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From the department of Shouldn't The Be Looking For a Cure for Cancer Instead?

SPANKING is stressful at first, but it could bring consenting couples closer together. That's the implication of two studies of hormonal changes associated with sadomasochistic (S&M) activities including spanking, bondage and flogging.

Brad Sagarin at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb and colleagues measured levels of the stress hormone cortisol in 13 men and women at an S&M party in Arizona, before, during and after participating in activities. During S&M scenes, cortisol rose significantly in those receiving stimulation, but dropped back to normal within 40 minutes if the scene went well. There was no change in those inflicting the activity.

At an S&M event in Colorado, testosterone was measured in 45 men and women. It increased significantly in receiving women only. Donatella Marazziti of the University of Pisa, Italy, says the boost may help women cope with the aggressive nature of S&M activities, or that it could be another sign of stress. In both studies, couples who said the party went well also reported increases in relationship closeness.

Comments

[neko]

I bet if they measure the same things for those getting Tattoo's (before, during and after) will find the same results. But the information will be just as useless to the world at large.

This report is a bit double-edged for me. One the one hand, the study suggests that those of us who participate in S&M are close as couples and that there is nothing wrong with our lifestyle. It's always pleasant to have medical folk back you up as being somewhat normal. It won't stop everyone from judging me harshly, but it helps a bit...But on the other hand, you're totally right. It's useless in the grand scheme of things; time would be much better spent finding a cure for Cancer or AIDS.