Rewiring Our Brains From PornographySýnishorn

How Porn Addiction Affects the Body

By habituating the body to sin, porn use turns the body into an enemy. Our bodies become tools, instruments in the hands of sin and unrighteousness. Sin becomes our slave master, and we feel as though we are debtors to the flesh and, therefore, must live according to the flesh. 

The latest neuroscience on porn use confirms the Bible’s description. Essentially, pornography rewires the brain. The brain is what scientists call “plastic”; it’s capable of being shaped and molded, and then of holding that new shape over time.

Brain plasticity is particularly high during one’s teenage years; as we age, our brains become less malleable. Given that many men first encounter porn as teenagers, it’s no surprise that they become hooked and find it difficult to break the habit as they get older. Porn weaponizes the brain so that sin is easy, and obedience is hard.

Looking at pornography triggers neurological, chemical, and hormonal events that leave a mark on the brain. Frequent use hardens the neural pathways and molds the brain so that it craves porn. Of course, this isn’t unique to porn. Alcohol, drugs, video games, smartphones, food—all of these can do the same. But porn is somewhat unique in that it is a poly-drug, meaning it is both an upper (a dopamine high like cocaine) and a downer (an opiate release like heroin).  

Sexual sin has always been around. In the ancient world a man could visit a brothel or a temple prostitute in order to pursue immorality. Sixty years ago a man who wanted to look at porn could go to a store and purchase a magazine with a limited number of images from another human being (whose eyes he might try to avoid). But today there is an endless supply of images and videos in everyone’s pocket, and accessing it requires no human interaction at all. The modern porn problem is unusual because of its ability to deliver unending novelty, anywhere, with total (apparent) anonymity. Given these factors, it’s no wonder pornography is so addictive in the modern world.

Here’s the bottom line: porn use creates brain ruts, hardening the neural pathways and conditioning the body to make porn use easy and obedience hard. Our bodies become instruments of unrighteousness and impurity. Many men have had decades of habituation in porn use, going back to their formative years as children and teenagers. 

All of this is meant as an explanation for why pornography is so addictive and difficult to overcome. But explanations are not excuses. Neuroscience can help explain sin, but it can never excuse sin. Explanations should produce compassion in us (especially for those who were exposed to pornography at a young age or whose pornography use came about as a result of sexual abuse or trauma). At the same, as you consider the various layers of your own struggle, beware of the temptation to absolve yourself of responsibility. For most of us, our choices have weaponized our bodies and turned them into enemies. We may be in a pit, but we’re the ones who dug it.

More important, however, understanding the bodily dimension of the struggle can also give us hope.

Pornography rewires the brain. But, by the grace of God, it’s possible to wire it back again.