Why is porn addictive?

Question:

I just have a question.  It’s a bit random.  Why is porn addictive and profitable?

Thanks.

Answer:

That is an excellent question. The answer is a bit different for girls than it is for guys but at its core, both answers are similar.

“Addictive” means that something causes either a physical or psychological dependency. Basically, addiction is a strongly ingrained habit. When people reach puberty, the desire for sex awakens and strengthens. Some people crave the excitement that sexual arousal and orgasm give. For some, sexual feelings are connected to being wanted by another. Still others notice that after orgasm, there is a release of chemicals that makes a person feel relaxed, so it is sought out as a way to relieve stress. For boys, there is a physical element added on top of all of these. Their bodies produce semen and the glands where the semen is made have limited storage capacity. When the glands get full, their bodies demand relief by releasing semen. The problem comes in how people develop habits to gain what they want.

Pornography is designed to trigger sexual arousal, even when physically a person doesn’t have a reason to be aroused. Boys tend to be aroused by visual things. Girls tend to be aroused by verbal things and the interplay of relationships. Because pornography is designed to strengthen sexual feelings, people get into a habit of using pornography whenever they have a desire. They see it as an “easier” way to gain what they want. Let’s say someone is having a really stressful day. She may use pornography to get herself distracted, aroused, and eventually hitting orgasm, which releases hormones that then force her to relax for a while. Of course, none of this actually cures the causes of the stress, so that comes back and she searches out porn again for another dose of relaxation. Oddly, like most sins, pornography also has an element that does the opposite. Thus, a person using porn knows it is wrong and gets stressed out from using it, which leads them to want to use porn again to relax again. It becomes a vicious cycle.

By creating a habitual following, producers of porn are then able to make money by selling ads on their sites or by selling access to their products.

What people don’t realize is that porn is never needed. If you want to relax there are many more effective ways to get relaxed (watching a good movie, reading a good book, or exercising). Porn doesn’t connect you with anyone, it only creates the image of it. Thus, hanging out with friends or writing a note to someone is much more effective. Excitement can come from trying a new sport or exploring a new place. Porn only offers empty promises that leave the person wanting more and there are corrupt people willing to exploit that to make money off of people.