Callum Jones
A new study has found that an sexual activity performed by millions of people worldwide can have some negative effects on brain function - particularly in terms of reaction time.
If Pornhub's annual Year in Review is anything to go by, it's easy to see what people are searching online to get their rocks off too - though this may all change if the IODA bill proposed earlier this year is passed.
However, when a look every now and then spirals into addiction, it can cause a person a huge amount of issues, ranging from financial to personal.
According to Addiction Help, 69 per cent of men and 40 per cent of women in the US viewed online pornography each year.
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The impact on excessive porn consumption can have on the brain is something that has been widely researched before.
And a study from Chengdu Medical College in China and published in the National Library of Medicine, has taken a further look into how it can impact cognitive behavior.
In the study, 16 healthy college students, who watched adult videos every now and then, and five college students with 'severe internet pornography addiction' were asked to watch a porn video and then split into two groups.
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Using a method known as functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to measure the changes in hemoglobin within the brain tasked with carrying oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body, the team monitored the participants during a ten-minute viewing session, while facial expressions and 'life signs' were also monitored throughout the study.
After this, both groups were asked to perform the Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT), which is a neuropsychological test used to assess cognitive reaction.
The researchers found that the group who consumed porn more frequently had 'longer reaction times and significantly reduced accuracy' compared to the other group.
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The study further explains: "Compared with the group that frequently viewed pornographic videos, the group with low-frequency pornography viewing exhibited enhanced functional connectivity in the inferior prefrontal cortex and pars triangularis of Broca’s area in the frontal lobe, the primary somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobe, and the pre-motor and supplementary motor cortices."
They added that the higher-frequency group also 'exhibited hyperactive parasympathetic activity, more pronounced sexual arousal, and stronger functional connectivity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and frontopolar area'.
Prior to watching the video, the study noted there was no difference between the groups in terms of response accuracy, however, it was 'significantly shorter' in the higher-frequency group afterwards.
This impact on the brain can led porn users to 'eventually feel the need to seek more extreme content', according to therapist, Danielle Sukenik.
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"This pursuit, in attempts to override the chemistry of the changing brain, may lend to disruption in the person’s life, often within relationships." she said.