Pandora’s Box? At the release function of ‘Dopamine Trap’… doing the release honours are (l to r) Shashikant Sardesai, Ramakant Khalap, Prasanjeet Dhage, Prof Ranjana Ferrao and Sanjay Harmalkar

‘Dopamine Trap, Sexuality and Pornography in the 21st Century’ by Prasenjeet Dhage, Notion Press, softcover, Rs249.

PRASENJEET Dhage has certainly put his Covid-19 lockdowns to good use by researching the subject of sexual evolution from the Kamasutra to today’s all-pervasive pornography available over social media. He mentioned as much at the release function of his book Patralekhak organized by the Akhil Goa… Mahasangh and Institute Menezes Braganza on December 28, 2020. Whatever you say about its prouction quality this is a brave book to come out with in today’s times when really there’s nothing left to be said about how sexually a stray men and women may go in perennial search for sexual happiness till death us do part.
The book is tantalizing titled ‘Dopamine Trap, Sexuality and Pornography in the 21st century’ and takes on today sexual attitudes and variant behavior vis-a-viz the smorgasbord of visual sexual titillation on social media and other dark media channels you may need secret apps to access…and comes up with a quaint comparison between the genuine article (whatever it is) to all the sexual boom trumped up by oodles of pornography to boost what could be a stale or jaded male and female sexuality.
The book is by no stretch of imagination a brilliant expose of humankind’s moral sexual proclivities. But it is thought provoking in a reasonable manner to raise valid questions about what the author calls the ‘dopamine trap’ with the inherent allegation that today’s generation is more a victim of induced dopamine, rather than time-tested old-fashioned sexual modalities. (Perhaps a la the terribly famous sexually illustrated text, the Kama Sutra by Vatsyayana, touted as India’s first sex manual offering education on sexual postures for better sexual highs, according to the author, the sex manual is more than just that.)
Prasenjeet Dhage’s book is meticulously cramped with reference notes to back his take, on modern day’s sexual adventures past and present, as revved up by pornography. Pornno is so widely available to even minors today and consequently, we have the dangers they pose for a generation unconscious about the connections between any addiction and the brains – and the go between happiness hormone of dopamine which is naturally secreted, but presumably we may not flog it constantly without it taking a toll of the mind and physiology. The data of research should be enough to caution us about what path of perdition today’s over-exposed and perhaps excessively knowledgeable generation is skidding down, and is it worth it?
For sex, like so many other addictions, may also to be a nasty addiction of the self-destruct kind and before we know it we’re doomed or some such thing. In fact, says the author about addictions of any kind, “Addiction is a compulsive need and use of the habit-forming substance. This later develops into a brain disease that is manifested by compulsive substance use despite harmful consequences. Both compulsive substance use disorder and gambling are accompanied by anxiety and depression.”

GOOD LIFE
In pursuit of the good life one may become addicted to the finer older art of sniffing fine “tambaku” or chewing tobacco weed and then later came the beedi and smoking cigarettes to live life king size. We know that story well now. In this sense, sex too may be perceived as a substance of use and abuse. It’s like we human of the species can’t live without some self-destruct addiction or another be it tobacco, alcohol, gambling, pedophilia or sex. Sex which need not be of the tame garden variety but perhaps of an unhappy kind driven by too much learning from compulsive pornography watching — which ranges far and wide into reprehensible areas of a questionable kind. Is pornography worth it to seek temporary relief to lift ourselves from life’s routine boredom?
As noted somewhere we do not enjoy or not enjoy sex for the sake of procreation only. Even in the other animal kingdom sexual pleasures for non-reproduction of the species takes place in nature and we are part of nature surely! Addictions we learn come back to haunt us, “Brain imaging studies show changes in the areas of the brain that relate to judgment, decision making, learning, memory and behavior control.” But, the “good thing about our brain is that it is capable of being rewired…” If you are addicted to pornography quit as soon as possible, is the author’s advice.
The book is amateur in its production and proofreading values. However, if you’re keen on getting an overview of how addictions from tobacco to alcohol to drugs and especially sex, and how some of these addictions interact with one another – here’s a book to easily clue yourself up. The porn industry linkages with dopamine spikes comes along with the rise of the internet, evolution of sex…but see all this against interesting comparisons between Mithuna figures of Khajuraho and sexuality today, vis-à-vis what is moral and immoral, the symbolism used in sexuality, the linkage with porn and mental health, a chapter offers confession of ex-porn addicts (Western background). Other chapters offer insight into porn rehab centers, porn and criminality, juvenile delinquents, how cultures suppress six, LGBTQ plus and porn, pornography and the propaganda for patriarchy, porn star industry, porn and sexual dysfunction, etc.
A final chapter points out that pornography addiction is like any other drug and quitting involves accepting the bitter truth about one’s self or so to speak. Holy shit! Once you are aware of the false narrative of sex as promoted by porn, chances are you may seriously want to get out of the dopamine trap to be liberated anew to forge healthier sexual relationships which won’t backfire nastily. A most interesting book with insight into young minds vis-à-vis the pornography industry shaping social behavior in today’s times.
Needless to say the author of this book Prasenjeet Dhage is a young final year law student in Goa, all of 23 years old, he possibly wants to be marriage specialist lawyer some day! Hence this dissertation of a book in English to enlighten us about today’s sexual bases. The book was released by former deputy chief minister of Goa and former Union Law Minister of India Ramakant Khalap at the function.