Into Bondage? It Might Be Your Cat’s Fault

Turns out, the felines in your life might be why you’re so frisky. The Journal of Evolutionary Psychology published a study that argues cat ownership directly impacts sexual behavioral patterns and can make human brains more aroused by sadomasochism. Here’s the science behind it: Taxoplasma gondii, the common brain parasite which causes toxoplasmosis, is often transmitted to humans from handling cat feces. It’s not that big of a deal, or so we thought, since over a third of the population has the parasite. But a study of 36,564 people in Slovakia and the Czech Republic found that subject infected with toxoplasmosis “are more often aroused by their own fear, danger, and sexual submission.” Ted Nugent may have written a song about this phenomenon.