Pornography is everywhere. From social media to streaming sites, adult content is no longer confined to the shady corners of the internet. For many people, particularly college-aged, porn has become a daily habit — normalized, accessible and even joked about. It’s not that deep right? 

But beneath the surface of this casual consumption lies a dangerous truth: Porn is quietly reshaping the way people think about women, sex and intimacy. And science is also beginning to show that it’s doing real damage to the brain in the process.

Let me be clear — sexuality in itself is not the issue. The problem lies in what pornography teaches, especially when consumed regularly and unchecked. 

Repeated exposure to porn distorts the overall perception of what sex and relationships should look like and promotes unrealistic, degrading and violent portrayals of women. 

Porn rarely shows mutual respect or emotional connection. That’s “boring,” right? Instead, it violently reduces women to objects for pleasure. Why do you think once you reach a climax, porn feels gross? That’s because it is. 

A 2010 study revealed that only 9.9% of scenes contained positive behaviors, whereas 89.8% contained some form of aggression. Most of these porn scenes contained physical aggression, usually directed at women, and the women either showed no reaction or responded with pleasure. What message does that send?

In a 2009 meta-analysis, male college students who watched more porn scored higher on measures of hostile sexism and benevolent sexism — two dangerous forms of gender bias that fuel toxic masculinity.

Neuroscience has revealed that viewing porn frequently rewires the brain’s reward system. Watching porn triggers the release of dopamine. But unlike natural rewards (like eating or social bonding), porn delivers a supernormal stimulus — an overwhelming burst of dopamine that the brain starts to crave. Over time, this leads to desensitization.

A viewer ends up needing more extreme content to get the same dopamine hit, leading to riskier behaviors, decreased sexual satisfaction in real-life relationships, and in the case of men and people with penises, sometimes erectile-dysfunction (ED).

A 2014 study published in JAMA Psychiatry also found that higher porn consumption was linked to less gray matter in the reward center of the brain and a weaker connection between that region and the prefrontal cortex, which governs decision-making and impulse control. 

In other words, porn doesn’t just excite the brain; it slowly makes you lose your “brakes.” I’m sure everyone can think of a life-changing example of losing discipline as a virtue.

Beyond the brain scans and behavioral studies is a more sad, emotional cost: Porn numbs people to real intimacy. Genuine connection takes vulnerability, patience and communication, none of which are modeled in mainstream porn. Instead, it promotes a shortcut to gratification that doesn’t involve the messiness of human emotion. Something like, “no strings attached.”

By the time young adults/teenagers reach adulthood, their sexual tastes (what they find arousing, how they expect sex to go, what roles they believe men and women should play) have already been shaped by years of porn.

Many young adults feel disillusioned with real-life sex because it doesn’t match the fantasy. They feel bored, anxious or unsatisfied — not because their partner is lacking, but because their brain has been trained to respond only to the aggressive hyper-stimulation of porn. 

Meanwhile, their partners often feel pressured to perform like actors/actresses, rather than engage in a mutually fulfilling experience.

The good news is that the brain is malleable. Quitting porn or reducing consumption can gradually restore healthy dopamine levels, rebuild sensitivity to natural rewards, and rewire horribly distorted expectations. Honestly, it was one of the best decisions I’ve personally made (which is not many). 

People who have taken a “porn detox” have stronger relationships, increased self-confidence and more satisfying sex lives. Sex should be a fun and safe experience that bonds you with your loved one, not an instant “fix” of dopamine.

Change also unfortunately requires a cultural shift. Universities should promote open discussions about porn and its effects without moralizing or shaming. 

People must be encouraged to question the media they consume and ask questions like, “How do I know what’s being filmed is consensual?” 

Regardless of if you watch porn, I feel that it’s important that we all reflect on how it shapes society’s beliefs, and consider how it impacts a relationship.

Like life, this is about more than sex. It’s about human dignity, mutual respect and mental health. Porn only offers temporary pleasure and has way more negative long-term consequences, on the brain, on relationships and on our shared understanding of what it means to be intimate.