Are Kinks Hereditary?
Can You Inherit Your Sexual Kinks From Your Parents? TikTok Says Yes
Though many people think it's cute to inherit their mum's blue eyes or their dad's dimples, the last thing people want to inherit from their parents is their sexual kinks. This concept of whether or not kinks are hereditary has been buzzing around the internet for some time now; it is searched on Google 12,100 times per month and has gained a ton of attention on social media, as well.
In a video posted on TikTok recently, one content creator made major headlines for exploring the topic. The TikTok, which now has over 7.2 million views, starts with the text, "Tell us a psychology fact you would rather not know the answer to." After a brief pause, the text, "Kinks are hereditary," pops up on the screen.
Of course, with news as jarring as this, the comments on the TikTok are just as unhinged as you'd expect. One person wrote, "my military Christian mom likes WHAT." Another said, "So you are telling me either my mother or father is a masochist? Cool."
The good news is that just because TikTok says this is a thing doesn't mean it's actually true. Though it could be possible that you are into spanking or humiliation or BDSM-style dungeon sex because one of your parents is into it too, your sexual kink could have manifested from something entirely different. Below, let's fact-check whether there's any truth to this claim once and for all.
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What Is a Kink?
Psychologist Barbara Santini, a sex advisor at sex retailer Peaches & Screams, describes a kink as a "sexual preference or behaviour that contrasts with traditional sexual desires and fantasies." In other words, the term is used to describe sexual preferences that can sometimes go above and beyond "vanilla" sex.
Of course, kinks can vary among individuals. For one person, their kink could be having anal sex. For another, their kink could involve being tied up in a BDSM dungeon. Ultimately, a kink is something that someone enjoys and finds pleasurable during sex but doesn't necessarily need in order to orgasm.
Are Kinks Hereditary?
Like most things in the sexual scientific world, there's unfortunately not enough information out there to confirm whether or not kinks are actually hereditary, Santini says. Though one study published in the National Library of Medicine confirmed that there can be correlation between genetic influence on adolescent sexual behaviour, Santorini says the studies are "extremely scarce" and "we cannot make definitive conclusions at the moment" from them.
It does kind of make sense how kinks could be passed down generationally, though. In the same way that eye colour, dimples, and freckles can be inherited, personality traits can be inherited as well, according to a study published in the Journal of Personality. And while having a certain sexual kink isn't necessarily because of a personality trait, the study does give way to a possible explanation for how kinks could be hereditary.
Santini adds that many people might think kinks are hereditary because we know that genetics influence our sexual desires. In another study published in the National Library of Medicine, researchers confirmed that "female sexual desire and arousal problems have been shown to have a heritable component of moderate size."
But unfortunately there's no way to confirm whether or not our specific sexual preferences are hereditary until there's more research.
If Not Hereditary, Where Do Kinks Come From Then?
Santorini notes that some people could develop kinks from unprocessed childhood trauma. However, this claim is "unsubstantiated," and it's more so that "some kink-identified people who happen to be survivors of trauma may engage in kink, or trauma play, to heal from, cope with, and transform childhood abuse or adolescent maltreatment," according to research noted in the Sexual and Relationship Therapy journal. It's also possible kinks can be developed through solo or partner exploration, meaning the type of sexual encounters people are exposed to can influence what they find pleasurable.
Plus, other factors like your personality and feelings around sex in general could contribute to your kinks. For example, if you were raised thinking that sex is dirty, it's possible your kinks will look different than someone who was raised with a more positive outlook on sex. But ultimately, "no one really knows the connection between these conditions and kinks," says Santorini.
Because there's no definitive truth as to whether kinks are hereditary, we probably don't need to worry too too much about a TikTok hypothesis. That said, if want to put the theory to the test and ask your parents if they also enjoy the sensations of being tied up, proceed at your own risk.
