Most of us are at least a little freaky in the sack (or want to be). Even the people you’d never expect. And now we’ve got science to tell us why.
A recent study found that half of all people have engaged in kinky sex. And 85 percent of people want to be more kinky. The study defined “kinky” as anything “abnormal”, like voyeurism, exhibitionism, fetishism, and masochism.
But why can’t people get enough of that freaky shit?

According to an article about BDSM on Broadly, people dig super kinky sex because the act of sex creates a high that turns pain into pleasure.

The “floaty” feeling you get from sex takes your brain to a place they call “subspace”. When someone inflicts pain on you, the stress hormone cortisol is released, which triggers the “fight or flight” response. Normally, the stress hormone would not be pleasurable (ya know, because of the whole “I might die” thing), but when the brain is enraptured in a state of “subspace” bliss, you feel all of the pleasurable endorphins and none of bad ones. 

Science of BDSM researcher Kathryn Klement told Broadly: “We interpret these cortisol results to mean that when people engage in BDSM play (as the receiver of sensations) or extreme rituals, their bodies release a hormone usually associated with stress. However, we’ve also found that people subjectively report their psychological stress decreasing, so there is a disconnect between what the body is experiencing, and what the individual is perceiving.”

Cool, huh?

What’s more, reducing the negative effects of stress during kinky sex carries over to the rest of your life, meaning you’ll be less stressed throughout the day. And we all know that less stress is beneficial to the body.

So let that freak flag fly. It’s good for your health.