Your Brain on Porn

Internet Pornography and the Emerging Science of Addiction

By: Gary Wilson

Narrated by: Noah Church

Length: 5 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's Summary

Revised and updated in December 2017.

When high speed Internet became widely available a few years ago, growing numbers of people began to worry that their porn use was running out of control. Far from preparing them for fulfilling relationships, viewing an endless stream of porn videos led to unexpected symptoms. Perhaps most surprisingly, for the first time in history erectile dysfunction was becoming a significant problem for young men. This led to one of the largest informal experiments in the history of science. Tens of thousands of people have tried abstaining from sexually stimulating material in a process they call "rebooting." Many of them reported startling changes, from improved concentration and elevated mood to a greater capacity for real-life intimacy.

Gary Wilson has listened to the stories of those who have tried giving up Internet porn and related them to an account of how the reward system of the brain interacts with its environment. And now a growing body of research in neuroscience is confirming what these pioneers have discovered for themselves - Internet pornography can be seriously addictive and damaging.

In Your Brain on Porn Wilson provides a concise introduction to the phenomenon of Internet porn addiction that draws on both first-person accounts and the findings of cognitive neuroscience. In a voice that is generous and humane, he also offers advice for those who want to stop using Internet pornography. The publication of Your Brain on Porn is a landmark in our attempts to understand, and remain balanced in, a world where addiction is big business.

©2014, 2017 Gary Wilson (P)2017 Gary Wilson

very informative!!!!

FOLKS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE FOOLS GOLD EFFECT PORN HAS AND HOW IT'S ACTUALLY A DEPRESSANT THAT AT BEST KEEPS YOU IN THE SAME PLACE,AND AT WORSE, EXPIDITES YOUR DESCENT INTO PROVERBIAL HELL THROUGH THE ABUSE OF DOPAMINE. THUS ZAPPING YOUR AMBITION AND ZEST FOR LIFE!!!!

Almost There; Misses the Mark

1. This book is full of an ABSURD amount of testimonials.It feels like a sales pitch.
2. I DO think porn can be a problem 100%, and IS a problem for many a young male, including myself. However, this book is far too often transphobic and homophobic. A central point continually addressed is how "porn addiction makes you start being aroused by trans and homosexual porn" as if that's the singular reason, when sexuality simply is not as rigid as most conservative minded folk would like to pretend it is.

Being attracted to trans people and people of the same sex is not an illness. This book misses the mark very, very often. Cannot recommend as a serious forray into addressing porn addiction.

Good info

Gives a lot of good insight as to what is and isn't healthy with porn. He at no point says you do or don't have a problem, you need to self assess.

Life changing.

This should be listened or read by every single person, especially men. The harms porn cause should be exposed just like cigarettes. Every porn website should put some advertisement of the harms caused by porn exposure.
This book is very informative, sounds unbiased and totally scientific based.
Should be mandatory to read at school. Honestly, I am astonished.

Narrator sounds like a frat boy talking about his sexual conquests.

It gets kind of graphic and his descriptions more information than is necessary for helping those who are trying to overcome pornography addiction and may trigger some on wholesome thoughts. the info by Dr. Wilson is pretty good corroborated by a lot of research

a must-read for all couple therapists!

I'm a couple and family therapist and consider my self very well read but this book contains information I've never heard before in any other school program, workshop or even books. It helped me correctly identify the problem and help a client save his marriage. I'm very sure that without the knowledge provided in this book I would, as all his previous mental health professionals, have looked for history of trauma and misdiagnosed him with attachment disorder, depression and social anxiety. We could have spent months talking about his relationship with his mother. He is very lucky I happened to find this book and I am now recommending it to all my students and colleagues.

a great view about porn addiction and how it works

But nothing else. you will understand how porn addiction works but the understanding won't help you to quit. but it will give you a notion how the stuff works.

Great work

it is very important book for me I believe that everybody should read it. Great work very detailed.

No holds barred

I come from a conservative background, but only for last 25 years. Prior to that I spent the first part of my life up to age 21 living a seculare life.

I appreciate forwardness of the author and the candid testimonials. If you are working on recovery from a porn enduced life then you need to hear from all sides. If you are a conservative (Christian) background you need not act offended when you listen to this book. These are real people and their data being presented... so that you can see "porn knows no devisity" and it is waging havoc on many lives. Thank you for not holding back. ML

Doesnt work for me

There are many ways to get off porn. This book focuses on rechanneling your lust for real women. I disagree that this approach is effective.

I believe you must first attack lust at the roots and rediscover intimacy without sex. That has been most effective for me and everyone I have ever met trying to get off porn.

I'd reccomend trying a SA meeting if you're serious about getting off porn. Get the SA whitebook. This book gives the weakest reasons to quit porn and you will cave back to porn if you use this books logic to quit.

Good luck and Godspeed

Everyone take note

This is a good book.

The only criticism was in the presentation - it could have benefited with a different narrator when quoting the multitude of useful testimonials.

I don't watch porn now, but it hasn't always been that way -- and the 2012 Ted Talk (The Great Porn Experiment) by the same guy was one of the reasons I made that decision to stop -- not morality or politics, but science and common sense.

Of course, I do think there are moral reasons for avoiding pornography, but there are so many grey areas and "what ifs" in the moral argument that they're not really enough on their own -- they were never enough for me.

This book covers the mental health aspects, it gives a good explanation on what happens to the brain when regularly engaging with porn, especially high speed Internet porn, and talks about the potential and actual long term damage that happens as a result. Damage to ourselves, our personal potential, and to our relationships.

Most importantly, it offers simple advice to anyone wishing to quit, with information on what to expect through the various stages after making that decision, including the long term benefits.

Abstaining from porn should really be the default setting for humanity, but in today's society it really isn't -- and I promise the benefits of getting back to a pre-porn state of mind are an absolute positive.

Please consume this book.

Very informative

This book is packed witch great insights. From how the brain functions fundamentally, to how porn influences and uses these mechanisms to cause problems.

Helpful, but not flawless

It has a lot of relevant information but sometimes leans a bit heavily on Reddit threads

well worth a listen

if your slightly concerned about you Internet use this book is well worth a listen, helps explain many habits i had fallen in to, and does so without being preachy or condescending, a rare feature given the topic

Very enlightening

Many more books like this are needed that speak about this topic of the harms of pornogprahy, especially from an unbiased scientific point of view.

The book only states the facts and evidence and clearly displays how pornogprahy is a major issue that will have massive negative implications for a large portion of society who consume it and are addicted to it.

really helped

it's great to hear the science explaining the reasons why porn is so addictive.
and also good to hear accounts from other people; many truths ringing home.

Waste of one credit

Listened to lots of self help books, this is by far the worst. 5 hours of what could be said in 10 minutes, going over and over the same thing.

Waste of one credit

Very informative but relies on Reddit quite a bit

Came to this book after watching Gary Wilson's TED talk. It's basically an extension of his talk but provides a lot of insights that every porn user can relate to. I wish there was more scientific studies done on this topic. As porn addiction is still very new topic we need to refer to anonymous user testimonies for data. That means this book is very heavily relying on Reddit. Still a very recommended listen!

Essential reading, very well explained & structured

This book has changed my life. It is a well structured book, building up the picture. It is very clear & it’s very noticeable the author has a deep understanding.

What this book did for me is understand what was happening to me so I saw what was happening to me & have stopped watching porn. Once you know you can’t turn back. One excellent part of this book is people’s own accounts that you can relate & gives you large insight.

I would say it’s essential reading because it raises some issues that could be major in the future.

Dope

The thing i ever read. Porn have almost ruined my life. I will win this war against porn.