Factor Analysis of Kink Preferences
In an old tweet, Aella presented a factor analysis of her kink survey, identifying eight factors:
- Power/Sadomasochism/Bondage
- Big Boobies/Bimbos/Skirts/Pigtails
- Romance/Kissing/Gentleness
- Orgies/Freeuse/Anonymous Sex/Exhibitionism
- Furries/Bestiality/Monsters
- Body Fluids/Urine/Disgust/Scat
- Genderplay/Futa/Gender Transforms
- Ageplay/Incest/Age Gaps
Given that biological sex strongly influences sexual preferences, we might expect these factors to differ between men and women. For example, a BDSM factor might emphasize dominance for men and submission for women. Additionally, factors may differ between cis and trans respondents (e.g., the genderplay factor). So, it would seem inaccurate to say that there are really eight factors. But we should test this hypothesis by performing factor analyses for cis men, cis women, trans men, and trans women separately, seeing what factors arise, and then comparing them.
Within each group, I only included respondents who answered at least 12 of the 127 items. I calculated polychoric correlations, used parallel analysis to determine the number of factors, and applied promax rotation. I then fit a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using manually refined item-factor assignments.
Factor Analysis Results
Cis Men (15 Factors)
For cis men, parallel analysis yielded 17 factors. However, when analyzing the factors, one was incoherent and another was redundant / completely subsumed by another factor, so I ended up having 15 factors.
- Nonhumans & Transformation (monsters, furries, transformations)
- Romance & Sensuality (romance, sensuality, makeouts)
- Domination & Coercion (sadism, dominance, coercion)
- Incest & Ageplay (incest, ageplay, pedophilia)
- Group & Public Sex (group sex, voyeurism, exhibitionism)
- Bodily Filth (scat, urine, messiness)
- Homosexuality (men, gay sex, masculinity)
- Huge Breasts & Butts (giant breasts/butts, implants, bimbos)
- Genderplay (genderplay, sissification, futa)
- Toys (pain toys, electric toys, sounding)
- Sexual Fluids & Breeding (semen, creampies, breeding)
- Violence & Death (violence, death, body horror)
- Ethnicities (Black people, Asian people, other ethnicities)
- Femininity (hyperfemininity, pigtails, skirts)
- Clothing & Sensation (high heels, latex/leather, textures)
Cis Women (15 Factors)
For cis women, parallel analysis yielded 15 factors:
- Bodily Filth & Disgust (scat, feedism, diapers)
- Romance & Sensuality (romance, sensuality, gentleness)
- Submission & Masochism (submission, pain, obedience)
- Nonhumans & Transformation (monsters, furries, transformations)
- Incest & Ageplay (incest, ageplay, pedophilia)
- Genderplay (genderplay, transformation, pegging)
- Cum & Masculinity (semen, creampies, masculinity)
- Clothing & Sensation (clothing, high heels, latex/leather)
- Ethnicities (white people, Black people, Asian people)
- Women / Femininity (women, lesbians, femininity)
- Huge Breasts & Butts (giant breasts/butts, implants, bimbos)
- Toys (pain toys, electric toys, sounding)
- Group & Public Sex (group sex, voyeurism, free use)
- Horror & Violence (blood, brutality, body horror)
- Nonconsent (coercion, rapeplay, mindbreak)
Trans Women (13 Factors)
For trans women, parallel analysis yielded 13 factors:
- Nonhumans & Transformation (monsters, furries, transformations)
- Romance & Sensuality (romance, sensuality, makeouts)
- Submission & Coercion (submission, humiliation, coercion)
- Sexual Fluids & Group Sex (semen, bukkake, group sex)
- Toys & Sensation (latex/leather, pain toys, electric toys)
- Men / Masculinity (men, gay sex, masculinity)
- Women & Genderplay (women, genderplay, sissification)
- Incest & Ageplay (incest, ageplay, pedophilia)
- Bodily Filth (scat, urine, armpits)
- Huge Breasts & Butts (giant breasts/butts, implants, bimbos)
- Horror & Violence (executions, brutality, body horror)
- Dominance & Sadism (giving pain, being dominant, sadomasochism)
- Ethnicities (white people, Black people, Asian people)
Trans Men (14 Factors)
For trans men, parallel analysis yielded 14 factors:
- Nonconsent (forced breeding, rapeplay, coercion)
- Romance & Sensuality (gentleness, sensuality, romance)
- Women / Femininity (women, lesbians, femininity)
- Nonhumans & Transformation (monsters, furries, transformations)
- Horror & Violence (blood, brutality, executions)
- Bodily Filth & Disgust (scat, diapers, urine)
- Huge Breasts & Butts (giant breasts/butts, breast milk, implants)
- Submission & Masochism (submission, pain, choking)
- Cum & Men (men, semen, anal sex)
- Toys & Sensation (electric toys, pain toys, textures)
- Genderplay (sissification, genderplay, futa)
- Incest & Ageplay (incest, ageplay, bestiality)
- Feminine Clothing (skirts, pigtails, high heels)
- Ethnicities (white people, Black people, Asian people)
Factor Similarities
Tucker’s congruence coefficient ($r_c$) compares the pattern of item loadings between two factors. Values closer to 1 indicate more similar patterns. For each factor below, the table reports the closest-matching factor in each other group. The matchings aren’t symmetric: one factor can be another factor’s closest match even when the reverse is not true.
Cis Men
| Cis Men factor | Closest Cis Women factor | Closest Trans Men factor | Closest Trans Women factor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonhumans & Transformation | Nonhumans & Transformation (0.974) | Nonhumans & Transformation (0.988) | Nonhumans & Transformation (0.981) |
| Romance & Sensuality | Romance & Sensuality (0.999) | Romance & Sensuality (0.999) | Romance & Sensuality (1.000) |
| Domination & Coercion | Nonconsent (0.850) | Nonconsent (0.685) | Submission & Coercion (0.978) |
| Incest & Ageplay | Incest & Ageplay (0.989) | Incest & Ageplay (0.992) | Incest & Ageplay (0.995) |
| Group & Public Sex | Group & Public Sex (0.933) | Nonconsent (0.658) | Sexual Fluids & Group Sex (0.908) |
| Bodily Filth | Bodily Filth & Disgust (0.959) | Bodily Filth & Disgust (0.989) | Bodily Filth (0.987) |
| Homosexuality | Genderplay (0.113) | Cum & Men (0.763) | Men / Masculinity (0.928) |
| Huge Breasts & Butts | Huge Breasts & Butts (0.959) | Huge Breasts & Butts (0.918) | Huge Breasts & Butts (0.948) |
| Genderplay | Genderplay (0.825) | Genderplay (0.904) | Women & Genderplay (0.844) |
| Toys | Toys (0.974) | Toys & Sensation (0.870) | Toys & Sensation (0.830) |
| Sexual Fluids & Breeding | Cum & Masculinity (0.935) | Cum & Men (0.835) | Sexual Fluids & Group Sex (0.391) |
| Violence & Death | Horror & Violence (0.941) | Horror & Violence (0.951) | Horror & Violence (0.976) |
| Ethnicities | Ethnicities (0.973) | Ethnicities (0.933) | Ethnicities (0.957) |
| Femininity | Women / Femininity (0.799) | Feminine Clothing (0.799) | Women & Genderplay (0.593) |
| Clothing & Sensation | Clothing & Sensation (0.890) | Feminine Clothing (0.754) | Toys & Sensation (0.703) |
Cis Women
| Cis Women factor | Closest Cis Men factor | Closest Trans Men factor | Closest Trans Women factor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bodily Filth & Disgust | Bodily Filth (0.959) | Bodily Filth & Disgust (0.953) | Bodily Filth (0.927) |
| Romance & Sensuality | Romance & Sensuality (0.999) | Romance & Sensuality (0.999) | Romance & Sensuality (0.999) |
| Submission & Masochism | Domination & Coercion (0.730) | Submission & Masochism (0.929) | Submission & Coercion (0.814) |
| Nonhumans & Transformation | Nonhumans & Transformation (0.974) | Nonhumans & Transformation (0.984) | Nonhumans & Transformation (0.988) |
| Incest & Ageplay | Incest & Ageplay (0.989) | Incest & Ageplay (0.988) | Incest & Ageplay (0.948) |
| Genderplay | Genderplay (0.825) | Genderplay (0.821) | Women & Genderplay (0.771) |
| Cum & Masculinity | Sexual Fluids & Breeding (0.935) | Cum & Men (0.915) | Sexual Fluids & Group Sex (0.915) |
| Clothing & Sensation | Clothing & Sensation (0.890) | Feminine Clothing (0.932) | Toys & Sensation (0.616) |
| Ethnicities | Ethnicities (0.973) | Ethnicities (0.990) | Ethnicities (0.981) |
| Women / Femininity | Femininity (0.799) | Women / Femininity (0.985) | Women & Genderplay (0.512) |
| Huge Breasts & Butts | Huge Breasts & Butts (0.959) | Huge Breasts & Butts (0.850) | Huge Breasts & Butts (0.901) |
| Toys | Toys (0.974) | Toys & Sensation (0.872) | Toys & Sensation (0.773) |
| Group & Public Sex | Group & Public Sex (0.933) | Nonconsent (0.735) | Sexual Fluids & Group Sex (0.807) |
| Horror & Violence | Violence & Death (0.941) | Horror & Violence (0.968) | Horror & Violence (0.954) |
| Nonconsent | Domination & Coercion (0.850) | Nonconsent (0.900) | Submission & Coercion (0.747) |
Trans Women
| Trans Women factor | Closest Cis Men factor | Closest Cis Women factor | Closest Trans Men factor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonhumans & Transformation | Nonhumans & Transformation (0.981) | Nonhumans & Transformation (0.988) | Nonhumans & Transformation (0.987) |
| Romance & Sensuality | Romance & Sensuality (1.000) | Romance & Sensuality (0.999) | Romance & Sensuality (1.000) |
| Submission & Coercion | Domination & Coercion (0.978) | Submission & Masochism (0.814) | Submission & Masochism (0.764) |
| Sexual Fluids & Group Sex | Group & Public Sex (0.908) | Group & Public Sex (0.807) | Cum & Men (0.874) |
| Toys & Sensation | Toys (0.830) | Toys (0.773) | Toys & Sensation (0.905) |
| Men / Masculinity | Homosexuality (0.928) | Women / Femininity (0.387) | Cum & Men (0.899) |
| Women & Genderplay | Genderplay (0.844) | Genderplay (0.771) | Genderplay (0.669) |
| Incest & Ageplay | Incest & Ageplay (0.995) | Incest & Ageplay (0.948) | Incest & Ageplay (0.965) |
| Bodily Filth | Bodily Filth (0.987) | Bodily Filth & Disgust (0.927) | Bodily Filth & Disgust (0.988) |
| Huge Breasts & Butts | Huge Breasts & Butts (0.948) | Huge Breasts & Butts (0.901) | Huge Breasts & Butts (0.895) |
| Horror & Violence | Violence & Death (0.976) | Horror & Violence (0.954) | Horror & Violence (0.909) |
| Dominance & Sadism | Domination & Coercion (0.901) | Genderplay (0.902) | Submission & Masochism (0.355) |
| Ethnicities | Ethnicities (0.957) | Ethnicities (0.981) | Ethnicities (0.988) |
Trans Men
| Trans Men factor | Closest Cis Men factor | Closest Cis Women factor | Closest Trans Women factor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonconsent | Domination & Coercion (0.685) | Nonconsent (0.900) | Submission & Coercion (0.639) |
| Romance & Sensuality | Romance & Sensuality (0.999) | Romance & Sensuality (0.999) | Romance & Sensuality (1.000) |
| Women / Femininity | Femininity (0.836) | Women / Femininity (0.985) | Women & Genderplay (0.486) |
| Nonhumans & Transformation | Nonhumans & Transformation (0.988) | Nonhumans & Transformation (0.984) | Nonhumans & Transformation (0.987) |
| Horror & Violence | Violence & Death (0.951) | Horror & Violence (0.968) | Horror & Violence (0.909) |
| Bodily Filth & Disgust | Bodily Filth (0.989) | Bodily Filth & Disgust (0.953) | Bodily Filth (0.988) |
| Huge Breasts & Butts | Huge Breasts & Butts (0.918) | Huge Breasts & Butts (0.850) | Huge Breasts & Butts (0.895) |
| Submission & Masochism | Domination & Coercion (0.730) | Submission & Masochism (0.929) | Submission & Coercion (0.764) |
| Cum & Men | Homosexuality (0.763) | Cum & Masculinity (0.915) | Men / Masculinity (0.899) |
| Toys & Sensation | Toys (0.870) | Toys (0.872) | Toys & Sensation (0.905) |
| Genderplay | Genderplay (0.904) | Genderplay (0.821) | Women & Genderplay (0.669) |
| Incest & Ageplay | Incest & Ageplay (0.992) | Incest & Ageplay (0.988) | Incest & Ageplay (0.965) |
| Feminine Clothing | Femininity (0.799) | Clothing & Sensation (0.932) | Women & Genderplay (0.039) |
| Ethnicities | Ethnicities (0.933) | Ethnicities (0.990) | Ethnicities (0.988) |
The most consistent factors across groups are Romance & Sensuality ($r_c = .999-1.000$), Nonhumans & Transformation ($r_c = .974-.988$), and Incest & Ageplay ($r_c = .948-.995$). Bodily Filth/Disgust ($r_c = .927-.989$), Ethnicities ($r_c = .933-.990$), and Horror/Violence ($r_c = .909-.976$) are also consistently recognizable, though their exact compositions vary somewhat. The largest cross-group differences involve gendered attraction, BDSM, group sex, sexual fluids, clothing, and sensation.
Higher-Order Factor Correlations
Since the factors are themselves correlated, I performed a second factor analysis to determine how strongly each factor loads onto a hypothetical “general kink” factor. A major problem is that all the items are ‘facing’ the same direction. This means we can’t determine how much of the observed positive manifold is due to acquiescence bias versus an actual general kinkiness that influences all items. So, when looking at the general kink loadings, remember that they are most likely inflated.
Cis Men
General-kink loadings
- Sexual Fluids & Breeding (0.837)
- Toys (0.818)
- Domination & Coercion (0.789)
- Nonhumans & Transformation (0.771)
- Clothing & Sensation (0.760)
- Group & Public Sex (0.759)
- Bodily Filth (0.717)
- Violence & Death (0.714)
- Incest & Ageplay (0.709)
- Genderplay (0.703)
- Femininity (0.689)
- Huge Breasts & Butts (0.682)
- Ethnicities (0.597)
- Homosexuality (0.461)
- Romance & Sensuality (0.405)
Cis Women
General-kink loadings
- Clothing & Sensation (0.858)
- Toys (0.853)
- Group & Public Sex (0.840)
- Huge Breasts & Butts (0.816)
- Nonconsent (0.807)
- Genderplay (0.805)
- Horror & Violence (0.785)
- Nonhumans & Transformation (0.762)
- Incest & Ageplay (0.751)
- Submission & Masochism (0.739)
- Bodily Filth & Disgust (0.736)
- Cum & Masculinity (0.697)
- Ethnicities (0.648)
- Women / Femininity (0.621)
- Romance & Sensuality (0.336)
Trans Men
General-kink loadings
- Feminine Clothing (0.854)
- Genderplay (0.849)
- Nonconsent (0.801)
- Toys & Sensation (0.783)
- Cum & Men (0.782)
- Submission & Masochism (0.764)
- Incest & Ageplay (0.756)
- Horror & Violence (0.725)
- Nonhumans & Transformation (0.714)
- Bodily Filth & Disgust (0.697)
- Ethnicities (0.658)
- Women / Femininity (0.656)
- Huge Breasts & Butts (0.634)
- Romance & Sensuality (0.423)
Trans Women
General-kink loadings
- Sexual Fluids & Group Sex (0.881)
- Toys & Sensation (0.864)
- Submission & Coercion (0.806)
- Women & Genderplay (0.804)
- Huge Breasts & Butts (0.800)
- Bodily Filth (0.800)
- Horror & Violence (0.795)
- Nonhumans & Transformation (0.780)
- Ethnicities (0.724)
- Incest & Ageplay (0.706)
- Men / Masculinity (0.677)
- Dominance & Sadism (0.596)
- Romance & Sensuality (0.447)
The loading patterns seem to align with intuition: factors loading weakly on the general kink factor (e.g. Romance & Sensuality, Homosexuality) are less likely to be labeled as “kinks” than factors loading strongly (e.g. Toys, Group & Public Sex). We can’t say much though, since our inability to extract an acquiescence factor means all the items are a bit contaminated.
Visualizations
The following plots are what I call “Tailcalled diagrams”. We create a standardized (mean=0, SD=1) latent variable summarizing the displayed items in the bottom of the plot. The rows below the histogram show the median response to each question for a given level of the latent variable.
Cis Men
Nonhumans & Transformation
Romance & Sensuality
Domination & Coercion
Incest & Ageplay
Group & Public Sex
Bodily Filth
Homosexuality
Huge Breasts & Butts
Genderplay
Toys
Sexual Fluids & Breeding
Violence & Death
Ethnicities
Femininity
Clothing & Sensation
Cis Women
Bodily Filth & Disgust
Romance & Sensuality
Submission & Masochism
Nonhumans & Transformation
Incest & Ageplay
Genderplay
Cum & Masculinity
Clothing & Sensation
Ethnicities
Women / Femininity
Huge Breasts & Butts
Toys
Group & Public Sex
Horror & Violence
Nonconsent
Trans Women
Nonhumans & Transformation
Romance & Sensuality
Submission & Coercion
Sexual Fluids & Group Sex
Toys & Sensation
Men / Masculinity
Women & Genderplay
Incest & Ageplay
Bodily Filth
Huge Breasts & Butts
Horror & Violence
Dominance & Sadism
Ethnicities
Trans Men
Nonconsent
Romance & Sensuality
Women / Femininity
Nonhumans & Transformation
Horror & Violence
Bodily Filth & Disgust
Huge Breasts & Butts
Submission & Masochism
Cum & Men
Toys & Sensation
Genderplay
Incest & Ageplay
Feminine Clothing
Ethnicities
Conclusion
So, we can see that three of the factors Aella mentioned (Romance & Sensuality, Nonhumans & Transformation, and Incest & Ageplay) are highly consistent across gender groups. Two others (Bodily Filth/Disgust and Huge Breasts & Butts) are fairly consistent, as are two factors I found that Aella didn’t: Ethnicities and Horror & Violence. The remaining items tend to split or combine into factors differently across groups. This is an example of why we can’t assume that latent factors are the same across groups.