Yep, my intellectual brain is at it again, ....I wanted to see what science has to say on BDSM and have decided to share some of the data I came across here....not that there is that much (easily) available, lol....I am interested to hear what do you think about the data presented.

Of all the paraphilias the least researched are sexual sadism and sexual masochism. Known collectively as "sadomasochism" to professionals, those who practice this alternative sexual lifestyle tend use the term bondage-domination-sadism-masochism, or BDSM.

Recently, BDSM has entered the plotline in episodes of several popular primetime television series, made-for-TV movies, and motion pictures. This increased focus on BDSM by the entertainment industry may have been sparked by the national news coverage surrounding the trial of the BTK serial killer in 2005, primed by the prior arrest and conviction of John Edward Robinson, the first known cyber serial murderer who attracted his victims through a shared interest in BDSM (Gross, 2005). The increased focus on BDSM may be the natural byproduct of increased prevalence in the general population, increased openness within the BDSM community, and/or increased societal curiosity regarding more extreme alternative sexual practices. The near absence of empirical research on BDSM makes it impossible to know the exact factor(s) underlying the thematic trend.

A key difficulty in researching BDSM is the lack of formalized, uniform definition of terms, agreed-upon by scholars and practitioners of this alternative form of sexual expression.

In the late 1890s, sexologists considered human sexual masochism a natural evolution of that evidenced in lower mammals. Over 40 mammalian species have been identified that bite while mating; among humans, approximately 25% of both men and women report having been sexually aroused by a partner's bite. Masochism became defined as sexual algophilia, or the "fondness or love of pain" during sex.

There is evidence of BDSM occurring across time and cultures, with perhaps the most widely known example being the Kama Sutra. As suggested by the Kama Sutra and as raised by Ellis in 1927, "pain" may not be an appropriate term or applied concept in the context of sadomasochism, in which (regardless of the underlying reason) pain is experienced as pleasure resulting in sexual gratification. This paradox led to a paradigmatic shift away from a singular focus on pain, as pain itself is not perceived as erotic for every practitioner of BDSM and may be included in only one of many BDSM rituals practiced by those who do. As BDSM includes the desire or need for submission, domination, and humiliation for sexual gratification (often without requiring pain), the definition of BDSM shifted to a focus on the construct of an erotic power exchange. (source)


Results from a research project by Dr. Pamela Connolly among a group with bondage and sadomasochistic interests (BDSM) showed that “no evidence was found to support the notion that major disorders -- including depression, anxiety, mania/bipolarity, and obsessive-compulsivity -- are more prevalent among members of the BDSM community than among members of the general population”.

“Indeed, if anything, our findings suggested that members of the BDSM community are less likely than others to present with major disorders.”

Moreover, BDSM players had no greater levels of psychological sadism or masochism, disorders in which the sufferer either derives pleasure out of genuine cruelty (not the play-acting kind) or compulsively seeks out harmful levels of pain.


A survey using computer-assisted telephone interviews with 20,000 Australian men and women presented at the World Association of Sexual Health congress in Sydney (2007), showed that BDSM may actually make men happier.

Men into BDSM scored significantly better on a scale of psychological wellbeing than other men. (I really want to hear what Doms here have to say about this theory. And I wonder, does this apply to male subs too?)

BDSM’ers were no more likely to have suffered sexual difficulties, sexual abuse or coercion or anxiety than other Australians.

"This seems to imply that these men are actually happier as a result of their behaviour, though we're not sure why," says Dr. Juliet Richters of the University of New South Wales. “It might just be that they're more in harmony with themselves because they're into something unusual and are comfortable with that. There's a lot to be said for accepting who you are.”

Researchers said the study helps break down the reigning stereotype that people into bondage and discipline were damaged as children, abused and were therefore “dysfunctional”. (This brings about question...where does the perception that BDSM practitioners (especially subs) were abused comes from then?....and I tend to think it has less to do with archaic psychiatric stand and more to do with the personal impression people get....I used to subscribe to that theory, but having surfed the net and the Library, I now wonder if its only PC feel good crap...because as someone who has never been abused, I do feel like the odd one out because the impression one gets is that almost all submissives have been abused.)



Statistics

The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, a national organization committed to supporting the equal rights of consenting adults who practice forms of alternative sexual expression, conducted an informal survey of SM practitioners in 1998-1999.

GENDER (Now this surprised me, because I always thought that there were more women into bdsm than men.)
Men 51%
Women 46%
Transgender 1%
Intersexual 2%

ORIENTATION
Heterosexual 40%
Homosexual 22%
Bisexual 36%
No Response 4%

AGE
18-22 3%
23-29 15%
30-44 49%
45-64 31%
Over 65 2%

EMPLOYMENT
Student 8%
Part time 5%
Full time 62%
Self employed 22%
Unemployed 1%
Retired 2%

INCOME (please remember this is 10 years old research)
Under $ 10K 7%
$10-24K 17%
$25-49K 37%
Over $50K 39%


5-10% of the U.S. engages in SM for sexual pleasure on at least an occasional basis (Lowe, 1983).

12% of females and 22% of males reported erotic response to a SM story (Kinsey, Martin, Gebhard, 1953).

55% of females and 50% of males reported having responded erotically to being bitten (Kinsey, Martin, Gebhard, 1953).

14% of men and 11% of women have had some sexual experience with sadomasochism (Janus & Janus, 1993).

11% of men and 17% of women reported trying bondage (Lowe, 1983).