males are driven to fertilize new females.
• 🚀 The brain releases dopamine in response to novel sexual images, creating a 'go get it' drive that can lead to addiction.
• 🧠 Heavy users of Internet porn can rewire their brains to associate with the constant novelty of porn, leading to behaviors like isolation and voyeurism.
• 🔍 The lack of control groups in studies due to universal usage makes it difficult to measure the impact of Internet porn on attitudes and behaviors.
• 🤔 Symptoms of arousal addiction can be mistaken for other conditions like ADHD, social anxiety, and depression, often leading to misdiagnosis.
• 🍟 The comparison between Internet porn and food addiction highlights the brain's reward circuit's susceptibility to extreme versions of natural rewards.
• 🧬 The molecular switch Delta-FosB, activated by excess dopamine, can lead to brain changes associated with addiction in both drugs and natural rewards.
• 🛑 The cessation of Internet porn can lead to a reversal of brain changes and improvements in symptoms, as reported by individuals who quit.
• 💪 A movement of men giving up porn, like the 'Fapstronauts' on Reddit, is growing, with members reporting significant improvements in their lives.

Q & A

What is one of the key findings of Canadian researcher Simon Lajeunesse regarding young boys and internet porn?

Simon Lajeunesse found that most boys start seeking pornography by the age of 10, driven by a brain that is suddenly fascinated by sex.

Why do users find internet porn more compelling than porn of the past?

Internet porn is more compelling due to its unending novelty, which keeps arousal levels high as users are exposed to new and different content.

What is the 'Coolidge effect' and how does it relate to internet porn?

The Coolidge effect is an old mammalian program that perceives each novel female as a genetic opportunity, promoting continuous fertilization as long as new females are around. This effect is related to internet porn as it explains the constant seeking of new and novel pornographic content.

How does the brain respond to the novelty of internet porn?

The brain releases dopamine, a 'go get it' neurochemical, for each novel mate or image, which keeps the user engaged and seeking more content.

What is the potential impact of heavy internet porn use on a user's brain?

Heavy use of internet porn can rewire the brain to associate with the pornographic content, leading to behaviors such as isolation, voyeurism, and constant seeking of novelty.

Why is it difficult to study the effects of internet porn on users?

It's difficult because in 2009, Lajeunesse couldn't find college-age males who weren't using porn, which means there are no control groups for comparison in studies.

What are some of the symptoms of arousal addiction that can be mistaken for other conditions?

Symptoms of arousal addiction can be mistaken for ADHD, social anxiety, depression, concentration problems, performance anxiety, OCD, and more.

How does internet porn differ from real sex in terms of its potential for addiction?

Internet porn is not the same as real sex; it is more like an extreme version of a natural reward that can capture users' attention and lead to addiction more easily than real sexual activity.

What is the role of the molecular switch Delta-FosB in addiction?

Delta-FosB is activated by excess dopamine and accumulates in the brain's reward circuit, altering the brain and promoting a cycle of binging and craving.

What are some of the physical changes in the brain that can result from internet porn addiction?

Physical changes include a numbed pleasure response, hyper-reactivity to porn, and erosion of willpower due to changes in the frontal cortex.

What evidence suggests that quitting internet porn can lead to improvements in users' lives?

Former internet addicts have shown brain changes reversing themselves, and individuals who quit porn report improvements in areas such as social interaction, memory, focus, and even erectile function.

Why might older men recover erectile health more quickly than younger men after quitting internet porn?

Older men may recover faster because they didn't start using today's high-speed internet porn during their peak years of dopamine production and neuroplasticity, unlike younger men who began during their most vulnerable period to addiction.

What is the significance of the group 'Fapstronauts' mentioned in the script?

The 'Fapstronauts' are part of a growing movement of men who are voluntarily giving up internet porn, seeking a neurochemical rebirth and sharing their experiences and support online.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 The Impact of Internet Pornography on Young Minds

This paragraph discusses the rapid and global experiment of Internet pornography, where nearly every young male with Internet access becomes an unwitting participant. Canadian researcher Simon Lajeunesse discovered that boys typically seek out pornography by the age of 10, driven by a brain fascinated by sex. The Internet's novelty in pornography is highlighted as a key factor in its compelling nature, with Australian experiments showing a spike in arousal when subjects are exposed to new pornographic material. The 'Coolidge effect' is introduced to explain the excitement around novelty, suggesting that the male brain perceives each new image as a genetic opportunity, releasing dopamine and encouraging continuous viewing. The paragraph also touches on the rewiring of the brain due to heavy pornography use, associating behaviors like solitude, voyeurism, and constant novelty with the act. It contrasts this with real sex, which involves emotional connection and interaction, and raises concerns about the lack of control groups in studies due to the ubiquity of pornography use among young men.

05:02

🚑 The Hidden Dangers of Internet Porn Addiction

The second paragraph delves into the challenges of studying the effects of Internet pornography due to the absence of control groups and the difficulty in recognizing symptoms of arousal addiction, which are often mistaken for other conditions like ADHD, social anxiety, and depression. It emphasizes that healthcare providers frequently treat these symptoms without considering the potential root cause of an Internet addiction. The paragraph also highlights the stark differences between Internet pornography and real sexual activity, pointing out that the former can be as different from the latter as modern video games are from checkers. A Dutch study is cited, which found that pornography has the highest potential for addiction among all online activities due to the brain's reward circuit being hijacked by extreme versions of natural rewards, leading to an override of satiation mechanisms. The molecular switch Delta-FosB is introduced as a key factor in the brain changes associated with addiction, causing a cycle of binging and craving that can alter the brain's reward circuitry, leading to a numbed pleasure response and hyper-reactivity to pornographic stimuli.

10:02

🚀 Recovery and the Resurrection of Affected Men

The third paragraph presents a positive shift, focusing on the phenomenon of men voluntarily giving up Internet pornography, which provides a missing control group for studying its effects. It discusses erectile dysfunction as a significant consequence of Internet porn consumption, affecting young men's sexual performance and leading to the realization that the problem is rooted in physical brain changes rather than psychological issues. The narrative includes personal accounts of men who have overcome addiction, experiencing improvements in mental health, memory, focus, and social skills upon quitting porn. The paragraph also addresses the concern that younger men may not recover as quickly due to the nature of high-speed Internet exposure during their peak neuroplasticity years, potentially leading to entrenched sexual tastes that could cause panic if they no longer align with their orientation or have escalated to extreme porn.

15:02

💡 The Power of Change and Brain Plasticity

The final paragraph concludes with inspiring stories of individuals who have experienced a neurochemical rebirth after quitting pornography. It emphasizes the brain's plasticity, allowing for a return to normal sensitivity and a reorientation towards natural rewards such as social interaction and real-life relationships. The speaker calls for recognition and attention to the experiences of those who have escaped arousal addiction, advocating for their insights to be heard by experts and caregivers. The paragraph ends on a hopeful note, with an audience applause signifying the importance and impact of the message shared.

Keywords

💡Internet porn

Internet porn refers to adult content accessed and consumed online. It is central to the video's theme as it discusses the impact of easy access to such content on young men's brains and behaviors. The script mentions that nearly every young person with internet access becomes a 'test subject' in the 'global experiment' of internet pornography.

💡Novelty

Novelty, in the context of the video, refers to the new and different stimuli that the internet provides, particularly in the form of pornography. The script explains that the endless variety of novel pornographic content is a driving factor behind its compelling nature, as it leads to increased arousal and dopamine release in the brain.

💡Coolidge effect

The Coolidge effect is a phenomenon where males continue to mate with new females even when they are not capable of further reproduction with a current partner. The video uses this concept to explain why internet porn is so addictive, as each new image is perceived as a 'genetic opportunity' by the male brain, leading to continuous dopamine release and desire to seek out more.

💡Dopamine

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter associated with the brain's reward system. The video explains that the release of dopamine is triggered by the novelty of internet porn, creating a 'go get it' response and contributing to the addictive cycle. It is a key chemical in the brain's response to internet pornography and its potential for addiction.

💡Rewiring

Rewiring, in the context of the video, describes the process by which the brain changes its structure and function in response to repeated exposure to internet porn. The script indicates that heavy users' brains become associated with the behaviors linked to consuming porn, leading to a preference for the artificial stimulation over real-life interactions.

💡Erectile dysfunction (ED)

Erectile dysfunction is the inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance. The video highlights ED as a consequence of internet porn addiction, where the brain becomes desensitized, affecting sexual performance in real-life situations. It is a significant symptom that prompts some men to reconsider their porn consumption.

💡Addiction

Addiction, in the video, is portrayed as a complex condition resulting from the brain's response to the overstimulation provided by internet porn. The script discusses how the constant pursuit of novelty and dopamine release can lead to addiction, affecting behavior, perception, and even physical health.

💡Delta-FosB

Delta-FosB is a protein involved in the long-term changes in the brain's reward circuitry. The video explains that excessive dopamine can trigger the accumulation of Delta-FosB, leading to alterations in the brain that promote addiction and craving. It is a key molecular switch in the development of addiction to internet porn.

💡Brain changes

Brain changes refer to the alterations in the brain's structure and function due to chronic consumption of drugs or natural rewards, such as internet porn. The script describes how these changes can lead to a numbed pleasure response, hyper-reactivity to porn, and erosion of willpower, which are common in all types of addictions.

💡Neurological impact

Neurological impact encompasses the effects of internet porn on the brain's structure and function. The video discusses how the constant exposure to internet porn can lead to physical changes in the brain, affecting areas related to pleasure, reward, and decision-making, ultimately impacting behavior and perception.

💡Resurrection of Guys

The term 'Resurrection of Guys' is used in the video to describe the positive changes observed in men who have quit internet porn. It signifies a reversal of the negative effects of addiction, with men experiencing improvements in mental health, social skills, and sexual performance, as illustrated by the testimonials in the script.

Highlights

The widespread use of Internet porn is one of the fastest moving, most global experiments ever unconsciously conducted.

Canadian researcher Simon Lajeunesse found that most boys seek pornography by age 10.

Unending novelty in Internet porn is a key factor in its compelling nature.

The Coolidge effect explains the excitement and arousal in response to novelty in sexual stimuli.

The brain releases dopamine in response to novel sexual images, reinforcing the desire to seek more.

Internet porn allows a user to experience more sexual stimuli in a short time than ancestors could in a lifetime.

Heavy use of Internet porn can rewire the brain, associating it with solitary behaviors and constant novelty.

Real sex involves emotional connection and interaction, contrasting with the isolating nature of Internet porn.

Lack of control groups in studies due to universal use of Internet porn among young males.

Arousal addiction symptoms are often mistaken for other conditions like ADHD, social anxiety, and depression.

Internet porn is not equivalent to real sex and can lead to different psychological and physiological effects.

Dutch study found that porn has the most potential to become addictive among all Internet activities.

Delta-FosB, a molecular switch, accumulates in the brain with chronic consumption of natural rewards, altering the brain and promoting addiction.

Brain scans of addicts show reduced pleasure responses and other changes that can also be seen in Internet addicts.

Former Internet addicts show reversal of brain changes, indicating the potential for recovery from addiction.

Erectile dysfunction is a common issue among young men who consume Internet porn, affecting their sexual performance.

Physical changes in the brain due to addiction can lead to a general drop in libido and difficulty achieving erections.

Young men quitting Internet porn report improvements in mental health, memory, and social skills.

Online communities of men are sharing their experiences and seeking neurochemical rebirth by quitting porn.

The age at which individuals start consuming Internet porn can affect the speed of recovery from erectile dysfunction.

The brain's neuroplasticity allows for the reversal of sexual tastes and preferences after quitting porn.

A call to listen to the experiences of men recovering from arousal addiction to better understand its impact.

Transcripts

Transcriber: Maciek Sterkowicz Reviewer: Capa Girl

Inspired by the last talker

I'm going to have a little song about Internet porn.

No, just kidding.

The widespread use of Internet porn is one of the fastest moving

most global experiments ever unconsciously conducted.

Nearly every young guy with an Internet access

becomes an eager test subject.

Canadian researcher Simon Lajeunesse found

that most boys seek pornography by age 10.

Driven by a brain that is suddenly fascinated by sex.

Now, users perceive Internet porn as far more compelling

than porn of the past.

Why is that?

Unending novelty.

In this Australian experiment,

it's not mere nudity but novelty that gets arousals skyrocketing.

Subjects watch 22 porn displays. See that spike?

That's where the researchers switch to porn

the guys hadn't seen before.

What happened? Their erections and their brains fired up.

Why all the excitement?

Mother nature likes to keep a male fertilizing willing females

as long as any new ones are around.

In that top line the ram,

he needs more and more time to make with the same old ewe.

But if you keep switching females - the bottom line - well she's not the same.

He can get the job done in 2 minutes flat

and keep going until he's utterly exhausted.

This is known as the Coolidge effect.

Without the Coolidge effect there would be no Internet porn.

This old mammalian program, the Coolidge effect, perceives

each novel female on a guy's screen as a genetic opportunity.

To keep a guy fertilizing the screen his brain releases

the "go get it" neurochemical dopamine for each novel mate or image.

Eventually the ram will tire

but as long as the guy can keep clicking

he can keep going and so will his dopamine.

With internet porn a guy can see more hot babes in 10 minutes

than his ancestors could see in several lifetimes.

The problem is he has a hunter-gather brain.

A heavy user brain rewires itself to this genetic bonanza

so it carefully becomes associated with this porn harem.

Such behaviours that are associated with this are being alone,

voyeurism, clicking, searching, multiple tabs

fast-forwarding, constant novelty, shock and surprise.

As one young guy once asked:

Are we the first generation to masturbate left handed?

Now, real sex, in contrast, is courtship, touching,

being touched, smells, pheromones, emotional connection,

interaction with a real person.

Now, what happens when our guy finally gets with a real mate.

Well, researchers don't know much about the effects

of Internet porn for several reasons.

In 2009, when Lajeunesse tried to study porn'’s impact

he couldn't find any college age males who weren't using it.

So the first serious dilemma is that studies have no control groups.

Now, this creates a huge blind spot.

Imagine if all guys started smoking at age 10

and there were no groups that didn't.

We would think that lung cancer is normal for all guys.

Undaunted by his lack of non-users Lajeunesse asked 20 male students:

Is Internet porn affecting you or your attitude towards women?

They answered, "No, I don't think so."

But they've been using it for about a decade then

pretty much non-stop.

This is like asking a fish what it thinks about water?

Which bring us to a second problem.

Researchers haven't asked porn users about the symptoms

Zimbardo described in "The Demise of Guys."

Arousal addiction symptoms are easily mistaken

for such things as ADHD, social anxiety, depression,

concentration problems, performance anxiety,

OCD and a host of others.

Now, healthcare providers often assume that these conditions are primary

perhaps the cause of addiction but never really the result of an addiction.

As a consequence they often medicate these guys

without really inquiring about if they have an Internet addiction.

Guys never realise that they could overcome these

symptoms simply by changing their behaviour.

Now, the third problem is it's hard to believe that

sexual activity can cause addiction because sex is healthy.

But Internet porn is not sex.

Internet porn is as different from real sex

as today’s video games are from checkers.

Watching the screen full of naked body parts

won't automatically protect one from arousal addiction.

In this Dutch study - here's the title -

they found that in fact of all activities on the Internet

porn has the most potential to become addictive.

Here's why.

This ancient programme, the reward circuit,

evolved to drive us towards natural rewards

such as sex, bonding and food.

As a consequence extreme versions of natural rewards

have a unique ability to capture us.

For example: high-calorie foods or hot novel babes

give us extra dopamine.

Too much dopamine though can override our natural satiation mechanisms.

For example: give rats unlimited access

to junk food and almost all of them will binge to obesity.

This is also why 4 out of 5 Americans are overweight

and about half of those are obese.

That is addicted to food.

Now, in contrast to natural rewards, drugs such as

cocaine or alcohol only hook about 10% of users

whether they are rats or humans.

This binge mechanism for food or sex was once an evolutionary advantage.

In essence, it is getting it while the getting is good.

Now, you can think of wolves packing away 20 pound of meat per kill

or it's mating season and you're the alpha male.

What if mating season never ends?

All those hits of dopamine can tell your brain to do two things.

First they say, "Man, you've hit the evolutionary jackpot."

Second, they kick in a molecular switch called Delta-FosB.

I know it is a fancy word, but dopamine kicks in Delta-FosB

and that starts to accumulate in the brain's reward circuit.

Now, with excess chronic consumption of drugs or natural rewards,

this build up a Delta-FosB starts to alter the brain

and promotes the cycle of binging and craving.

If the binging continues the Delta-FosB builds up

and it can lead to brain changes seen in all addicts.

So the dominos are excess consumption

excess dopamine, Delta-FosB, brain changes.

One of the first changes is a numbed pleasure response.

It kicks in, and so everyday pleasures really don't satisfy a porn addict.

At the same time other physical changes in the brain

make the brain hyper-reactive to porn.

Everything else in the porn user's life is sort of boring,

but porn is super exciting.

Finally his willpower erodes as his frontal cortex changes.

I can't emphasize this enough.

All addictions share these same brain changes

and the same molecular switch that kicks them in - Delta-FosB.

Now scientists have used brain scans to measure

these changes in drug addicts.

Up-here these scans show a reduced pleasure response in drug addicts.

These and several other changes have also been seen in gambling addicts,

food addicts, very recently in video game addicts

and now in internet addicts.

I apologize for filling up the slide with brain studies.

Just notice the dates.

But I want you to know that they exist.

So far all brain research points only in one direction.

Constant novelty at the click can cause addiction.

We know this because when scientist examined

former Internet addicts they found

that these brain changes were reversing themselves.

Unfortunately, none of these studies isolate porn users,

but they do include them.

Here's the game changer.

At last we have a group of guys who are no longer using Internet porn.

That's right! Heavy users are voluntarily giving it up by the thousands.

These guys are the missing control group in the great porn experiment.

They're showing experts what changing one single variable can do.

I call it "The Resurrection of Guys" as opposed to "the Demise of Guys."

Now, before I continue probably you wanna know

why any porn loving guy in his right mind would give it up.

Two words: erectile dysfunction.

Internet porn is killing young men's sexual performance.

Now, Zimbardo said young guys are flaming out with women,

this survey by Italian neurologists confirms

what we have witnessed over the last few years.

Sexual enhancement drugs often stop working for these guys,

if they ever did,

because the problem isn’'t below the belt where viagra works.

Nor is their problem really psychological.

It's due to physical changes in the brain.

Those addiction related changes.

Their numb brains are sending weaker and weaker signals to their bananas.

(Laughter)

As doctor Foresta says, "It starts with lower reactions to porn sites.

Then there is a general drop in libido,

and in the end it becomes impossible to get an erection.

There are 3 take-aways from this.

First, Foresta is describing a classic addiction process -

gradual desensitization.

Second, Internet porn is qualitatively different from Playboy.

Widespread youthful ED has never been seen before.

And finally ED is often the only symptom that gets these guys' attention.

The question is what less obvious symptoms are they missing?

Most don't figure that out until after they quit.

Here's a guy in his late 20s.

"I've been to psychologists and psychiatrists for the last 8 years...

have been diagnosed with depression, severe social anxiety,

severe memory impairment and a few others.

Have tried Fexer, Ritalin, Xanax, Paxil

dropped out at two different colleges, been fired twice,

used pot to calm my social anxiety.

I've been approached by quite a few women

I guess due to my looks and status

but they quickly flew away due to my incredible weirdness.

I've been a hardcore porn addict since age 14.

For the last 2 years I've been experimenting

and finally realised that porn was an issue.

I stopped it completely 2 months ago.

It has been very difficult but so far incredibly worth it.

I've since quit my remaining medication.

My anxiety is nonexistent.

My memory and focus are sharper than they've ever been.

I feel like a huge "chick magnet" and my ED is gone too.

I seriously think I had a rebirth, a second chance at life."

This is why pockets of guys are peering all over the web - body building sites,

sports sites, pickup artists sites - wherever men congregate.

In essence, they are seeking a neurochemical rebirth.

Here's a group on reddit.com who call themselves "Fapstronauts."

Fapping is slang for solo sex,

but what they really mean is giving up porn.

They've added about 2,000 members since I captured this picture a month ago.

This movement to unhook from porn is growing rapidly.

In fact, groups are springing up all across the web and in Europe too.

But there is a bizarre fly in the ointment.

Guys in the early 20s aren't regaining

their erectile health as quickly as older guys.

How can a 50-year-old get his mojo back quicker then a 20-something?

The answer, even though older guys have been using porn a whole lot longer

they didn't start on today’'s Internet porn.

Now, we know this is a key variable because

the older guys didn'’t start having sexual problems

until after they got high-speed Internet. (Laughter)

Now, today'’s young teens start on high-speed Internet

when their brains are at their peak

of dopamine production and neuroplasticity.

This is also when they are the most vulnerable to addiction,

but there is another risk.

By adulthood teens strengthen heavily used circuits

and prune back unused ones.

So, by age 22 or so a guy's sexual taste can be like deep ruts in his brain.

This can cause panic if a guy has escalated to extreme porn

or porn that no longer matches his sexual orientation.

Fortunately brains are plastic

so his taste can revert once he quits porn.

As a guy returns to normal sensitivity

his brain looks around for the rewards it evolved to see

such as friendly interaction and of course real mates.

Here's one more example of what we hear everyday,

"I feel like the next Sir Isaac Newton or Leonardo da Vinci.

Since I quit a month ago, I've literally:

started a business, taken up piano, been studying French every day,

been programming, drawing, writing, started managing my finances

and I have more awesome ideas than I know what to do with.

My confidence is sky-high.

I already feel like I can talk to any girl!

I am the same guy who took 2,5 extra years to graduate from college

because of procrastination and depression."

I'll conclude with a wish:

I'd like to see Zimbardo's guys

who are wiping out and their caregivers and the experts

listen to the thousands of men who are teaching us

about arousal addiction by escaping it.

Thanks for listening.

(Applause)