GMA News Online, citing a Psychology Today article, reports that Cupid's Poisoned Arrow author Marnia Robinson has revealed that "a growing number of otherwise healthy young men who were, however, Internet porn addicts developed an inability to be turned on by real partners."

Robinson referred to a past survey by Italian urologists that noted a link between erectile dysfunction and porn use. The findings showed that "70 percent of men seeking clinical help for sexual performance problems admit to using Internet pornography habitually."


According to Robinson, recent behavioral addiction research suggests that the loss of libido and performance occur because heavy users are numbing their brain's normal response to pleasure. The report pointed out that dopamine is "the neurochemical that causes motivation, addictions, as well as drives the search for rewards."

Robinson explained: "Erotic words, pictures, and videos have been around a long while, but the Internet makes possible a neverending stream of dopamine spikes. Today's users can force its release by watching porn in multiple windows, searching endlessly, fast-forwarding to the bits they find hottest, switching to live sex chat, viewing constant novelty, firing up their mirror neurons with video action and cam-2-cam, or escalating to extreme genres and anxiety-producing material. It’s all free, easy to access, available within seconds, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Overstimulation of the reward circuitry in the brain is a very real possibility today."

Robinson also said that men who quit their Internet porn habit may experience withdrawal symptoms, which include insomnia, irritability, panic, despair, concentration problems, and even flu-like symptoms. However, she also said that the brain just needs a chance to “reboot," or return to normal dopamine sensitivity. Recovery appears to take six to 12 weeks. That is, of course, assuming that they decide to quit the wired porn habit.

For more on this story, log on to GMA News Online or check out the Psychology Today website.