Pornography has an addictive effect on men’s brains which affects how they interact with women, according to a new book, Wired for Intimacy.
The book’s author Dr William M. Struthers says: “Men seem to be wired in such a way that pornography hijacks the proper functioning of their brains and has a long-lasting effect on their thoughts and lives”.
Dr Struthers, a Professor of Psychology from Wheaton College in Chicago, concludes that pornography is a “visually magnetic” stimulus which draws men in.
He writes: “Pornography is… a physical matter, rooted in the biological intricacies of our sexual design”.
He continues: “The way that a male brain is organized in being one-track, goal-oriented and visuospatial (mentally manipulating objects) make it the perfect playground for sexual fantasy”.
Dr Struthers goes on to explain how repeatedly viewing pornographic images creates new pathways in a man’s brain which then become the main route through which he processes interactions with women.
Repeated exposure to pornography causes men to become addicted, and like a drug, it leaves them wanting more and more.
Dr Struthers explains, saying: “If I take the same dose of a drug over and over and my body begins to tolerate it, I will need to take a higher dose of the drug in order for it to have the same effect that it did with a lower dose the first time”.
The danger and prevalence of pornography has been highlighted by a number of studies.
Last month a report published by the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society concluded that “pornography can influence users’ attitudes towards and adoption of particular sexual behaviours”.
The report also said that watching pornography is associated with adolescents learning to view women as sexual objects.
Last year another study, by children’s charity Beatbullying, found that more than a third of teenagers have received indecent sexual images by text message or email.
And research conducted in 2005 found that 93 per cent of boys had viewed pornography by the age of 18.