Despite the stigma surrounding BDSM (that’s Bondage Discipline Sadism and Masochism, for those who aren’t acquainted) research has found that avid practitioners report less sexual problems than the general population.
A new report published in The Journal of Sex Medicine showed that BDSM participants appear to be more satisfied and less concerned about sexuality, especially those who consider themselves “dominant” (someone who has power over the “submissive”) or “switches” (someone who is willing to assume either role).
The results were garnered through an online questionnaire of 266 consensual BDSM devotees and 200 control participants.
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Stats vary, but some studies have found that around 20 percent of people around the world have experienced elements of BDSM and this study further discredits the assumption that people who are into the kink are somehow depraved or damaged. Australian research on 20,000 people previously found that “[e]ngagement in BDSM was not significantly related to any sexual difficulties.” Participants were also not significantly more likely to be unhappy or anxious and male fans of the practice scored significantly lower on a scale of psychological distress than other men.
“The main message we wanted to share is that BDSM is not pathology or paraphilia, and has nothing to do with psychological problems,” study author Filippo M. Nimbi told PsyPost.
“Moreover, we discovered that people that follow their own sexual fantasies in this field (while being respectful of others and supported by a community) are more sexually satisfied and report less sexual problems.”
It seems like the takeaway here is that being open and honest about whatever your desires in the bedroom may be (whether they involve whips or not) will improve your sex life.
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