The No-To-Porn Guide is now available on Amazon and free to download as a PDF file!
In my last article, I hit on 7 Toxic Beliefs That Keep People From Quitting Pornography. I invite you to check that out if you haven’t already.
If there were no benefits to pornography, then nobody would view it. Pornography supplies on-demand instant gratification. While it increases stress in the medium- and long-term, in the short-term it reduces it. If anyone is to cease consumption, they must be persuaded of the benefits. Indeed, no one can experience the benefits of both viewing and abstaining from pornography, so everyone must choose one or the other.
In the space that follows, I elaborate seven of the most common benefits that people observe after going substantial periods of time with no exposure. Some of these effects kick in within days, while others may take weeks and months to fully materialize. Without further ado…
Without further ado..
7 Powerful Benefits Of Quitting Pornography
1. Greater energy
Thinking about porn, watching porn, and climaxing are energy-intensive. After using, people feel less motivated to take dynamic action; their normal daily activities no longer have the same appeal. Post-nut clarity in the form of shame and regret has a demoralizing effect; few people can honestly say that they believe that watching porn is good for them. Porn diverts resources, which leads me to my next point, and has no redemptive value to offset any of its downsides.
Oftentimes what will happen is the [addict] only has excitement and can achieve dopamine release to the same extent doing that behavior and not other behaviors. And so they start losing interest in school. They start losing interest in relationships. They start losing interest in fitness and well-being. It depletes their life.
Andrew Huberman in Neuroscientist: This Habit Destroys “Man Brain” (Andrew Huberman)
2. Increased productivity
Time is a finite resource. Time spent doing one thing is necessarily time that can’t be spent doing something else. One of the most obvious effects of kicking a bad habit is increased productivity in other areas. In the case of porn, quitting not only frees up your time, it frees up your energy to work, exercise, study, build relationships, meditate, and so on. Whenever we kick an unproductive, energy-inefficient habit, we make space for something positive to take its place.
3. Better romantic relationships
Sexual energy is fuel to get out there and pursue romantic relationships with members of the opposite sex. People who quit PMO often observe that their romantic interest in real people increases substantially after kicking the habit. This is in keeping with nature’s design. It follows that porn stunts our social development, and prospects for romantic relationships, in a big way.
Absent porn and masturbation, a man’s sexual urges drive him to go out and interact with women. Through these interactions, a man receives feedback on the qualities that women find attractive in a partner. The end result is typically a more sexually attractive man, and a stronger personal overall. Porn and masturbation severely hamstring this process. Unlike women, they demand nothing and communicate nothing of value. Porn and masturbation are an enemy of personal growth.
Cultural Quote #99: Porn And Women
Sexual energy is fuel to get out there and pursue romantic relationships with members of the opposite sex. People who quit watching porn and masturbating observe that their sexual interest in real people increases. Quitting porn also increases physical attraction to current or potential partners. People who watch porn consciously and unconsciously compare their partners to porn actors. It follows that when people quit porn, their appreciation of natural bodies and beauty increases.
When we quit porn, our attraction to, and appreciation of, natural bodies and beauty increases.
4. Better social relationships in general
Give and take is the essence of every healthy adult social interaction. We get our needs met in the context of other people, and they get their needs met in the context of us. There’s reciprocity. There are people being mindful of each other’s needs. There may even be love. Porn, on the other hand, doesn’t care about any of that. It is an anti-social activity that only takes into account the needs of the self. Porn, in a word, is training in selfishness. And its selfish fruits most definitely carry over into other areas of life.
5. Greater self-confidence and self-respect
The idea may sound new, but, in reality, it isn’t radical or difficult to follow. As I elaborated in integrity increases self-esteem, every time we act consistent with our values, we gain respect for ourselves, and our self-esteem increases. On the flip side, every time we act inconsistent with our values, we lose respect for ourselves, and our self-esteem decreases. The brain, as it were, is always keeping score of our lives. It makes us feel weak when we do things we know are bad for us, things we know we shouldn’t do. And it makes us feel strong when we do things we know are good for us, things we know we should do. Number five has nothing to do with what other people may think or say about us. It is ours, and ours alone, for the taking.
6. Better mental health and happiness
Porn increases social anxiety (link), and is often accompanied by feelings of shame and guilt. It feels good to know that we are not participating in an exploitative, often criminal industry, that thrives off human trafficking. It also feels good to know that we are not incentivizing free adults to make decisions that harm their lives, even if those decisions are perfectly legal.
When we quit porn, our capacity for joy and connection increases. We create time and space to build relationships, to learn, explore, and simply be.
7. Better spiritual health
I happen to be a Christian, as you know if you have read around on this blog. That said, every major (and minor) religion that I know of, and every spiritual worldview centered on human flourishing, warns of the spiritual consequences of lust. It creates separation between us and other people, as we know, but it also creates separation between us and God. Every step in God’s will increases spiritual health. Every step outside of God’s will increases spiritual sickness.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Matthew 5:8
Remember, porn is one area of life. It is not the be-all, end-all of our struggles here on earth. However, for anyone hooked on porn, quitting is always a giant step in the right direction.
For more on that, check out Life After Pornography. For the complete archive of articles, click here.
