Everyone’s a Little Kinky on Halloween (and Maybe the Rest of the Year Too)

Halloween is a time when kink aesthetics (think leather, latex, corsets, and catsuits) frequently slip into public view. People step into roles and outfits that they might not otherwise dare to be seen in at other times of year because this holiday gives us permission to be whoever we want to be for an evening or weekend.

The fact that so many people are only willing to embrace their kinky side on Halloween is revealing of the broader taboos around kink. As it turns out, however, having an interest in kink is actually quite common, and that’s what we’re going to be talking about in this post.

Broadly speaking, kink can be defined as anything that is sexually pleasurable or arousing that deviates from cultural norms or is otherwise not considered mainstream. BDSM (Bondage/Discipline, Dominance & Submission, Sadism & Masochism) is considered a subset of kink, which includes activities such as consensual power exchange, physical restraint, and mixing pain with pleasure. Kink and BDSM are often hidden, misunderstood, and considered taboo because of a combination of stigma, social norms, legal and cultural constraints, and misconceptions.

In previous blogs, we reported that the rate of engaging in kink and BDSM is around 1 in 3 among American adults. However, the range of behaviors typically asked about in research is usually quite limited, so the actual number may be even higher.

Measuring Kink and BDSM Fantasies and Behaviors

In a recent study by Vilhena and co-authors (2025), the researchers measured a wide range of kinky and BDSM fantasies and behaviors among 775 Portuguese adults. Their aim was to develop a scale that could be used to measure how many of these behaviors people were engaging in. One of the main reasons they did this study was that many existing questionnaires about kink rely heavily on self‑identification (i.e., simply asking people whether they consider themselves “kinky” or whether they’re part of the BDSM community) rather than asking specifically about actual fantasies and behaviors.

To bridge this gap, the researchers asked people about a variety of behaviors and asked if they had ever participated in each of them or fantasized about them. Given the stigma and misconceptions surrounding kink/BDSM, it’s perhaps unsurprising that many people engage in behaviors associated with kink even if they don’t adopt the label or identity.

Common Types of Kink and BDSM

The authors conducted two studies in order to design and refine their measure of kink/BDSM. They found that there were four main “factors” or themes associated with kink/BDSM in their scale: 1) domination & sadism, 2) submission and masochism, 3) voyeurism and exhibitionism, and 4) fetishism.

Below are some of the items from the survey. Have you ever done or fantasized about any of the following?

1. Blindfolding someone
2. Gagging someone
3. Spanking someone
4. Inflicting pain on someone
5. Been submissive and obeying orders given to you
6. Being hit with an object (e.g., belt, whip, flogger, etc.)
7. Become aroused by specific types of fabric (e.g., leather)
8. Become aroused by specific body parts (e.g., breasts, feet, hands, etc.)

Please note that this is not the full list of items from the original study, which included dozens of different activities.

How Common Are Kink and BDSM Activities?

Many people who have fantasies about kink and BDSM feel alone in them, yet they’re surprisingly common. In this study, nearly 99.7% of participants reported having at least one BDSM fantasy, and 99.4% said they had engaged in at least one BDSM behavior. Likewise, over 96% had explored at least one kinky sexual fantasy, and more than 93% had taken part in a kinky activity.

Takeaways

The authors of the questionnaire suggested that this tool will be useful for examining the level of engagement in these kink/BDSM behaviors and promoting inclusivity by illuminating how commonplace they really are. While kink is often defined as a “non-mainstream” sexual interest, it turns out that it’s a part of many people’s lives. Kinks may be a lot more ordinary than we think.

If you are interested in learning more about kink and BDSM, check out our podcast episodes on these topics:

• Can Kink Help Us Live Happier Lives?
• 5 Things Everyone Can Learn From Kink
• The Science of Kink

If you have a sex question of your own, record a voicemail at speakpipe.com/sexandpsychology to have it answered on the blog or the podcast. 

Want to learn more about Sex and Psychology? Click here for more from the blog or here to listen to the podcast. Follow Sex and Psychology on Facebook, Twitter (@JustinLehmiller), Bluesky, or Reddit to receive updates. You can also follow Dr. Lehmiller on YouTube and Instagram.

References:

Vilhena, I., Martins, M., Cardoso, D., & Duarte, E. (2025). Construction and validation of a questionnaire on kinky and BDSM fantasies and activities in Portuguese adults. The Journal of Sex Research, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2025.2518527

Photo by Colin Lloyd on Unsplash