On October 21, 2015, Playboy decided to drop full frontal female nudity, for two main reasons: the icebergs of free pornography at the click of a button and because porn has been getting in the way of true intimacy.

So, if a company that was raking in a handsome profit mainly by portraying such nudity opted against pornography, should we not at least reconsider the side effects it has on our mind, our body and our behaviour?

Humans have survival instincts that are hardwired into our system, like eating, drinking and the sexual drive, all of which release a large amount of dopamine.

Dopamine is the ‘happy’ chemical in our body. It is the reward-motivated sensor that makes everything in life more enjoyable. Hence we are enticed to any activity which releases dopamine. This is why high-calorie food, drugs and pornography release an excess amount of dopamine.

Binghamton University scholar Jack Fischer claims that “porn uses the same neural reward pathways as traditional drugs like cocaine”. So when people look at sexual imagery, dopamine overflows through these brain regions, causing an intense feeling of pleasure.

Now if that pleasure gets triggered over and over, much like drugs, a larger ‘hit’ is needed to feel that same pleasure. In turn, this causes everyday activities to be devoid of excitement, since they will never replicate the same dopamine release that pornography does. In some cases, this even leads people to depression.

In the last few years, an array of pornography users decided to quit watching porn. Why did they give it up? Two words: erectile dysfunction. According to the Italian Society of Andragogy and Sexual Medicine, internet porn is killing young men’s sexual performance. This means that extensive viewing of pornography may give guys ED by the age of 30, if not earlier.

Remember dopamine? The happy chemical? Well, each time we see porn that is new or novel (like new women or new genres) our dopamine spirals up. Now during ‘traditional’ sexual intercourse, the man is with one woman. Due to a lack of ‘novelty’, by comparison, only a little dopamine is released, causing the man involved not to get aroused.

Pornography isn’t a problem because it shows us too much,it’s a problem because it shows us too little- Russell Brand

The problem here is not ‘below the belt’ but, rather, due to physical changes in the brain. In turn, this makes sexual enhancement drugs futile, since the problem is not the physical body but the brain. According to urology professor Carlo Foresta, if this problem isn’t addressed immediately, it may lead to disappointing consequences: “In the end, it becomes impossible to get an erection.”

Another reason guys are quitting porn is the effect it has on behaviour. These effects are explained thoroughly in the Ted Talks video entitled The Demise of Guys, by psychologist Phil Zimbardo.

Since pornography alters neural pathways and the release of dopamine, this creates a domino effect on other responses. People watching porn are more likely to suffer from ADHD, social anxiety depression, performance anxiety, OCD and concentration problems.

A comment from a male user is emblematic of the problem with pornography: “I’ve been to psychologists and psychiatrists for the last eight years. Have been diagnosed with depression, severe social anxiety, severe memory impairment and a few others. Have tried Effexor, Ritalin, Xanax and Paxil. Dropped out of two different colleges. Been fired twice. Used pot to calm my social anxiety.”

This greatly contrasts with what he later said after he quit pornography: “My anxiety is non-existent. My memory and focus are sharper than they’ve ever been. I feel like a huge ‘chick magnet’ and my ED is gone too.

“I seriously think I had a rebirth, a second chance at life.”

Comedian and actor Russell Brand says that porn affected his behaviour by comparing his own personal life with the conclusions reached by psychology professor Gary Brooks. These mainly include: voyeurism, the obsession with looking at women rather than interacting with women; objectification, an attitude in which you see women as objects rather than actual human beings; and fear of intimacy and of creating a deep bond with women, even if one may feel incredibly lonely.

Brand has admitted that he has suffered from all of these problems and this was one of the main reasons why he expressed his desire to stop watching porn.

According to Brand “pornography isn’t a problem because it shows us too much, it’s a problem because it shows us too little”.

Pornography is an issue because it shows us far too little of what sex really is like, which includes courtship, an emotional connection and interaction, among other things. It causes our attitudes towards sex to become warped and perverted.

Considering that we have just started 2017, adding the reduction of pornography to our New Year’s resolutions may not be a bad idea.

Neil Attard is reading for a degree in communication studies and psychology.