Your Brain on Porn: How Porn Consumption Changes Your Brain Structure and Functional Connectivity (Study)

Your Brain on Porn: How Porn Consumption Changes Your Brain Structure and Functional Connectivity (Study) | Third Monk image 3

porn-2 This is the first brain-scan study published on porn users, and it was published in one of the most prestigious medical journals, JAMA Psychiatry. Researchers found several brain changes, and those changes correlated with how much porn was consumed. The subjects were moderate porn users, not classified as addicted.

Your Brain on Porn

The more porn the subjects used, the less gray matter in the striatum. The striatum is a complex set of structures. It includes the reward center (ventral striatum) and the dorsal striatum, which also goes by several names. Less gray matter means fewer nerve connections (dendrites and axon terminals) in reward-related areas. Put simply, less gray matter in the striatum mean less reward activity, and a decline in dopamine signaling (desensitization).

That could mean that regular consumption of pornography more or less wears out your reward system. – Simone Kühn, Lead Author

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A second finding…

The connection between the striatum and prefrontal cortex worsened with increased porn watching. This may indicate hypofrontality (a weakening of the impulse control circuits).

A third finding…

The more porn used the less reward activation when viewing sexual images. A possible explanation is that heavy users need more stimulation, confirming desensitization.

We assume that subjects with a high porn consumption need increasing stimulation to receive the same amount of reward. Existing psychological, scientific literature suggests consumers of porn will seek material with novel and more extreme sex games. That would fit perfectly the hypothesis that their reward systems need growing stimulation. – Simone Kühn

The above findings dismantle the two primary arguments put forth by porn addiction naysayers:

  • That porn addiction is a sign of high sexual desire. Reality: The heaviest porn users had less response to sexual images, exhibiting less “sexual desire.
  • That compulsive porn use is driven by habituation, or becoming easily bored. Reality: Habituation is a temporary effect that doesn’t involve measurable shrinkage of actual brain structures.

Keep in mind that the results of this study are consistent with over 60 recent brain studies done on internet and video game addicts by addiction neuroscience experts. In these studies, the results demonstrate profound brain changes from over consumption of internet stimuli.

Brain-on-Porn

 Porn On The Brain – Channel 4 Documentary

Mr. Olympia Comes Out of the Psychedelic Closet, Talks DMT, Ayahuasca & Unity Consciousness(Video)

Mr. Olympia Comes Out of the Psychedelic Closet, Talks DMT, Ayahuasca & Unity Consciousness(Video) | Third Monk image 3

Psychedelic Closet - Dorian Yates

Dorian Yates, a six time Mr. Olympia just came out of the psychedelic closet and what he has to say about his psychedelic experiences is worth sharing.

What we need is a massive coming out of people who have done psychedelics and accomplished a lot. – Rick Doblin, Founder of MAPS

Dorian Yates Comes Out of the Psychedelic Closet, Talks Ayahuasca and Smoking DMT

One of the most important issues we strive for is our collective freedom of consciousness, we dearly need a psychedelic renaissance. 

This is only to come about if we reach a level of social acceptance where reason thwarts taboo. Therefore, it is imperative that more and more people like Dorian step up — we may find our consciousness revolution materialize faster than expected.

The educational value of entheogens and psychedelics may be their capacity to reliably evoke experiences of wonder and awe, to stimulate transcendental or mystical experiences, and to catalyze a sense of life meaning or purpose. – Kenneth W. Tupper, Ph.D.

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Leaving the Herd to Express Your Creativity – Jason Silva (Video)

Leaving the Herd to Express Your Creativity - Jason Silva (Video) | Third Monk

Little boxes, all the same. All the people in the houses all go to the university. And they all get put in boxes, little boxes all the same.

Pete Seeger sang those words about the development of suburbia and conformity in 1963. How can we fully express our creativity and avoid becoming zombies? In another inspiring hit of stoner philosophy, Jason Silva wonders what pushes people away from the herd.

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.

-Nietzsche

Works mentioned in this video:

The agony of breaking through personal limitations is the agony of spiritual growth.

Art, literature, myth and cult, philosophy, and ascetic disciplines are instruments to help the individual past his limiting horizons into spheres of ever-expanding realization.

– The Hero with A Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell

Robert Anton Wilson – Reality Tunnels

Robert Anton Wilson described his writing as an “attempt to break down conditioned associations—to look at the world in a new way, with many models recognized as models or maps and no one model elevated to the Truth.”

“My goal is to try to get people into a state of generalized agnosticism, not agnosticism about God alone, but agnosticism about everything.”

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Inspirational Quotes to Refocus Your Mind

Inspirational Quotes to Refocus Your Mind | Third Monk image 12

Inspirational quotes are perfect for refocusing the mind and reawakening the excitement that fills life with passion.

Happiness is Here. Not There

Inspirational Quotes“The trick is to enjoy life. Don’t wish away your days, waiting for better ones ahead” – Marjorie Pay Hinkley

Do Not Be Your Own Worst Enemy

Inspirational Quotes“You are confined only be the walls you build yourself.”

Life is Not About Winning or Losing

Insightful and Inspiring Quote 2“Take risks: if you win. You will be happy; if you lose, you will be wise” – Author Unkown

Moving Forward is About Moving Now

Insightful and Inspiring Quote 9“Success will never be a big step in the future; success is a small step taken just now.”

Love Yourself, It Will Show

Insightful and Inspiring Quote 11“Love yourself first & everything else falls into line.”  -Lucille Ball

Laugh, Smile and Be Happy; It Does Not Need to Be Complicated

Insightful and Inspiring Quote 6“Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine.” -Lord Byron

Do What Drives You and You Will Go Farther Than Your Imagination

Insightful and Inspiring Quote 4“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”

Focus, Experience and Enjoy. Everything Is Happening Right NOW

Insightful and Inspiring Quote 7“No matter how hard the past.  You can always begin again.” – Buddha

Relax, Be Yourself and Leave Your Mark

Insightful and Inspiring Quote 5“Work for a cause, not for applause. Live to express, not to impress. Don’t strive to make your presence noticed, just make your absence felt.” -Unkown

Let’s Fly Together Now

Insightful and Inspiring Quote 8“Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.” – Salvador Dali

Let Go Of Duality and Embrace The Delicate Balance of Life’s Infinite Nature

Insightful and Inspiring Quote 3“Stars can’t shine without darkness.”

Incredible Living Paintings, Alexa Meade Art Gallery

Incredible Living Paintings, Alexa Meade Art Gallery | Third Monk image 2

Alexa Meade is creating fascinating art, and she’s just getting started. Without any formal artistic training (and a bachelors in poli-sci to boot), Alexa has taught herself how to paint through innovating a new technique. 

Her unique style of painting “living portraits”, confounds our sense of space which allows the subject to completely collapse within the photographs of her work. 

“In some ways, artist Alexa Meade is a traditional figure painter. But she works on an unusual canvas: the actual human body. And she takes a classical concept — trompe l’oeil, the art of making a two-dimensional representation look three-dimensional — and turns it on its head. Her aim is to do the opposite, to collapse depth and make her living models into flat pictures.” -PBS

Artist Alexa Meade’s Canvas Is the Human Body

 

Spectacle

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Spectacle Installation

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Aligned with Alexa

Aligned with Alexa

 

Self-Satisfied

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 Art on the Streets

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 Risen

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Egg on Egg

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I paint representational portraits directly on top of the people I am representing. The models are transformed into embodiments of the artist’s interpretation of their essence. When captured on film, the living, breathing people underneath the paint disappear, overshadowed by the masks of themselves. – Alexa Meade

Alexa Meade’s exhibit at Postmaster’s Gallery

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Hesitate

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Transit

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Alexa Meade Talks TED