In 2012, TEDxGlasgow hosted a talk called The Great Porn Experiment by a man named Gary Wilson. In this talk, Wilson–an adjunct lecturer of biology at Oregon State University–would present a case for the view that Internet pornography has stolen a generation of young men through addiction.
Two years later in 2014, Gary would publish a book that went into far greater detail than his TED talk. The book, Your Brain on Porn: Internet Pornography and the Emerging Science of Addiction, explores the neuroscience of addicion and intersplices quotes from NoFap (a forum for non-religious porn addicts) that typically confirm or elaborate on the various points presented throughout the book. Basically, Gary’s book explains what the science says about porn addiction, and then underscores the point with firsthand accounts from his collection of quotes from NoFap users.
The formula can make for a very easy and enjoyable read. But is it worth your time to read?
As I alluded to earlier, NoFap is primarily followed by non-religious people. Wilson was no exception, considering himself an atheist and approaching the topic through a secular lens rather than any religious or moral motivations. While I don’t believe his lack of religious or moral motivations made anything he said about the science of porn addiction incorrect, it certainly seems to have left the book impoverished. Let me explain.
For one, the book is written in a way that seems to suggest the primary (or only) problem with a porn addiction is the effect it has on the addict. Erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, depression, low self-esteem, etc.
I don’t recall the book ever expressing concern for the wellbeing of porn performers, victims of sex trafficking, victims of ‘revenge porn’, and children who suffer abuse by a relative with a porn addiction.
He occassionally mentions the impact porn might have on relationships, but not from the perspective of spouses who have sufferred from betryal trauma.
To be fair to Wilson, he doesn’t have to write a book that is everything to everyone. It’s his book, and he can address a single problem from a single angle if he wants to. But the problems don’t end there…
Returning to the troubles of the addict, the book also fails to address the problem of porn within a framework of sexual brokenness, instead viewing the problem as merely one of failure to self-regulate. The consequence of failing to identify the real problem, as you’d expect, leads to a cheap form of recovery where the addict pursues his sexual brokenness in other ways outside of porn, such as celebrating promiscuity and hookups.
What the book does well, it does very well. Allow me to list its main points:
- Porn is really addictive
- Addiction physically changes your brain
- The brain can heal itself if you stop watching. Yippee!
After hearing that, you can excuse yourself from reading the rest of the book. That’s really all you need to know. The only thing left to get out of it is unpacking the specific scientific reasons why the above list is true, but with some ugly, probably triggering quotes littered in-between.
Verdict and Alternative Recommendation
I do not recommend reading Wilson’s YBOP.
Instead, for those seeking a non-religious book to argue against porn, as well as discuss the science supporting those arguments, I recommend Matt Fradd’s The Porn Myth: Exposing the Reality Behind the Fantasy of Pornography.
Fradd’s book does not suffer from the poverty described above. It offers a more complete package, including compassion for betrayed spouses and making the humanity of the victims of the porn industry visible. These points are not included as mere platitudes, but are an essential part of healing the sexual brokenness of the porn addict.
For a detailed summary of the key points of YBOP, I recommend seeing Ben from Tech Lockdown’s notes here.