What Porn Does To Your Brain (& What To Do About It)—How To Use Proven Science To QUIT Porn For Good, With Dr. Trish Leigh.

Ben Greenfield Life

Ben Greenfield

Education, Fitness, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness

4.6 • 5.2K Ratings

🗓️ 24 May 2025

⏱️ 75 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode with the remarkable Dr. Trish Leigh, a renowned cognitive neuroscientist and addiction recovery expert, you'll get to dive into the neuroscience of pornography and its far-reaching effects on the brain, hormones, relationships, and overall well-being.

If you’re looking to unlock greater focus, happiness, and intimacy—or want to help someone you care about—this episode brings neuroscience and practical wisdom together in a conversation you won’t want to miss.

Full show notes: https://bengreenfieldlife.com/mindovermatter

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Transcript

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0:00.0	My name is Ben Greenfield and on this episode of the Boundless Life podcast.
0:05.0	The brain is not meant to be flooded with high levels of dopamine.
0:10.9	Almost every man I meet these days is on testosterone replacement therapy.
0:15.3	And they watch porn and they're never making the connection between the depletion.
0:19.6	Testosterone is first made in the brain
0:21.8	before it's made in the sex organs.
0:24.7	So this cascading effect of how it affects basically all biological processes, then at the same
0:31.2	time it affects mental health, it increases anxiety, depression, something I call porn-induced ADHD. Many people these
0:40.3	days go and get an adult ADHD diagnosis without ever thinking that ADHD is a neurodevelopmental
0:48.3	disorder. You had to have had it when you were a kid. But it's because porn does the same thing to the frontal lobe.
0:55.1	It's proven scientifically to decrease function and actually shrink the structure also,
1:01.6	which then also leads to porn-induced erectile dysfunction. That's the wake-up call for most
1:06.9	people, sexual arousal dysfunction, which I call sad.
1:10.9	Welcome to the boundless life with me, your host, Ben Greenfield.
1:15.4	I'm a personal trainer, exercise physiologist, and nutritionist, and I'm passionate about
1:20.0	helping you discover unparalleled levels of health, fitness, longevity, and beyond.
1:39.2	Heart health is something near and dear to my, well, heart, because I've done testing.
1:43.6	I've found issues with my heart, and so I've gotten deep into heart health lately.
1:44.9	And one of the things I've looked into is the EGFs, the endothelial glyco calyx. That is the microthin, slippery inner lining
1:53.1	that lines all 60,000 miles of your vascular system. That is enough to circle the earth like three
1:58.6	times. When that inner lining is healthy and robust, it supports your endothelial wall.
2:03.7	And it performs many functions like supporting the vascular health, harboring antioxidants,
	...

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