As much as we don’t like to admit it, the amount of pornographic material we watch on a daily basis most likely affects our brains in one way or another. While porn has never been conclusively linked to lower brain functionality, German researchers are currently looking to change that.
According to Mirror, a new study performed at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development shows that men who admit to watching regular doses of pornography generally have a smaller striatum, which is the part of the brain responsible for processing rewards and motivation.
A majority of men tend to disagree with such research studies do to the fact that, if proven correct, it would mean they need to cut back on their porn viewing habits. However, not all hope is lost just yet, as the study still has a few bugs to work out.
Dr. Simone Kühn, who is the leading female author of the study, states “It’s not clear, for example, whether watching porn leads to brain changes or whether people born with certain brain types watch more porn,” according to The Telegraph. All the same, she goes on to say, “Moreover we found that another brain region, that is also part of the striatum that is active when people see sexual stimuli, shows less activation the more pornography participants consumed.”
Obviously, nothing can be deemed 100 percent conclusive at this time, but as strides are made to do so, it appears doubtful that regular porn viewing by men has zero adverse affects on the brain.
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