Porn Induced Erectile Dysfunction (PIED) is a relatively new term in the medical world, and one that appears to be quite controversial. In our review of the available evidence out there, it rings true with all other controversial issues by having peer reviewed research both for and against its existence. So we will go so far as to assert the following:
if you are struggling to maintain a healthy sexual relationship with your partner, porn consumption may very well be a factor. Steps to ‘rewire’ your brain are simple to do, but it involves breaking an addiction.
Of the research asserting porn induced erectile dysfunction is a thing, the research tells us brains consume porn just like any other addiction; in fact, it may be worse than that – our natural brain function and reward circuitry are actually geared to turn us into porn junkies. The best source we have found discussing this possibility, and therefore derive the steps one can take to mitigate this as a potential blocker to a normal, sex filled life, is from the youbrainonporn webisite. We will be drawing from this site’s research to provide a quick synthesis of what could be happening in your brain, and how to address it.
Skip to curing PIED and Death Grip
But first:
Do I have Porn Induced Erectile Dysfunction (PIED)?
The best way to answer this is to ask yourself some of the following questions
Can you orgasm with a real life partner without the use of porn?
Another question to ask is:
Can you get an erection and ejaculate without the use of any porn?
If the answer is no to either or both of these questions, porn may have become more of a dependency than a recreational viewing activity.
I may have PIED… What is going on with my brain?
First, you are programmed to want new women all the time (Coolridge Effect)
Essentially, we are programmed to spread our genes far and wide. That means we have a preference for new sexual partners instead of the same partners we have already been with. This is called the Coolridge Effect, and is best illustrated by a male rat in a lab with 5 other females. The male will quickly mate with all of the females, but will then slow down in sexual activity. This is because for repeated mating with the same females, less and less dopamine will be released into the brain’s reward circuitry. But, introduce a new female, and the male will practically pounce on them with renewed vigor, and be rewarded with a big dopamine load.
So what? We don’t exactly each have a harem of women to sleep with. But porn streaming sites do offer an endless supply of new, perfectly proportioned and lusty women ready for your consuming pleasure, just like your own harem. This constant ability to ‘keep scrolling’ releases pleasure hormones in our brain, telling it that we’re kings of the world copulating with so many prime females. It makes it hard to stop, especially when your flywheel of new women being consumed each week is high, and another dopamine hit is ‘just a click away’.
As yourbrainonporn states – “novelty, novelty, more novelty.”
Second, your brain is malleable (brain plasticity), and can be hard wired to need porn
We are naturally driven by dopamine – the brain rewards us with it when we do something that should be reinforced. Like eating good food or defeating an adversary. If we repeat something over and over again, and get the dopamine hit, we actually wire our brains a certain way. This is particularly true in our formative adolescence, such as when you are a thirteen year old masturbating daily. Research indicates that this may even shift your orgasm trigger to becoming completely ‘master-hand stroking plus visual of X actions happening’ reliant.
The fear is that if this is established very early, such as very early in puberty, it could have a profound impact on one’s ability to function normally. Also, it turns out that we are at the height of our dopamine production, and therefore malleability, when we are a teen.
The good news here is that the brain is malleable. Wasn’t that the bad news? Well yes, and no. Just as you *may* have learnt to orgasm only under strict, specific criteria, you can also unlearn this as well. How? See below.
Third, video porn is far more arousing than images
“Porn has been around for generations” I hear you cry. “Where are the PIED cases from them?”
Well, it turns out that video porn is exceptionally more arousing than plain images. But you already know this. When was the last time you elected to look at a static image website for masturbation instead of a video streaming website?
It’s also possible to skip to certain scenes quickly or switch between videos with ease while masturbating, meaning that it the viewer gets used to a huge influx of novelty each masturbation session. You can get exactly what you want to see, from twenty different girls that suit you, all in the space of 5 minutes from compilation videos. And that may not be enough.
There is plenty more research available at yourbrainonporn, and I recommend a thorough read to understand the gravity of what you are going through. For me, it put a halt to my porn surfing for good.
So how do I fix my brain and my penis? And the future of my ability to have a relationship?
You give yourself a break from porn and masturbation.
The ‘nerves that fire together wire together’ need to be allowed time to disassociate and perish over time. The advice that is out there is a timeline of 90 days to really ‘get to baseline’. This can be a very difficult time, but in the author’s experience, after 30 days, it gets significantly easier.
After you find your new baseline, it’s time to retrain yourself on how to orgasm with something resembling a vagina.
If you think this may describe you, you should read more about actually addressing it with our Action Plan here.
Questions? Objections? Rage? Sadness? Feel free to reach out to me. I’d love to include other’s stories and eventually a forum on here so we can all speak to each other more. I hope to hear from you!
References:
Yourbrainonporn – readings for all things related to studies about porn’s impact on the brain