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Naomi Wolf, Porn and the misuse of Dopamine.
DaltheJigsaw
Mountain View Veteran
http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/11/naomi-wolf-porn-and-the-misuse-of-dopamine/
By Vaughan Bell
‘Is pornography driving men crazy?’ asks campaigner Naomi Wolf in an article that contains a spectacular misunderstanding of neuroscience applied to a shaky moral conclusion.
Wolf asks suggests that the widespread availability and consumption of pornography is “rewiring the male brain” and “causing them to have more difficulty controlling their impulses”.
According to her article, pornography causes “rapid desensitization” to sexual stimulation which is “desensitizing healthy young men to the erotic appeal of their own partners” and means “ordinary sexual images eventually lose their power, leading consumers to need images that break other taboos in other kinds of ways, in order to feel as good.”
Moreover, she says “some men (and women) have a “dopamine hole” – their brains’ reward systems are less efficient – making them more likely to become addicted to more extreme porn more easily.”
Wolf cites the function of dopamine to back up her argument and says this provides “an increasing body of scientific evidence” to support her ideas.
It does not, and unfortunately, Wolf clearly does not understand either the function or the relevance of the dopamine system to this process, but we’ll get onto that in the moment.
Purely on the premise of the article, I was troubled by the fact that “breaking taboos” is considered to be a form of pathology and it lumps any sort of progression in sexual interest as a move toward the “extreme”.
‘Taboo’ and ‘extreme’ are really not the issue here as both are a matter of perception and taste. What is important is ‘consensual’ and ‘non-consensual’ and when the evidence is examined as a whole there is no conclusive evidence that pornography increases sexual violence or the approval of it (cross-sectional studies tend to find a link; experimental and crime data studies do not).
To the contrary, wanting new and different sexual experiences is for the majority a healthy form of sexual exploration, whether that be through porn or other forms of sexual behaviour.
One part of the motivation for this is probably that people do indeed become densensitised to specific sexual images or activities, so seeing the same thing or doing the same thing over and over is likely to lead to boredom – as any women’s magazine will make abundantly clear on their advice pages.
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Comments
i agree with a lot of what naomi wolf said, mostly because these are things i have noticed in myself. odd.
what do you think Leon?
I don't think there is control on it and it does do things that will totally destroy an individuals mind. Especially if he or she is trying to follow a middle path.
"...nuh uh, cuz... look... she doesn't fully understand the way the brain uses dopamine! wrong! porn is fine!" i think so too, speaking strictly from personal experience.
Another thing to note is that with pornography a person becomes accustomed to using the hand and relies on the voyeuristic nature of the stimulus for arousal to take place. Abstainance from masturbation & porn, finding someone real to relax with and getting used to another persons touch, may go towards remedying the problem.
I'm aware that people can suffer from what I call sexual obesity, a compulsive, unhealthy, joyless and empty form of instant gratification. It doesn't help that people seem cool with the fact that people are commodified for their own selfish wants. Of course this is a rather extreme view, but ideally the whole industry could use a touch of regulation, to say the least.
But I think it is so much more important to interact and bond with real people. For a more satisfying and intimate experience, not something cold.
It was also not explained why regular sex does not cause desensitization. Indeed my experience is that a break from sex heightens the experience as does a break from coffee etc... Does coffee produce a dopamine hole?
Any kind of positive sense or thought experience including eureka moments activates the ventral tegmental area of the brain and can produce addiction.
"call sexual obesity, a compulsive, unhealthy, joyless and empty form of instant gratification."
I found this generalized, offensive to larger sized people, and holier than thou.
"call sexual obesity, a compulsive, unhealthy, joyless and empty form of instant gratification."
I found this generalized, offensive to larger sized people, and holier than thou.
well how would you describe obesity Jeffrey? I'm absolutely miffed, because I am aware that I can be guilty of being offensive, I just don't know how to not be even when I try. If you could explain this to me, then hopefully I could be a bit more careful?
Anyway, as far as porn goes, not many problems. Then you attach masturbation to it and you get some problems. It can lead to less sensitivity in the genitalia, unreal expectations, and can cause emotional damage in a relationship.
One central theme that can be found in anti pornography literature, is that sex empowers women. 'For every woman out there bending over, there are probably another five guys staring at her butt'. Ok, so there's nothing wrong with mentally undressing another person, that's true in a way too. It's just that sometimes I get the impression that attention is unwelcome, so I respect a persons right to be not stared at like an object in a voyeuristic manner.
I understand that. If the attention is unwelcome, we should show respect by not giving it. If a woman invites the attention (through dress, dance, etc.) though, there should be no reason she think it's rude.
That's quite a broad topic but I would like to address one particular aspect of what you wrote:
One danger of a permissive society is that we send out the message: 'it's ok that our chief value in life can- or should- come about from our appearance' Given that sexuality is one demand characteristic of a consumer driven culture, certain forms of behaviour can come about as an effect of social approval. In other words if our peers give the thumbs up, we do the dance.
Of course loads of people actually don't base their self esteem on others approval- more power to them. But I think it is an important point that we all do seek social approval by comparison on one level or another. In an effort to get someone else to love you the message is sent: 'I'm doing this because you like it' which is absolutely fine, but that's not always the case.
Ultimately when the image has power, it demeans both men and women in the process. On the flip side, when the image doesn't have power, as in: 'we don't care about what we look like; lets all wear potato sacks!' then the power of attraction is lost. It's a potent weapon that can be used to good or ill. In your case, I'll interpret the interaction as a normal healthy one.
Obese people can also be sexually healthy, vibrant, wholesome, alive, vital, and steady. Do you see?
Personally I masturbate rarely to release tension and I read erotic fiction or look at two having sex in porn. I had pain that I thought was an epidydimitus this winter and the doctor said that masturbation was part of health in that region.
This is samsara. Its karma to be addicted to porn and what is needed is clear seeing supported by loving kindness to provide a stable seat to see clearly. Its no big deal. The voices of judgement are fabrications of the mind. Too many emos here lighten up. AA people get like this about drinking like this too, still wound up in negativity. Let the negativity settle and see it as empty of self nature. Then the cravings just become interesting energy. And the anger fear can dissolve.