Bondage/discipline, Dominance/submission, and Sadism/Masochism (BDSM) have gained increased attention and discussion in recent years. This prevalence is accompanied by a shift in perceptions of BDSM, including the declassification of sadomasochism as a paraphilic disorder. Evolutionary psychology offers a unique perspective of why some individuals are interested in BDSM and why some prefer certain elements of BDSM over others (e.g., dominance versus submission). In this paper, we examine BDSM from an evolutionary standpoint, examining biopsychosocial factors that underlie the BDSM interests and practice. We articulate this perspective via an exploration of: proximate processes, such as the role of childhood experiences, sexual conditioning, and physiological factors; as well as ultimate explanations for power play and pain play dimensions of BDSM, highlighting the potential adaptive advantages of each. While BDSM may not be adaptive in itself, we examine the literature of sex differences in BDSM role preferences and argue that these preferences may stem from the extreme forms of behaviors which enhance reproductive success. In the realm of pain play, we explore the intersection of pain and pleasure from both physiological and psychological perspectives, highlighting the crucial role of psychological and play partner factors in modulating the experience of pain. Finally, we encourage future research in social sciences to utilize evolutionary frameworks to further explore the subject and help alleviate the mystification surrounding BDSM. This multifaceted exploration of BDSM provides valuable insights for clinicians, kink-identified individuals, and scholars seeking to understand the evolutionary perspectives of human sexual behavior and preferences.

近年来，束缚/纪律、支配/服从和施虐/受虐 (BDSM) 受到越来越多的关注和讨论。这种流行伴随着对 B​​DSM 观念的转变，包括将施虐受虐行为取消分类为性欲倒错障碍。进化心理学提供了一个独特的视角来解释为什么有些人对 BDSM 感兴趣，以及为什么有些人比其他人更喜欢 BDSM 的某些元素（例如，支配与服从）。在本文中，我们从进化的角度研究了 BDSM，研究了 BDSM 兴趣和实践背后的生物心理社会因素。我们通过探索以下内容来阐明这一观点： 近程过程，例如童年经历、性调节和生理因素的作用；以及对 BDSM 的权力游戏和痛苦游戏维度的终极解释，强调了每种游戏的潜在适应性优势。虽然 BDSM 本身可能不具有适应性，但我们研究了 BDSM 角色偏好中性别差异的文献，并认为这些偏好可能源于提高生殖成功率的极端行为形式。在疼痛游戏领域，我们从生理和心理角度探索疼痛和快乐的交叉点，强调心理和游戏伙伴因素在调节疼痛体验中的关键作用。最后，我们鼓励未来的社会科学研究利用进化框架来进一步探索这个主题，并帮助减轻围绕 BDSM 的神秘感。这种对 BDSM 的多方面探索为临床医生、被鉴定为性癖的个体以及寻求了解人类性行为和偏好的进化观点的学者提供了宝贵的见解。