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David J. Ley PhD Profile
David J. Ley PhD

@DrDavidLey

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Author. Shrink. Sex therapist. Black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Defender of misfit toys.

Albuquerque, NM
Joined September 2013
Don't wanna be here? Send us removal request.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
22 days
The butterfly gets all the attention but it was the caterpillar that actually did all the work.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
2 years
I was recently in Germany for a few days. Sexwork is legal there, pornography is common and openly displayed on many magazine shelves. Social nudity is legal and widely accepted. And, Germanys rate of sexual assault is less than a third of the United States. Kinda makes you think
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
2 years
I strongly dislike most of what Jordan Peterson says. He’s inflammatory, unkind, dismissive. But, I dislike the use of professional licensure regulations to suppress speech, when the speech is outside clinical activities. I worry at this precedent.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
On December 18 @BBC Newshour covered claims by Billie Eilish that porn had destroyed her brain. BBC introduced Dr. Trish Leigh, as a cognitive neuroscientist from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Pretty prestigious school, impressive title.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
8 months
Umm. Porn has no known harmful brain impact, this is just pseudoscience (and mistaking effect for cause). And, dopamine is increased by both negative and positive activities. This is kindergarten neuroscience. I’m not sure this guy is a good model for a “healthy brain.”
@FitFounder
Dan Go
8 months
How to Build a Healthy Brain · Meditate · Avoid porn · Stop complaining · Read good books · Get 8k steps a day · 1 hour of sun exposure · Avoid processed foods · 30 minutes of exercise a day · Avoid mainstream news media · Get dopamine from high effort activities
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
Why didn’t @BBC verify Dr Trish Leigh’s credentials to be able to offer expertise on issues of porn, sex, or neurology? Because they wanted to sell porn panic and credible researchers won’t say things like “porn fries your brain cells.” 15
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
Why is the porn addiction industry such a hotbed of fraud and misrepresented credentials? Because snake oil and moral panics always draws out the grifters - they know that fear makes you an easy target. Sadly, media needs to do their job, before citing so-called experts. 20.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
2 years
Proponents of sex or porn addiction have to explain why this affliction doesn’t affect ALL men. Why it mostly “cripples” men who grew up religious, who have difficulty taking responsibility for their sexuality, who fear their own eroticism and that of others. Answer that please
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
2 months
@WMurphyLaw Where do you see porn influencing these actions? Genuinely curious.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
2 years
@AshleyGWinter Just a bit ago I posted this. Your story is better though.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
2 years
Unpopular opinion: The concept of “neurodivergent” has been expanded and exaggerated to an absolutely ridiculous, subjective and ultimately meaningless point. Sometimes I think it’s used by people to excuse rudeness because they don’t want to do the work of people.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
1 year
Hadn’t thought of this complexity with land acknowledgements: do they just acknowledge the last landholders before the USA or Europeans took it over, or do they acknowledge that multiple tribes often fought over the land for generations?
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
Leigh has a PhD, but it’s in communication disorders. She identifies that she “did training on cognitive science track” but I’m uncertain how that works or what it means. Her degree isn’t in cognitive science, neuroscience or psychology. 8.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
Porn addiction is an area filled with grifters and exaggerated, misrepresented credentials and expertise. 17
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
Wow. Cognitive neuroscientist says porn fries our brain cells! Sound familiar? 5
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
Wow. Not sure I ever watched this video. Amazing. And remarkably diverse for its time.
@RexChapman
Rex Chapman🏇🏼
3 years
Rick James released 'Super Freak' 40 years ago today…
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
2 months
@WMurphyLaw Virtually all? Countless studies? Surely you can offer citations? Bc as a scholar of this field, I can say memes and social media have impact on choking as much as porn. And zero research evidence ties choking porn to aggravated murder such as this tragic example.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
Ummmm. I did NOT have “Milo Yiannopoulos blames sex addiction for his homosexuality and starts a treatment program to convert other homosexuals” on my 2021 bingo card. Did anyone?
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
Trish Leigh is clearly trying to use Billie Eilish claims to make $, promoting her “neuro coaching” (whatever that is?) and her porn addiction treatments. 6
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
Leigh's website identifies herself as licensed as a speech-language pathologist, though that license has lapsed, according to NC license board. (Update your website or renew your license Leigh!)
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
Does @UNC know that Dr. Leigh is misrepresenting her relationship with them? 16.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
What does UNC-Chapel Hill say about her? They say that Leigh held an unpaid adjunct assistant professor role in 2017 in Speech and Hearing Sciences. Her appointment ended in 2017 and she has no current faculty status. (Update your website Dr Leigh!) 14
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
Turns out, porn absolutely doesn’t change your brain or affect dopamine receptors.
@scienceofporn
scienceofporn
3 years
The main claim of anti-porn, that porn downregulates dopamine, proven false in new study
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
Gary Wilson, founder of Your Brain on Porn introduced self as former science teacher or an anatomy teacher as he promoted idea of porn brain changes. But Wilson never graduated college, never formally studied or taught neuroscience, & taught anatomy in a massage therapy school.18
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
Donald Hilton is a Mormon neurologist who’s never published actual research on sex or porn use & wrote about how only belief in Christ could break bonds of porn addiction. But Hilton’s theories are cited as gospel by porn addiction true believers. 19
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
Damian Sendler was a media darling, talking about sexuality, mental health and porn addiction, who claimed to have an MD/PhD. from Harvard. Turned out, he had a bachelor's degree, a fake website, and lots of big lies. 20
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
2 years
Men are casually seen as disposable, by individuals and by society. This is why we see far more homeless men, and why men work in professions with higher mortality. New research explores the acceptance of harm to males, when it’s worth the risk.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
1 year
Your regular reminder that claims of sex addiction don’t explain sex assault, and yet another reminder that being antiporn doesn’t equate to sexual health.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
1 year
Fascinating review finds that orgasm actually uses the pain (not pleasure) neurological systems of the brain. Kinda throws a monkey wrench in the claims that sex/porn are addictive because of pleasure…
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
Yet another scientific study finds that porn use and “porn addiction” don’t predict Erectile dysfunction or sexual dissatisfaction- but, self perceived porn addiction does. This reflects the effect of moral incongruence, NOT the porn.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
Leigh says she has a certification as a Brain Coach from The Amen Clinic. Given the general skepticism and concerns about Daniel Amen’s science and treatment, this might not be a good thing. 10
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
Leigh has a "BCN" which is a certificate in providing neurofeedback. Neurofeedback isn't a licensed service, and people trained in it are not brain experts or neuroscientists. 11
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
Was admitted as a sex & psychology expert in CO court today. Am told I am one of the, if not the, first sexuality experts admitted in CO court system. That’s cool.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
Yet another study finds that #nofap online dialogues include deeply troubling, violent, antisemitic and misogynistic interactions, which may encourage dangerous behaviors. How many times must this be replicated?
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
2 years
Such actions could constitute malpractice and are certainly a violation of clinical ethics. Persons in need of behavioral health treatment should never have to pass a purity test in order to receive care.
@DoctorPerin
Edward A. Perin - Psychologist
2 years
I’m hearing a lot of therapists say they will fire a client based on their political orientation and that makes me sad
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
in 2011, Patricia Leigh published a paper "Maternal sensitivity and language in early childhood: a test of the transactional model" - nothing on brain, sex or porn. That’s the only peer reviewed publication I can find. 12
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
7 months
Anyone who says “anything can be an addiction” has no actual understanding of addiction. If anything can be addictive then nothing is.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
Leigh has these sites and links and money hooks all over the place. YouTube, instagram, Patreon. 7.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
In the segment, Leigh made striking and scary claims: “The cells and functioning in the brain are damaged (by porn).” “Massive release of dopamine in the brain …which is the pleasure seeking neurochemical that drives the brain back to that thing that made it feel good.” 2
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
Utah passed laws attempting to restrict porn access and increase access to unrestricted firearms.
@shannonrwatts
Shannon Watts
3 years
"Kids had scrapes and scratches from jumping the fence. Our hearts and chest literally hurt from seeing our girls cry and scream 'mom run faster.' I will never forget the looks in their eyes," said a mother who was attending the tournament. #utpol
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
There’s some definite validity here.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
2 years
Sadly, such efforts increase rates of teen pregnancy, STIs and sexual abuse of children. One wonders at the why these crowds want this?
@natalie_allison
Natalie Allison
2 years
Nikki Haley gets applause when she tells the crowd her father would not sign permission slip for her to take sex ed in 7th grade. Audience at all her town hall events so far has gotten excited when she talks about banning sex and gender lessons for kids.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
The hyperbole about porn’s effect got stronger: “Sexually explicit images release this massive fluid of dopamine which makes the brain feel good.  What happens is the brain calibrates for this big flood of dopamine, this feel good chemical.” 3
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
1 year
So. Umm. Speaker of the House monitors his 17 yo son’s masturbation. And invites son to monitor his. And using Covenant Eyes, an app with known security problems (see ⁦ @WIRED ⁩ exposé). I’m sure this all fine.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
Large study on porn use by Germans finds, yet again, that the only people who experience problems from porn are people with moral and religious conflict. Interestingly, LOWER porn use predicted HIGHER self perceived negative effects of porn on sexuality.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
Like the BBC introduction, Leigh's website identifies herself as an adjunct professor at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine. 13
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
2 years
Am I the only one who thinks there should be “slutty olive oil”? Because virgin olive oil seems awfully judgy.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
10 months
I tell all my therapist interns: “You can’t be the right therapist for everyone. If you try, you will be the right therapist for no one.”
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
Death threats are always such a great part of my day.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
I do endorse abstinence. Abstinence from sexual shaming.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
2 months
I know you think antiporn activists are fighting a moral war against depravity. Actually it turns out that many of them are just grifters, using these campaigns to line their own pockets.
@NicoleRPrause
Dr. Nicole Prause
2 months
Bill Ackman was a leading activist against PornHub with Laila Haddad Mickelwait. Forced court disclosures today show Ackman is a Twitter/X investor, with *over 500 times* the CSAM of PornHub. The rally against PornHub was for-profit, not anti-trafficking. @LailaMickelwait
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
1 year
When people tell you they want to ban porn, and then they’re unable to distinguish what porn is, you should be worried about what would happen if they got their wish.
@ProgressiveTex
The Proud Blue Texan 🇺🇸🏳️‍🌈🇺🇦
1 year
Texas and Florida Republicans ban "Diary of Anne Frank"... call it pornography. #ProudBlue #DemVoice1
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
10 months
“I now know that I was never a sex addict but instead was a product of a dangerously insidious purity culture that still thrives in many religious contexts today.”
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
And stronger: “A person needs more arousal, longer session of pornography, more intense genres. …it’s knocking out functioning in the frontal lobe and frying out cells in the reward center. In the end people don’t feel well and develop mental health issues.” 4
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
Tonight I had happy birthday sung to me by a hundred therapists, cuckolds and Hotwives. I never could have envisioned such honor and acceptance. Deeply grateful to all who were there.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
State by state, laws going up targeting sexual freedom. If you’re in the sex industry, or live a life anything other than hetero monogamy, you need to look at where you live and assess whether it should be your home.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
I’m still giggling about this.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
This trend of beautiful sexy women posting pictures of my book is perhaps one of the best things that’s ever happened in my literary career.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
7 months
This article claims new research finds that pornography exposure drives violence. But, actual research article does not show such a link & didn’t even assess violence. But the media loves to make such wild assed claims and no one ever calls them on it.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
After posting child porn and getting called out on it, and after trying to force OnlyFans to give up porn and losing, Laila Mickelwait is now once again attacking Pornhub. I can’t decide if this is motte and bailey strategy, or flogging a dead horse? Ideas?
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
1 year
@XBIZ Influential psychologist with one arm (me) points out that Christian churches should worry more about sexual abuse of children by ministers and stop trying to regulate the sexuality of everyone else.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
End of this month I’m doing a two day training on sex therapy and psychology of sex. Day 1 is on #cuckolding . Day 2 is on #groupsex . Who gets to do this? Me. Fuck yeah.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
8 months
Again, for the folks in the back- the psychology of erectile dysfunction is rooted in anxiety & shame. Pornography is NOT a cause. It’s not even mentioned in this excellent review. That’s b/c serious clinicians and researchers don’t endorse pseudoscience.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
8 months
I would say it’s ironic that this group birthed much of the modern anti-porn movement. But it’s not ironic at all. Invariably, folks who proselytize about the dangers of sex of any kind, are performing a dance to distract from their own troubled sexuality.
@SketchesbyBoze
Owl! at the Library 😴🧙‍♀️
8 months
Let me tell you about the scandal that is currently erupting at a mega-church I used to be part of. It is a sordid tale of blackmail, spiritual and sexual abuse, prophetic deception and much worse. Proceed with caution.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
Encountered an unexpected feature while skiing.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
1 year
Poll: You have the chance to have sex with an extremely attractive person who you know is objectively a very bad person. Assume no one will ever know and it will be satisfying/good sex. Do you?
I’m male. Hell yes.
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I’m male. Umm no.
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I’m female. Hell yes.
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I’m female. Yuck no.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
1 year
Husband watched porn more than once or twice. But had no problems related to it. Wife decides he’s addicted to porn.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
Sex addiction therapists claim an orgasm a day is a sign of addiction. Turns out about 15% of people have a daily orgasm. Orgasm Frequency (Total Sexual Outlet) in a National American Sample - PubMed
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
2 years
48 pages of notes alone. That’s 14.5% of the whole book! The Pornography Wars by @kelsyburke is intensely well-documented, a critical requirement in these days of bukkake by vitriol. I’m thrilled to see this in print!
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
Some folks can be desperate to make themselves into a victim. Sometimes it’s for attention, sometimes for control or to avoid responsibility. The Victim Personality | Psychology Today
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
11 months
NAILED IT
@ASFleischman
Andrew Fleischman
11 months
I think a big reason conservative men so frequently claim to be "addicted" to pornography is that it's the only way they can be mad at porn, enjoy it, and still have it be women's fault.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
8 months
"Man turned to child porn after becoming disinterested in adult porn." - This actually isn't how it works. Porn doesn't change your interests. Men who watch CSAM have pedophilic interests and always did. Don't let claims like this avoid responsibility.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
2 years
The tragedy is that it’s states who refuse to fund sex education & access to contraception (for the poor) who will ban abortion. Condemning people in poverty (ir on margin) to crushing debt for children they cannot afford to support. This is class battle, masquerading as religion
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
2 years
Everyone wants mental health to be a priority but no one is willing to address the systemic barriers that impede access to services.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
2 years
Well darn. Colleague ⁦ @JustinLehmiller ⁩ looked into Gillian Anderson’s project on female sex fantasies and found it’s going to be heavily sanitized. Alas. Not a new Nancy Friday.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
7 months
This is why I reject pseudoscientific neurobabble about dopamine, brain damage from social media or porn, and other such claims. Simply put, there is so much individual variability in brain and behavior that such assertions are wishful thinking. At best.
@DegenRolf
Rolf Degen
7 months
From brain imaging data, practically nothing can be deduced about the psychological state of a particular person.
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
1 year
Remember that research indicating narcissism in self identification as a porn addict?…
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@DrDavidLey
David J. Ley PhD
3 years
There is little solid evidence that exposure to sexuality or porn as a child causes a person to be more highly sexual as an adult. Hi libido/hi sex sensation seeking is heavily influenced by genetics & neurobiology. Don’t blame/shame your adult sexuality on childhood experiences.
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