Pornography Fuels Addictive Patterns in the Brains of Sex Addicts

A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Cambridge found that pornography can fuel activity in the brain that's linked to drug addiction among sex addicts.

Researchers studied the brain activity of 19 male patients who were affected by compulsive sexual behavior and 19 controls. Previous research has shown that as many as one in 25 adults may be sex addicts, dealing with sexual obsessions that may not always be controllable. For some this can even interfere with personal and work life, leading to depression, anxiety and isolation, in more rare cases.

Study findings revealed that three brain regions were significantly more active in people with compulsive sexual behavior when they had been exposed to pornography.

"The patients in our trial were all people who had substantial difficulties controlling their sexual behavior and this was having significant consequences for them, affecting their lives and relationships," said researcher Dr. Valerie Voon, a Wellcome Trust Intermediate Clinical Fellow at the University of Cambridge, in a university release. "In many ways, they show similarities in their behavior to patients with drug addictions. We wanted to see if these similarities were reflected in brain activity, too."

Previous studies also show that these activated regions, the ventral striatum, dorsal anterior cingulate and amygdala, are also activated in drug addicts exposed to drug stimuli.

Those in the study were also asked to rate sexual desire while watching pornographic videos and rate how the videos made them feel. While patients with compulsive sexual behavior showed higher levels of desire towards the images, they did not rate them higher on the liking scores.

"There are clear differences in brain activity between patients who have compulsive sexual behavior and healthy volunteers. These differences mirror those of drug addicts," added Voon. "Whilst these findings are interesting, it's important to note, however, that they could not be used to diagnose the condition. Nor does our research necessarily provide evidence that these individuals are addicted to porn - or that porn is inherently addictive. Much more research is required to understand this relationship between compulsive sexual behavior and drug addiction."

"Compulsive behaviors, including watching porn to excess, over-eating and gambling, are increasingly common. This study takes us a step further to finding out why we carry on repeating behaviors that we know are potentially damaging to us. Whether we are tackling sex addiction, substance abuse or eating disorders, knowing how best, and when, to intervene in order to break the cycle is an important goal of this research," concluded researcher Dr. John Williams, Head of Neuroscience and Mental Health at the Wellcome Trust.

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal PLOS One.