Pablo Marçal says he was addicted to pornography for 20 years

São Paulo mayoral candidate Pablo Marçal (PRTB) said he was addicted to pornography for 20 years. The subject came up during an interview on the Achismos Eleições program, hosted by Mauricio Meirelles on YouTube.

With the intention of answering “unusual” questions, Marçal stated that he had never smoked marijuana, that he never went to clubs and that he attended church a lot when he was young. That was when Meirelles asked the former coach if he watched XVideos, an adult content portal. The candidate said that he not only used it, but was also addicted to magazines for those over 18.

“I was trapped in pornography for 20 years,” Marçal said. “The dopaminergic system [que garante motivação ao cérebro quando determinadas atividades são realizadas] receives a reward equal to an electric shock with pornography. Pornography is more addictive than sugar. I was hooked from the age of 5 until I was 25.”

Today, however, he said he no longer consumes this type of content: “I disconnected nicely; I don’t waste my energy on it.”

The candidate took the opportunity to defend the idea that pornography addiction should be taken seriously. “Almost 50% of the world’s internet data traffic is pornography. People are crazy about dopaminergic rewards,” he said, also citing addiction to social networks and gambling.

In addition to Marçal, Meirelles interviewed Tabata Amaral (PSB), Marina Helena (Novo) and Ricardo Senese (UP). On the program, he appears alongside an HR professional, who judges whether the candidates are suitable for the position of mayor.