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October 16, 2017 86 mins

Gary Wilson's talk, "The Great Porn Experiment" has changed lives of many men and has brought into attention some of the underlying challenges of our modern world. With erectile dysfunction rates skyrocketing in men under age 40, it was about time we started to look at the science and evidence behind these scary numbers. What's fascinating is how there is overlap in various addictive patterns and at Ketogeek we wanted to better understand how the brain works while potentially interpolating the findings into other lifestyle choices and addictive activities.

Bio: Gary Wilson is author of Your Brain on Porn: Internet Pornography and the Emerging Science of Addiction and presenter of the popular TEDx talk ‘The Great Porn Experiment,’ which has been viewed more than 9 million times, and translated into 18 languages. He hosts the website ‘Your Brain On Porn’, which was created for those seeking to understand and reverse compulsive porn use: http://yourbrainonporn.com. He taught anatomy and physiology for years and has long been interested in the neurochemistry of addiction, mating and bonding. In 2015 the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health presented Wilson with its Media Award for outstanding media contributions and public education on pornography addiction. In 2016, Wilson coauthored an academic paper with 7 US Navy doctors entitled, “Is Internet Pornography Causing Sexual Dysfunctions? A Review with Clinical Reports” and another journal article entitled, “Eliminate Chronic Internet Pornography Use to Reveal Its Effects.”

Time Stamps:

5:57 – Gary Wilson’s narrative into the world of porn and porn induced sexual 

10:17 – How porn rewires your brain’s reward circuitry

12:00 – How do you figure out if you have porn induced erectile dysfunction (PIED) and not performance anxiety?

13:22 – How soon can men expect to recover from PIED?

14:07 – Why do older men recover faster than younger men?

15:25 – What is the youngest known age in boys who suffer from PIED? *Shocking*

16:15 – Can PIED be permanent?

18:20 – How couples and sexual interaction in global societies may be affected by porn use

20:26 – Brain fog, motivation, social anxiety, cognition and emotional behavior effected by porn use.

22:48 – The science and mechanism of the reward system

26:32 – The potential impact of porn on sexual behaviors, aggression and trends in society

30:10 – How porn use may lead to sexual escalation through hyper stimulation

32:14 – Sensitization, cravings and hijacking the ancient mechanism of human survival

36:46 – Can you measure dopamine and how do different addictive activities spike dopamine?

40:49 – Can anyone be hooked onto porn?

43:20 – What is “Addiction”? A comparison of various types of addictions.

50:41 – Philip Zimbardo & The demise of guys.

51:31 – Can ‘anything’ be addictive?

55:02 – Are there benefits of porn and could it be used during dry seasons of no sex?

57:47 – Do women get hooked on porn and what is the female equivalent of porn use?

59:37 – The impact of social media on anxiety, emotional health and depression.

1:01:05 – “Likes” on social media, “Swipes” on Tinder, perpetual feasting and the dopamine system

1:04:24 – How to take a break from porn usage?

1:06:49 – What kind of resources are available if you’re hooked?

1:07:41 – Message to the adolescent boys and girls

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