The Museum Of Sex Will Teach You About Your Sexual Nature And Possible Fetishes
While some would say sexual curiosity is a natural fascination, others might condemn such an interest as shameless or, worse, immoral.
However, there’s no getting around the facts: You and the long chain of ancestors stretching behind wouldn’t be here without a little (or a lot) of natural curiosity. (And yes, even if your parents had a little help from a doctor and an in vitro fertilization procedure, this still applies.) Whether your interest is purely in your own behavior or that of others, the Museum of Sex, founded in 2002 in New York City, has created a personality test to help you better understand your own intimate nature. And, if you don’t want to do it for yourself, you might want to lend a hand to the scientists who are hoping to understand more about behavior tends.
The test, SexType.Me, was developed by genetic researchers, led by Dr. Lee Silver, a molecular biologist and professor at Princeton University. It represents a form of analysis intended to deepen your understanding of your sexual personality. SexType.Me is an interactive project, periodically updated to reflect the most recent findings, which produces research results based on the user data. So far, nearly 5,000 people have taken the test, and from this information the researchers derived six basic sexual personality dimensions. Since version one, the researchers identified which personality traits need more in-depth analysis and wrote new questions for V.2 in order to tease out that information.
Practically speaking, how does it work? Taking the test is the best way to learn about it. On your computer screen, you will be presented with 56 prompts to which you will respond with answers on a sliding scale between two extremes (for instance, “I strongly agree” and “I strongly disagree”).
Though some of the prompts are wholly expected (“I am continually searching for new types of pornography.” “The idea of a threesome is:”) others are more surprising (“A little bit of sexual repression makes the world a better place.” “When I am moved emotionally by an artistic creation, the feeling can linger for hours.” “I tend to notice details that others do not.”) Once you’ve completed the questions, you will need to give out some personal information, including birth date, partner preference, and email, if you want the results. For those who are squeamish about e-privacy, be warned.
No matter how you feel about privacy, in all likelihood, you will have some concerns and criticisms, such as these made by two different commenters. “There are some questions with rather limited options for answers,” wrote Stella Anton. Though it is clear from the rest of her comment that she took version one of the test, her critique still applies to version two.
As with any standardized test, sometimes you may feel cornered into a response that does not convey how you actually feel. Another commenter, Malcolm Shingirai noted, “Human sexuality is affected by so many things such as religion or physical stature, why were these not included in the survey? Another thing, do you not think that the people who will answer this survey have already a certain personality type i.e. not shy and extroverted?” (Agreed.)
Some questions hint at possible fetishes, including one about wearing a bondage outfit, yet the test does not fully flesh out, pardon the pun, this personality dimension, as the researchers like to refer to it. Unfortunately, this is exactly where sexual curiosity begins and ends for a lot of people. How many fetishes are out there? I hear you ask. What are the weirdest?
According to the Kinsey Institute, fetish refers to a “strong sexual preoccupation with an object, material or body part,” and usually the focus is on something that is not traditionally considered sexual. For this reason, there is an endless number of potential fetishes. Some unusual examples would include alvinolagnia, a fetish for stomachs; salirophiliacs, a fetish for dirt; dorophilia, a fetish for animal furs, leather, and skins; paraphilic infantilism, a fetish for dressing up as and/or being treated as a baby; agalmatophilia, a fetish for a mannequin or doll; and ursusagalmatophilia, a fetish that involves dressing up in furry costumes (and those who participate in this fetish are commonly referred to as plushies).