Isn't Just a Little Ok?

King Solomon once asked, "Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?" (Proverbs 6:27). Knowing how pornography affects our brain chemistry and actually rewires the brain, does it even seem reasonable that you could repeatedly bring sexually arousing images into your head without consequences? Psychologists argue that those images can be “burned” into your mind. Emotional arousal causes the release of a hormone called epinephrine in your brain that chemically burns the pictures into your permanent memory. This effect is heightened if you combine pictures with masturbation. 

Consider a study conducted by Dr. Dolf Zillmann of Indiana University and Dr. Jennings Bryant of the University of Alabama. Over a period of six weeks, the researchers worked with a controlled group of 160 college-age students, 80 men and 80 women. They split the participants into three groups and each group viewed a total of five hours of content.

Group 1 was shown 36 pornographic videos. 

Group 2 was shown 18 pornographic and 18 non-pornographic videos. 

Group 3 was shown 36 non-pornographic videos. 

The study found a direct correlation between the amount of pornography viewed and the decrease they experienced in satisfaction with their sexual real-life partners. 

In the group that was shown the only pornographic videos, participants noted a significant reduction in how they perceived the physical appearance, affection, and sexual performance of their partners. They also became aware that they compared their partners to the images of the porn models.

After viewing the pornography, study subjects reported that they began to

1.  prefer sex without emotional involvement
2.  devalue marriage
3.  devalue the importance of children
4.  place reduced the importance of faithfulness
5. view casual sex with increased acceptance 

Viewing a mere five hours of porn over six weeks produced this pivotal effect on their perceptions of the opposite sex and their moral belief systems!

As you can see, the effects of pornography on the brain and moral systems are very dramatic. Dr. Donald Hilton with the American Board of Neurological Surgery states, “The underlying nature of an addiction to pornography is chemically nearly identical to a heroin addiction.” 

Additional studies also show that the neurologic effects of pornography are nearly identical to cocaine! Would you think cocaine or heroin is perfectly fine if consumed just a little?