| Members of the public can now measure how kinky they are thanks to a new tool developed by a University of Brighton academic.
Dr Liam Wignall, a senior lecturer in Psychology and a member of the University of Brighton’s Centre for Transforming Sexuality and Gender, developed the Kink Orientation Scale, or KOS, published in the Journal of Sex Research. This scale is the first to provide a measure of kink desire, practice, and identity and represents a significant advancement in how we can study kink among the general population. People can take part in the KOS to get their own kink score and information on what their score means at www.thekinkscale.com. Kink, often referred to as BDSM, is an important aspect of a sizable minority’s sexual desires, practices, and personal relationships. Studies estimate that 20-30% of the UK population have engaged in the practice, while up to 70% of adults have fantasised about it. However, outside of certain subcultures, it can be hard to get people to open up about their desires. Dr Wignall said: “The definition of kink too often focuses only on those who identify as being part of a kink community or subculture and fails to capture people who wouldn’t define themselves in those terms but who still consider it an important part of their sexual practices or desires. We need a way of identifying people who may be considered kinky, even if they don’t identify as such.”
The 18-item scale has five different factors which relate to different aspects of kink: identity; community; paraphernalia; practices; and communication. The scale is scored from 18-90, with a higher score indicative of a higher engagement with kink. Questions include how comfortable you are discussing your sexual desires with friends or lovers and your level of interest in sex toys and kink paraphernalia. Importantly, the scale doesn’t just focus on the type of sex that people may be having in real life but also desires that participants may never have acted on. This has consequences for how we think about sexual orientation more broadly, as an identity, behaviour and desire. Dr Wignall continued: “By using the scale, we can capture a greater diversity of kink attitudes, practices, and identities. We also hope that it will help to dispel some of the myths and stigma associated with kink identities and sexual practices.” People can take part in the KOS to get their own kink score and information on what their score means at www.thekinkscale.com. |
How kinky are you? One University of Brighton academic may have the answer…
