Can pornography be addictive? An fMRI study of men seeking treatment for problematic pornography use
- Authors
- Gola, M., Wordecha, M., Sescousse, G., Lew-Starowicz, M., Kossowski, B., Wypych, M., Makeig, S., Potenza, M. N., & Marchewka, A.
- Year
- 2017
- Journal
- Neuropsychopharmacology
- Type
- Cross-sectional study
- Population
- Men seeking treatment for problematic pornography use and matched controls
- Sample size
- 28 treatment-seeking / 24 controls
- Method
- fMRI cue-reactivity study
- Last verified
- 2026-10-04
Main question
Does problematic pornography use involve altered reward anticipation?
Summary
Gola and colleagues (2017) scanned men seeking treatment for problematic pornography use while they viewed cues that predicted erotic images. The key finding was heightened ventral striatal response to the predictive cue rather than the image itself.
Why it matters
This result is consistent with incentive-salience models of dopamine and the reward system: the brain response tracks anticipation more than pleasure. However, as a small correlational study in a treatment-seeking group, it does not establish that pornography causes these differences. It is also sometimes read as evidence in the behavioural addiction debate.
Findings
- Men seeking treatment for problematic pornography use showed heightened ventral striatal reactivity to cues predicting erotic images, but not to the erotic images themselves.
- This pattern is consistent with incentive-salience accounts, in which anticipation ('wanting') is amplified rather than enjoyment ('liking').
What this study can support
Links cue anticipation ("wanting") to ventral striatal activity.
What it cannot establish
Causal conclusions beyond the study design; generalizations to populations, behaviors, or contexts outside the sample; and any claim not directly measured.
Limitations
- Small sample of treatment-seeking men; findings cannot be generalized to all users.
- Correlational design; does not prove that pornography 'causes' the observed brain differences.
- verification needed (DOI/PMID not recorded)
Clinical relevance
Links cue anticipation ("wanting") to ventral striatal activity.
Relevance to problematic pornography use
Key evidence for incentive-salience accounts of PPU.