[Nyer]

@Gonzo
Excellent post. I'm glad I posted the article here.

It would therefore be surprising if porn were NOT addictive.

Junk food analogy is apt - it existed back in the 19th century but people could not afford much of it and thus there was no obesity problem.

Now it's available widely and lo - 70% of Americans are overweight and in some places 50% are obese. Not that Europe is any better off, but we don't have so many extremely fat people, just because of more expensive food.

We now know that there's people who are sexually into almost everything, from cars through quicksand to the ordinary, tame stuff like stockings or latex. A friend told me last week he accidentally found a still from a porn fetish video one of his friends participated in. It wasn't regular porn, did not involve intercourse, just a video of young women getting black-out **92**, vomiting and pissing themselves. Apparently, that too is a fetish and there is a market for it, as there were multiple videos. 

Yes, some people can't handle stuff that feels good.

Well, d'uh. Especially teens. Who aren't supposed to look at porn yet they still do. Who'd have thunk that?
Most parents are not able to administer Windows well enough to prevent teens from looking at porn and in order to do that they'd have to never give the teens involved administrative rights - which would mean they'd have to install every last bit of software themselves.

If you don't have anything to say, say nothing. I'd welcome constructive or analytical criticism.

[pedonbio]

So let's start with basics. What was being measured? When you are a hammer, it's amazing how many things look like nails:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functional_neuroimaging

Scroll down to the "Critique" section.

[Nyer]

We'll be able to say for sure once the study is published - as these are just preliminary results and I was a study subject - there was no time for me to exhaustively quiz them on what they're doing and I doubt I'd have understood it as I'm not a neuroscientist. I was in Cambridge for cca 9 hours and 7.5 of these I spent in testing or interviews. Mostly tests.

What I do know is that they showed the participants videos of porn, piles of money, exciting or neutral scenes, asked how much they liked them while at the same time measuring brain activity.

They also made them play games while scanned where the 'reward' was either monetary or one of a series of pictures of a conventionally attractive nude women. One weakness of the study was that participants were not completely British, and a picture of a pound coin probably isn't seen as 'rewarding' by Americans. I think like 4 out of 19 were foreign, three North Americans and I was the only non-native speaker I believe.

Also, the porn shown was pretty much of the mainstream variety, and the resolution of the in-scanner display wasn't very good - you can't use conventional electronics in close proximity to such magnetic fields. It wasn't bad, but at most 800x600 and a projection to boot.

There were distinct background patterns in those games which maybe were supposed to influence further choice? Can't really say, I'm just relating what one of the subjects told me.

All of the games were very...fast -there was little time to consciously think about what's the best course of action, one had to go on instinct. Time spent having their head scanned was roughly 50 minutes.

Rest of the working day  was participants being exhaustively tested in various ways  - their working memory, reaction speed, some more probabilistic games where they had to guess which symbols (they could choose one) would yield greater reward - and the 'values' of the symbols changed during the game, so a symbol that was sure to give you a pound at the start would give rewards less frequently ten minutes later. And there was also an interview and some personality testing.

[gOOber]

 

[pedonbio]

I think your study is persuasive, gOOb.

[Nyer]

Meanwhile elsewhere.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gabe-deem/porn-addiction_b_4495344.html

Internet Porn Addiction: Exposing Misconceptions

Misconception #1 -- "The only guys who get addicted to porn or have porn-induced ED have underlying issues."

Misconception #2 -- "Guys who claim they have porn-induced ED are just not attracted to their partner."

Misconception #3 -- "People giving up porn must have a moral issue with it."

@goob

Women also whack off to romance and erotica novels.
http://www.xojane.com/entertainment/sex-isnt-trashy-and-neither-are-sexy-books

[pedonbio]

There is a rude suggestion that I want to make: To both YS and Nyer, I have to ask: Has either of you ever actually been laid? It really isn't nearly as traumatic as you guys seem to think. In fact, I've found it quite pleasant for the last fifty years.

[Nyer]

There is a rude suggestion that I want to make: To both YS and Nyer, I have to ask: Has either of you ever actually been laid? It really isn't nearly as traumatic as you guys seem to think. In fact, I've found it quite pleasant for the last fifty years.

Actually the same person. No, haven't been laid. I used to be depressed and too much of a loner when I still had erectile function. Got over that and found out I have E.D, more precisely, I can't keep it up in absence of porn and even with porn the erections are weak.

Had something like sex and enjoyed giving her an orgasm. Was weirdly satisfying. Found out I can't actually keep it up without porn, no matter how horny I am.

Now I'm more social and I imagine I could get laid, with what, being tall, not ugly and so uncaring about other people's opinions of me that it comes across as self-confidence or ever arrogance. I'm optimistic.

Still, it's going to take time for the brain to unfuck itself, I believe. Sex is no doubt going to be interesting, considering that condoms my size are barely legal in the US. Most magnum sizes were too tight. Good that I don't live in the US, 58mm isn't that much but FDA bans that.   So, yeah.
Bad erectile quality, oversized dick and no  experience with coitus itself. I think I'll have to resort to booze and cialis.

All in all, it's a bit of a problem. One I'm going to solve inside six months. And after that, heh.

On the other hand, you're an old man and it's statistically likely you'll be dead years before I do. Sure, the future is going to suck, but we'll manage. And you'll be dead and forgotten. But that is life, it's just the way world works..

[TheZookie007]

YouTube: "Porn Sex vs. Real Sex: The Differences Explained With Food"

[pedonbio]

 

[gOOber]