A new study has linked porn or sexualized media watching to motivation. The study, published on JAMA Network, sought to identify whether frequent viewing of pornography is associated with the frontostriatal network.

There were remarkable differences between the brains of men who do no indulge in sexualized materials compared those who regularly access them. According to Dr. Simone Kühn of the Max Planck Institute in Berlin cited this is the first study of its kind establishing the link between porn consumption and brain activity.

The report found those who frequently watch pornographic materials have less activity and volume in the regions associated with motivation and rewards. Also, there were also effects on the regions of the brain used for decision-making and one's behavior.

"We found that the volume of the so-called striatum, a brain region that has been associated with reward processing and motivated behavior was smaller the more pornography consumption the participants reported," Kühn said to Reuters.

The study was based on the assumption that pornography consumption bears resemblance with reward-seeking behavior, novelty-seeking behavior and addictive behavior, hypothesizing its alterations of the frontostriatal network in frequent users.

The review conducted 64 healthy men aged between 21 and 45, with varying degrees of pornography use. After noting their weekly habits relating to adult materials, images of their brain were taken. But the study could not determine if the smaller "striatum" is a result of the excessive pornography consumption or they were born that way giving them the tendency to watch more porn.

'It's not clear, for example, whether watching porn leads to brain changes or whether people born with certain brain types watch more porn," Kühn said, noted by The Daily Mail.

While there is a wide range of follow-up studies that can be conducted in this field to have more associated results, It's important to remember that similar to anything you do, everything must be done in moderation. The study was titled, "Brain Structure and Functional Connectivity Associated With Pornography Consumption: The Brain on Porn."