New Types of Porn May be Creating Super-Libido and Extreme Desires

Super-escalated libido or cravings for atypical sexual activities that haven’t been desirable before are some of the products, say authors, of a porn-saturated environment. Cartoonists, designers and videographers may even be tapping into what have been called "ancient" desires and turning them into a multi-billion dollar industry even at the expense of consuming, life-destructive pornography addictions.

Commenting on the book A Billion Wicked Thoughts: What the World’s Largest Experiment Reveals About Human Desire, a recent series of blogs highlighted in Psychology Today explores the ways authors, artists and other groups are building new levels of sexual interest and then feeding this interest with increasingly bizarre material. The results include addiction to sex or pornography, and even a seemingly opposite effect – the loss of sexual interest with real-life partners and deep sexual dissatisfaction for actual physical encounters.

It’s the sheer variety and novelty, says blogger Leon F. Seltzer that is exceptionally notable in today’s online porn environment. Fetish-based material and sexual material rooted in oddities like vampires, sexually desirable cartoon characters and other supernatural genres may be contributing to widespread sexual dissatisfaction when real-world encounters don’t measure up, as well as sexual desires that are almost insatiable.

Therapists and addiction experts have known for decades that sexual addiction is real, is very powerful and creates a strong enough reaction at the brain level to be compared to heroin. A hallmark symptom is the inability to control urges or cravings for the sexual behavior, even when the consequences are known. The variety and illusion-based quantity of sexual material being pushed out online across multiple formats could be a factor in the rising numbers of people living with pornography addiction, and those living with sexual addiction.

Contrary to stereotypes, sexual addiction and pornography addiction are progressive and the person needs more and more of the encounters to reach a point of desired numbness or escape. Many people living with the addiction describe the feeling as shameful, hopeless and desperate, and not connected to pleasure.