This post is about a study that probably many of my readers are already aware of, but I wanted to bring it up again in order to take a closer look at what the findings may mean. About six months ago, a study entitled Psychological Characteristics appeared in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.  The researchers, both psychologists from the Netherlands, sent out over 1300 questionnaires to two groups, one control group and the other one consisting of individuals self identified as kinky. The study found that not only are kinky people not mentally ill, but that they actually scored better on the following criteria– less neurotic, more extraverted, more open to new experiences, more conscientious, less rejection sensitive, and had higher subjective well-being. Higher subjective well-being– isn’t that what mental health is all about? The results of the study according to the researchers: We conclude that BDSM may be thought of as a recreational leisure, rather than the expression of psychopathological processes. The actual study can be found here.

These results should come as no surprise for keen students of sexology. In the past few years, there have probably been about a half dozen similar studies that have shown no correlation between kinky sex and pathology. None. And these were all very legitimate studies done by reputable researchers. I will track them all down and post them here when I get a chance. So stay tuned as I will be updating this article in the near future.

So then the question remains– if this study is accurate and BDSM practitioners have better well-being than non-kinky people, then what is it about their sexual behavior that we can attribute to better mental health results? I think the answer to that question also lies in the remaining results of the study, particularly in the lower scores of neuroticism and higher scores in openness to new experiences reported by BDSM participants. Basically, these scores indicated that those who practice or incorporate BDSM into their sexual lives are less internally conflicted (and so less conflicted about their sexuality) and less rigid and more psychologically fluid (so they are more open to trying new things).

I think one way of understanding all this data is that people who are sexually experimental are also those who are less likely to be ashamed of themselves and censor their natural impulses. In other words, these are more likely to be people who are more aware of their desires and do not try to repress them. Here we are moving into a discussion of true vs false self and personal authenticity. Suffice it to say, being true to one’s desires is being authentic. And there are dozens upon dozens of studies that link authenticity to happiness and overall better mental health outcomes. So, here we have come full circle. If we take this idea to its logical conclusion, we can surmise that those who practice non-normative sexual behaviors (and are happy about it) are by definition those who are acting in the most personally authentic way possible. In this way, sexual exploration is a stand-in for identity exploration.

But don’t take my word for it. I stumbled upon a very interesting and short video clip from the Huffington Post, discussing these very same concepts (below). Enjoy.