Alicia M. Walker and Arielle Kuperberg, "Bound by BDSM: Unexpected Lessons for Building a Happier Life" (Bloomsbury, 2025)

Oct 4, 2025

Alicia M. Walker is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Missouri State University, and Arielle Kuperberg teaches at the University of Maryland, focusing on sexuality. They share fascinating insights from their research on BDSM, highlighting how practitioners find happiness through clear boundaries, consent, and open dialogue. The duo debunks myths about BDSM, showing it’s not solely about sex but also about identity and creativity. Their approachable findings offer valuable lessons on communication and building authentic connections that can enhance all relationships.

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INSIGHT

Communication Builds Intimacy

BDSM practices teach explicit communication and negotiation that strengthen intimacy beyond sexual scenes.
Those techniques translate to non-BDSM relationships to improve consent, trust, and emotional health.

INSIGHT

Myths About Practitioners Debunked

BDSM demystifies myths that practitioners are extreme or damaged and shows they're ordinary people.
It foregrounds explicit requests and boundaries instead of assuming love makes sex 'work itself out.'

ADVICE

Protect Privacy In Sensitive Research

Use anonymous surveys and optional separate contact forms to protect participant privacy in stigmatized research.
Recruit across multiple platforms to balance anonymity with broader reach and reduce sampling bias.

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Why are BDSM practitioners so happy? It turns out, BDSM isn't just about whips and chains.
With engaging stories and a warm, conversational tone, Bound by BDSM: Unexpected Lessons for Building a Happier Life (Bloomsbury Acacdemic, 2025) by Dr. Alicia M. Walker and Dr. Arielle Kuperberg reveals how BDSM practitioners use clear boundaries, enthusiastic consent, open dialogue, and a strong community to create fulfilling relationships and build richer, more intentional lives. Drawing on research from the largest scientific study of BDSM ever conducted, Alicia Walker and Arielle Kuperberg demonstrate that the BDSM community's approach to trust and vulnerability offers a valuable model for building intimacy and fostering authentic connections. BDSM also allows practitioners to exercise their creativity and break the mold - whether it comes to trying out new practices in the bedroom or bending ideas about gender.
Whether you're vanilla, kinky, or just here for the life advice, this book -packed with humor and insight-is a refreshingly open-minded guide to building stronger relationships, deeper intimacy, and a more intentional approach to connection.

Michael O. Johnston, Ph.D. is a Assistant Professor of Sociology at William Penn University. He is the author of The Social Construction of a Cultural Spectacle: Floatzilla (Lexington Books, 2023) and Community Media Representations of Place and Identity at Tug Fest: Reconstructing the Mississippi River (Lexington Books, 2022). His general area of study is at the intersection of space, behavior, and identity. He is currently conducting research about: escape rooms, the use of urban design in downtown historical neighborhoods of rural communities, and what it means for college students to belong in college and university. To learn more about Michael O. Johnston you can go to his personal website, Google Scholar, Bluesky (@professorjohnst.bsky.social), Twitter (@ProfessorJohnst), or by email (johnstonmo@wmpenn.edu).

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