Pornography and Stress: An Endless Cycle – Part 1

Stress and pornography consumption are inextricably linked. This is no surprise to the addict, who sees his need and desire for pornographic content intensify during periods of stress or emotional disturbance, and it is no surprise to scientists who study porn and sex addiction. The results of a study conducted by Carnegie Mellon confirmed their hunches—porn helps to lower stress levels.

However, that statement, without qualification, is incomplete and oversimplified. Invariably it leads to irresponsible psychological advice and misguided attempts to help men manage the stress in their lives, evidenced by a recent article in Men’s Health Magazine entitled “How Hot Women Help You De-Stress.”

The article cites this evidence from the study: “’When you’re stressed, your body produces more of a hormone called cortisol, which excites your nervous system and disrupts your brain’s problem-solving capabilities,” says study coauthor J. David Creswell, Ph.D. But Creswell’s research shows that stoking your brain’s reward pathways with erotic images appears to limit the stress-cortisol response.

From this conclusion it is then deduced and even recommended in the article that men who are under work or relationship stress should indulge in pornographic content as a means of taking the edge off, perhaps even before work.

The Reality

An honest porn addict will probably be able to identify the issue of stress in his life and the irresistible urge it creates to view pornographic content or engage in cybersex. While occasional viewing of porn may not indicate an individual’s deeply embedded stress and anxiety (some men view it for fun or novelty), habitual consumption suggests not so much an obsession with sex or erotic content as much as a life-controlling level of stress from which there has been found no other effective release.

Men in modern society are under levels of stress and pressure that many cannot effectively manage. And so, in a state of semi-desperation, they seek a source of comfort. Using substances or behaviors such as alcohol, nicotine, drugs or excessive exercise is not an uncommon approach to easing this stress. Porn is just one more option for the man attempting to manage a life that feels is out of control or unmanageable. It is one more method he employs in trying to release the pressure gauge on his life.

And not without reason: The hormonal response to viewing porn provides a profound sense of relaxation and calm. These are the findings of the study and they make sense. Sexual intercourse is a primary stress reliever for men and thus it is conceivable that even viewing images suggesting or showing intercourse would have a vicarious stress-diminishing effect.

But this isn’t the whole story. While the study, and the article in Men’s Health Magazine in which the findings appeared, seem to promote porn as a means of combatting stress, it is a fallacy and a dangerous and destructive “solution.” Viewing porn as a means of dealing with life is the first step onto the slippery slope of addiction. Whatever potential benefits porn may provide are completely overshadowed by its power to destroy its viewer.

Where It Starts

Porn addiction is set in motion when the individual and the pornography being viewed make a connection in the brain’s reward center. Why some individuals latch onto porn with an addictive fervor would be hard to explain—genetics, upbringing, childhood trauma and abuse are contributing factors.

Individuals of all backgrounds and personalities will view pornographic or erotic content at some point in their lives; usually by the time they have reached high school or college (and unfortunately increasingly earlier as we live in an age of one-click porn consumption). But not all people will be affected by the images in the same way. For certain people, the experience will pass with no real ceremony or significance. They may think about the experience, consider their moral stance on it, or the ethics of it, but they’ll go back to the regular pattern of their lives without much thought for the content they viewed. They may decide porn is not their thing or they may revisit it on occasion in the future, but porn will be of no real consequence in their lives.

The future porn addict, however, will experience a drug-like high. Often these individuals are more prone to stress and anxiety and thus feel a deeper need for the chemical release that substances or other addictive behaviors provide. Porn provides the comfort and soothing they have been looking for.

Continued in Pornography and Stress: An Endless Cycle – Part 2.