NSFW: Intimate Study Discloses America’s Most Common Sexual Fantasies NSFW
Image via Shutterstock
Your deepest, darkest secret might not be that much of a taboo, after all. And, as it turns out, there are more Christian Greys in real life than you’d imagine.
In his book Tell Me What You Want, Kinsey Institute research fellow Justin Lehmiller, PhD, shared findings from his study of 4,175 Americans across all 50 states to reveal the country’s most common sexual fantasies, and it appears that most have had at least one kink before.
The country’s 10 greatest kinks and fetishes, according to Lehmiller’s research, have been published in a Men’s Health op-ed. Find out four of them below.
Tell Me What You Want is now available in paperback.
1. BDSM
Bondage/discipline, dominance/submission and sadism/masochism (BDSM) faces a lot of whiplash by the mainstream audience, but it turned out to be the most common bedroom fantasy between 93-percent male and 96-percent female respondents in the study.
Lehmiller believes this kink is so coveted because it allows people to break free from traditional gender roles, or gives them the freedom to explore other aspects of the self. Not to mention the desire to dive into the taboo or the unknown.
2. Voyeurism
Voyeurism, the fantasy of watching others getting frisky or undressing, is another common preference. It was shared by 60-percent of respondents in the research, though men reported enjoying more fantasies about this genre than women.
Lehmiller suggested that to voyeurs,the act is akin to “watching real-life porn.” Plus, many of these fantasies involve the observed persons being watched in secret, creating a sense of thrill from the idea of dabbling in the forbidden.
3. Fetishes
Fetish fantasies include a fixation on objects, like high heels or stockings, or non-genital body parts, like feet. 45-percent of respondents, with the majority of them being male, reported having fantasies in this area. In case you’re wondering, the most common focus seems to be feet, which were found to have dominated fetish fantasies among one in seven adults.
Lehmiller cited psychologists’ theories that fetishes are learned rather than innate, as experience teaches people to associate specific objects or body parts with arousal over time. The fantasies can also be tempting to many because of their taboo element.
4. Exhibitionism
Displaying itself on the list is exhibitionism, the dream of publicly exposing yourself or engaging in sexual activity in front of an audience. Lehmiller said consensual and non-consensual exhibitionism were labeled as two separate fantasies in his survey, with 42-percent participants indicating that they had dreamed of putting on a show in front of a consenting audience before, while 10 percent shared about having thoughts of unsolicitedly putting themselves on display to others.
Lehmiller deduced that those who dream of consensual exhibitionism are motivated differently from those who fantasize about non-consensual acts of display, which include masturbating publicly or flashing strangers. The former camp is likely titillated by the idea of others finding them attractive, while the latter is possibly toying with the compulsion to shock or offend others.
Head here to find out the top 10 adult fantasies in the United States.
[via Men’s Health, cover image via Shutterstock]
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