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What Happens When We Take from the Tree Writer: Jasmyne Bell Story Editor: Kendall Jarboe Photographer: Maddi Seyfarth Designer: Lindsey Hayden In America, life is lived in a sex-crazed culture. Seventy-two percent of men and 28 percent of women are addicted to pornography. <strong>The</strong> average age of exposure for boys is 8 years old and 11 years old for girls, according to the Daily Mail. Before their brains have reached full development, children are being set up for a sexual downfall. <strong>The</strong> Daily Mail also informs readers that the next generation is growing up in a world where pornography is more accessible than in any other time in history. Children are on their smartphones every night before bed scrolling through Instagram and checking Snapchat. Feeding a premature mind obscene content has consequences in the long run and extends further than the individual themselves. <strong>The</strong> media tells the public that porn consumption is a healthy way to get to know their sexuality better, and will leave them more satisfied in the end. Others would argue that pornography is not really an issue and that people have the power to control their intake. However, in an article from Wired, porn addiction has been likened to that of crack cocaine. Because of the 24/7 access to the internet, porn addiction is harder to get rid of than narcotic drugs. An individual can clear their system of drugs, but mental images are harder to erase. A study conducted by Mary Anne Layden, Director of Education at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Cognitive <strong>The</strong>rapy, concluded that porn is the, “most concerning thing to psychological health that we know of existing today.” On the surface, watching explicit media seems less harmful because the consumer believes they are in control. What is seen on a screen is detached from the real world, and consumers forget to consider the emotional and mental toll it takes on their minds. Due to this phenomenon of detachment from reality, Tech Addiction reports severe clinical depression is twice as frequent among internet pornography viewers compared to non-viewers. Many use pornography as a form of escapism, according to the Cabin Hong Kong. Using porn to numb one’s perception of reality is not uncommon. When someone is depressed, they have a chemical imbalance in their brain. Covenant Eyes wrote an article breaking down the brain chemicals that are released when viewing porn, and why these chemicals cause addiction. When a consumer views porn, it releases dopamine, which leads to people feeling a temporary high. When this chemical is released into a region of the brain responsible for emotions and learning, it gives the consumer a feeling of attachment. <strong>The</strong> brain then craves the source of the dopamine release. Because porn gives viewers a sense of fleeting pleasure, it is easy to get hooked. During the beginning stages of porn addiction, the brain also experiences a rush of norepinephrine, leading the brain to be alert and focused as well as prepared for the rush of dopamine. After going through the routine multiple times, the brain and body get familiar with the rush, which kick-starts a bad habit that is hard to break. Pornography has effects on individual after individual. While there is a difference between the way men and women express their sexuality, both are able to fall into addiction. In addition, Biola alumnus Jacob Keeth reflects on the lack of differences between men and women who struggle with porn addiction. “We need to do away with the false dichotomy that ‘men are visual and women are feelers, they just want human connection, men want physicality.’ That is a gross oversimplification of gender and biological difference between men and women,” Keeth said. “Physiologically, psychologically speaking men and women are different. <strong>The</strong> Bible, too, affirms gender difference. However, when it comes to pornography, men and women are far more similar, I believe, than what we’re often willing to consider.” 29