Psychology In Seattle Podcast Why Do We Have Fetishes? (2018 Rerun)
Oct 30, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Dr. Yuval Laor, a cultural studies expert with a focus on sexual evolution, dives deep into the origins of sexual fetishes. He explains sexual imprinting using animal examples, highlighting how early experiences shape adult desires. Laor argues that cultural shifts influence sexual variability, while critiquing traditional definitions of paraphilias. The conversation also addresses the impact of childhood exposure on adult preferences and the complexity of imprinting, promoting a nonjudgmental perspective on sexual fantasies.
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Sexual Imprinting Shapes Preferences
- Sexual imprinting is a sensitive developmental period where children incorporate sexual templates from their environment.
- This plasticity combines innate programs with environmental input to shape later sexual preferences.
Privacy Sparked Modern Sexual Variety
- Western sexual variability rose in the 18th century as privacy increased and children were shielded from sex.
- Hiding sexuality removed stable templates, enabling novel fetishes to emerge across generations.
Under-Table Foot Fetish Example
- Kirk describes a childhood-under-table scenario to explain how a foot fetish could form via repeated early arousal.
- Yuval agrees and adds that imprinting includes both the sexual act and the type of person connected to it.
