Cat owners are more into bondage and BDSM than everyone else
According to a new study published in the Journal of Evolutionary Psychology revealed humans who catch a condition known as toxoplasmosis from their feline friends, are more likely to be sexually aroused ‘by their own fear, danger and sexual submission’. The report is based on analysis of over 36,500 people in Slovakia and the Czech Republic, some of whom have toxoplasmosis and others who were parasite-free.
Owning a cat might, is in fact, connected to your love of bondage and BDSM.
Around a third of the world’s population are infected with the parasite, and transmission from pet cats (through their faeces) is one of the most common causes.
What’s more, the researchers discovered that people with Toxoplasma have a “higher attraction to bondage, violence and, in men, to masochism and raping.”
The parasite succeeds in using the fact that sex-related stimuli and fear-related stimuli affect very similar circuits in the brain. “Even without Toxoplasma, there will be some relationship between fear and sex,” lead author Jaroslav Flegr explained.
Although toxoplasmosis is so common, it’s rarely reported as there are no real symptoms – around 350 cases are reported in England and Wales annually, but the NHS believes the actual number of infections could be as high as 350,000. Toxoplasmosis can be diagnosed by undertaking a blood test.
