Pure Teens

DAY 4

SEX AND THE BRAIN

You will need at least a simple understanding of the brain to live a pure life. Teens now have the facts to steer them away from making life-altering mistakes and lead them toward reaching their full potential.

Until recently, there wasn't much evidence and research to reach reliable conclusions. That has changed with lots of new and exciting studies. One helpful resource is the book The Drug of the New Millennium: The Science of How Internet Pornography Radically Alters the Human Brain and Body (2001) by Mark B. Kasselman. If you want to learn more about sex and the brain, you are encouraged to read this book.

We have known for many years that sex was more than a physical experience. However, there was no real way of knowing what was happening in the brain when people were engrossed in love, passion, lust, sex, or other emotions. Now we know considerably more due to recent studies and neuroscience.

Could it be that the apostle Paul understood the drug-like effect of pornography and masturbation? He said, “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body” (1 Cor. 6:18). Some have suggested this refers to STDs or HIV/AIDS. Undoubtedly, sexual behaviors outside the will of God can result in disease and even death.

There is something else intended for us to understand in this Scripture. What we are talking about is the field of neuroscience and the many advances of the past several years. You will see that there is significant support from science to support the Bible's teaching on the brain and sex. Let's look and better understand what 1 Corinthians 6:18 means. Let's move on to consider more carefully the mind.

We now know that “sex produces powerful, even lifelong, changes in our brains that direct and influence our future to a surprising degree.”⁵ This is a good reason for learning about the connection between sex and our brains.

Today, thanks to breakthroughs in neuroscience, scientists have been able to view the activity of the brain as it functions. Researchers have been able to unlock a whole new world of data. Here are five things you should know about pornography and the brain:

1. Pornography releases life-changing chemicals that can hook you. At the time of a sexual release, you receive a rush of chemicals. The most critical chemical in the brain concerning reward is dopamine (the feel-good chemical). It also influences your behavior, cognition, and motivation. Sex is one of the most potent producers of the dopamine reward. Teens are especially vulnerable to viewing pornography and getting hooked because it creates a high feeling.
2. Sexual images get imprinted in the DNA of your brain. We know from neuroscience that sexual imprinting takes place when you look at pornography. The unfortunate reality is that when you look at porn and act out (say, by masturbating), this has hormonal and neurological consequences. In short, you are designed to bond with the object you give your focus and attention. In God's design, this would be your spouse, but for many teens, it is an image on the screen.
3. The stimulation of pornography hurts relational and sexual satisfaction. We know from the research that dopamine surges as a person views different sorts of pornography. The prospect for a satisfying and lasting relationship lessens with exposure to erotic images that trigger more dopamine than a long-term partner. Thus, what God intended to be the ultimate pleasure is replaced by porn images and fantasy. Can you see what Paul was talking about in 1 Corinthians 6:18?
4. Pornography takes you where you don’t want to go. Why do guys and girls seek out a variety of new sexual images rather than being satisfied with the same ones? Neuroscience helps us to understand what has been called the Coolidge effect. It is a neurological effect (again, the brain is changed) where the teen has renewed sexual interest when introduced to new partners. The sad impact of this is that teens eventually find themselves looking at and getting aroused by very degrading and dehumanizing images.
5. Pornography is very harmful to your brain development and function. What makes porn unique and especially dangerous for teens? Gary Wilson identifies a number of these: (1) internet porn delivers extreme novelty; (2) there is almost an endless supply of porn to consume, unlike food and drugs; (3) with internet porn, one can increase both with more novel "partners" and by viewing new and unusual types; and (4) the age at which teens begin viewing porn leaves a lasting imprint. A teen's brain is at its height of dopamine production and neuroplasticity, making it especially vulnerable to addiction and rewiring.⁶

What does the word neuroplasticity mean? It doesn't say our brains are made of plastic, of course! It means that viewing pornography, sexting, and fantasizing about sexual situations can lead to long-lasting changes in the mind that impact memory and learning. When you sin sexually, this is stamped on the brain.

Many teens have discovered that the images are impossible to forget. This is what neuroplasticity is about—it describes any change in final neural activity or behavioral response. Pornography has a significant influence on the brain. The impact, whether for good or bad, depends on what we give our focus and attention. Your choices have durable power to determine your brain development and function.

Nancy Andreasen put it this way: “We can change who and what we do by what we see, hear, say, and do. It is important to choose the activities for our brains to be well trained . . . We make choices that change our brains and ultimately change who we are.”⁷

DISCUSSION STARTERS

1. What do you think Paul meant when he said, “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside of his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body” (1 Cor. 6:18)?
2. Can you put into your own words the five things from research that you can learn about pornography and the brain?
3. What is your understanding of neuroplasticity and its importance to your sexuality?
4. How do lust and fantasy change who you are? Your future?