Hurts So Good: The Science and Culture of Pain on Purpose
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- Create Date：2021-09-20 06:19:16
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Leigh Cowart
- ISBN：B08RYPSNVB
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Cat Vincent
，
This book is a glory。 Smart， accessible， thoroughly researched and deeply personal all at once， because pain and the act of chosing it on purpose is nothing if not personal。 It goes far beyond the idea of 'masochism'; both showing the limits and biases that term carries and the sheer range of how people have always chosen to work deliberately with their own pain - from ballet dancers to tattoo enthusiasts and extreme sports practitioners - while being very clear on the difference between consens This book is a glory。 Smart， accessible， thoroughly researched and deeply personal all at once， because pain and the act of chosing it on purpose is nothing if not personal。 It goes far beyond the idea of 'masochism'; both showing the limits and biases that term carries and the sheer range of how people have always chosen to work deliberately with their own pain - from ballet dancers to tattoo enthusiasts and extreme sports practitioners - while being very clear on the difference between consensual BDSM and abuse。It is also one of the best books on ritual I have ever read。 。。。more
Casey Campfield
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This touching and vulnerable yet broadly informative journey into the wilds of masochism is one of the best non-fiction books I've read in years。 This touching and vulnerable yet broadly informative journey into the wilds of masochism is one of the best non-fiction books I've read in years。 。。。more
Diane Hernandez
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Masochists are everywhere—not just in Fifty Shades of Grey。 They are marathon runners， chili pepper eaters， Polar Bear Club members， MMA fighters， and ballerinas。 Why people put their bodies in these situations is the main question in Hurts So Good。 However， the book also explains how pain works and gives an idea of how chronic pain suffers can reduce the intensity of the pain they feel。The book swings between various masochistic scenes （including an intense tongue forking） to extremely detailed Masochists are everywhere—not just in Fifty Shades of Grey。 They are marathon runners， chili pepper eaters， Polar Bear Club members， MMA fighters， and ballerinas。 Why people put their bodies in these situations is the main question in Hurts So Good。 However， the book also explains how pain works and gives an idea of how chronic pain suffers can reduce the intensity of the pain they feel。The book swings between various masochistic scenes （including an intense tongue forking） to extremely detailed scientific explanations of what is happening within the participant’s brain。 But what pain a person experiences is subjective。 Two people that go through the same event will more likely than not experience different levels of pain。 Why？ Each person’s brain uses its history of injury to determine the level of its response （pain intensity）。 The author is great at using metaphors to increase the reader’s understanding of very complicated processes。As long as you are not triggered by BDSM scenes， pain， or swearing， you can learn a lot about the human body by reading Hurts So Good。 It is amazing how efficient the brain can be。 It is also eye-opening how many different types of masochistic behaviors are condoned， and even revered， by society。 5 stars！Thanks to Perseus Books， PublicAffairs， and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Kristine
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Hurts So Good by Leigh Cowart is a free NetGalley e-book that I read in mid-September。When talking about pain-seeking in terms of BDSM， this is a world I nimbly darted around in my twenties， not dipping too far in to， but I'd always paid a certain amount of envious attention as I got older。 Cowart shares many personal stories alongside the more informative bits in a way that’s a little naughty， sexy educational （note: not sexual education）， yet upfront and confrontational in the sense that pain Hurts So Good by Leigh Cowart is a free NetGalley e-book that I read in mid-September。When talking about pain-seeking in terms of BDSM， this is a world I nimbly darted around in my twenties， not dipping too far in to， but I'd always paid a certain amount of envious attention as I got older。 Cowart shares many personal stories alongside the more informative bits in a way that’s a little naughty， sexy educational （note: not sexual education）， yet upfront and confrontational in the sense that pain on purpose doesn’t always involve sex and can in fact be a hobby or a career choice。 Alongside said personal stories comes affirming interviews with people whose lives feature experiences of pain and being physically hurt， as well as medical professionals who treat injuries and tell how pain is processed in the nerves and brain， and historians who study the use of pain as punishment and ritual in history。 。。。more
Barbara （The Bibliophage）
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Originally published on my book blog， TheBibliophage。com。Leigh Cowart explores why people consent to experience pain in their upcoming book， Hurts So Good: The Science and Culture of Pain on Purpose。 They take the science of pain and correlate it with a variety of intentional experiences from ballet class to eating wildly hot chili peppers， ultramarathons， and yes， BDSM。 Cowart is unafraid to expose their own kinks， combining scholarship with intimate reveals and plenty of f-bombs。Naturally， thi Originally published on my book blog， TheBibliophage。com。Leigh Cowart explores why people consent to experience pain in their upcoming book， Hurts So Good: The Science and Culture of Pain on Purpose。 They take the science of pain and correlate it with a variety of intentional experiences from ballet class to eating wildly hot chili peppers， ultramarathons， and yes， BDSM。 Cowart is unafraid to expose their own kinks， combining scholarship with intimate reveals and plenty of f-bombs。Naturally， this isn’t the book for everyone。 This is true of every book on the market， by the way。 But for me， as a person with tattoos， piercings， and chronic medical pain， it’s a fascinating read。 I connect with Cowart’s descriptions of ballet class because I did hot yoga for more than a decade in 110° heat and 60% humidity。 Like Cowart， at the end of every class， I had a palpable high that no other exercise quite replicates。Chronic pain can be isolating。 But Cowart explains the science behind why collective experiences of pain bond people together and actually create less pain。 Essentially， if I decided to run into the ocean on a Saturday night in January all by myself， the pain would likely be unbearable。 But by taking part in a Polar Bear Plunge on a Saturday morning in January with hundreds of other people， as Cowart did， it would hurt considerably less。And no matter what pain we agree to experience， the benefit is the endorphins our body releases。 This neuropeptide， created by our nervous system， is the body’s own opioid。 The name endorphin is actually a combination of the word endogenous （created by the body） and morphine （pain-relieving medication）。 So the payoff of pain on purpose is considerable， given the right circumstances。 My conclusionsAs a massage therapist， I say the phrase “good hurt” multiple times every week。 I ask for consent and check in often with clients。 I know that the most important part of a good massage is trust and open communication， not the depth of pressure or the specific technique。 This all explains what motivates this grandma to read more about how humans have agreed to experience pain for centuries。Cowart discusses the historical aspects of pain， as well as today’s related choices。 For example， hair shirts and flagellation as a part of religious rituals connect pain to a desire for absolution or for religious bliss。 The history of masochism and its initial diagnosis by the fledgling world of psychiatry is also interesting social history。 The moments of levity that Cowart inserts here and throughout the book create a helpful balance too。Yes， Cowart covers the science， including peer-reviewed studies and discussions of how our body’s complex system of pain works。 There’s physiology and psychiatry， alongside discussions of what constitutes abuse versus consent。 Blended all throughout is some very personal， vulnerable stuff from Cowart’s own experience。 They become part of the book’s case studies， but I never felt they put too much focus on themselves。 Still， a book like this cannot be effective without the author having a true connection to the material。 And Cowart certainly has that。 They delve into descriptions with true heart and emotion， as well as specificity。Their writing style is sometimes quite casual。 At some points， this reads like a blog or sounded like a podcast。 Still， Cowart is legitimate in their scientific exploration of the subject。 I expect to return to the concepts and revelations often。If exploring the world of intentional， consensual pain intrigues you， then I recommend this book。 Pair with Fierce and Delicate: Essays on Dance and Illness by Renee Nicholson for a memoir fully about life post-ballet。 Or try Ask Me About My Uterus: A Quest to Make Doctor’s Believe in Women’s Pain by Abby Norman。 Both are memoirs about primarily medical pain， but the correlation is logical。AcknowledgmentsMany thanks to NetGalley， Perseus Books / PublicAffairs， and the author for a digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for this honest review。 。。。more
Jessica
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Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of this book。 This book will be available on September 14。 I loved this book。 Leigh Cowart has a way with words that makes understanding the science of pain easy and reading the descriptions of pain hard。 This isn't just about sex and pain either。 Cowart goes into ballet dancers， ultramarathoners， flagellants， and those who extremely spicy food。 One thing to note is to check for trigger warnings。 Self-harm and eating disorders are among some of the potential tr Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of this book。 This book will be available on September 14。 I loved this book。 Leigh Cowart has a way with words that makes understanding the science of pain easy and reading the descriptions of pain hard。 This isn't just about sex and pain either。 Cowart goes into ballet dancers， ultramarathoners， flagellants， and those who extremely spicy food。 One thing to note is to check for trigger warnings。 Self-harm and eating disorders are among some of the potential triggers。 Cowart does not shy away from vivid descriptions or honest vulnerability in this book about why anyone， herself included， may choose pain for pleasure。 This makes for a powerful read and one that sticks with you in the end。 。。。more
Al
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A vivid exploration of masochism。 The author's personal insights make this a visceral and engaging delving into why people seek out pain & how they receive pleasure from doing so。 （Received this as an ARC， courtesy of a giveaway。） A vivid exploration of masochism。 The author's personal insights make this a visceral and engaging delving into why people seek out pain & how they receive pleasure from doing so。 （Received this as an ARC， courtesy of a giveaway。） 。。。more
Isa
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In Hurts So Good， science journalist Leigh Cowart seeks to understand why people voluntarily engage in physically painful activities。 The book explores a wide spectrum of human experiences from religious self-flagellation in the middle ages， to pushing one’s body to its limits in ultramarathons， to eating the world’s hottest chili pepper。 Merging science with her own sharp and compassionate insight， Cowart’s vibrant voice accompanies the reader on a journey of desire， bliss， brokenness， and grac In Hurts So Good， science journalist Leigh Cowart seeks to understand why people voluntarily engage in physically painful activities。 The book explores a wide spectrum of human experiences from religious self-flagellation in the middle ages， to pushing one’s body to its limits in ultramarathons， to eating the world’s hottest chili pepper。 Merging science with her own sharp and compassionate insight， Cowart’s vibrant voice accompanies the reader on a journey of desire， bliss， brokenness， and grace。（Note， the book does explore some pretty dark material and goes to some dark places – the readers should take care when reading this book） 。。。more
David Wineberg
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Hundreds of billions of dollars annually go into the research， production and sales of tools and meds to dull， lessen or avoid pain。 Pain suffering is a universal human dilemma。 And yet， there are untold millions， possibly billions of people who crave it。 Pain comes in an unending variety of flavors， as Leigh Cowart discovers， explains and demonstrates in Hurts So Good。 It’s bigger than we think。 Cowart says “Once I noticed the propensity and enjoyment of certain kinds of pain in myself， I notic Hundreds of billions of dollars annually go into the research， production and sales of tools and meds to dull， lessen or avoid pain。 Pain suffering is a universal human dilemma。 And yet， there are untold millions， possibly billions of people who crave it。 Pain comes in an unending variety of flavors， as Leigh Cowart discovers， explains and demonstrates in Hurts So Good。 It’s bigger than we think。 Cowart says “Once I noticed the propensity and enjoyment of certain kinds of pain in myself， I noticed it everywhere。”Her book is a remarkable tour of people seeking pain。 She attends an ultra-marathon， where people run for 60 hours straight， until only one person is left on the course。 Millions of little girls live for the day when they get their first pointe shoes for ballet， so their nails can dig into their feet， their cuticles can blister and bleed， and maybe some toes break。 She attends a chili pepper eating contest， and most unwisely chews on the world’s hottest pepper， followed immediately by rubbing her eyes with her capsaicin-covered fingers。 She swims with other “idiots” in the Atlantic Ocean on New Years’ Day。 If it causes pain， Cowart wants to explore it。She opens， wisely， with an adventure in BDSM， her own current favorite source of pain。 That gets the reader hooked for the long look back to Sacher-Masoch and Krafft-Ebbing， who brought sexual pain into the public realm， revealing， as this book does， that there is a very wide interest in reading about sex。 That， plus their own stories are particularly revealing。 If it’s sex-related， humans can’t get enough of it。 Back in the present， Cowart enjoys a good beating， being Saran-wrapped and hung from the ceiling， spanked till she can’t sit， manhandled abusively， and forced to orgasm amidst the blood and fluids。 She glows from it， in more ways than one。 This is not your mother’s Fifty Shades of Grey。 Pain seekers go back at least to the early Christians， with their animal hair shits and self-flagellation。 It was well documented a thousand years later， as sects self-flagellated in public to atone for the Black Plague。 Such activities were usually considered （at least until recently） mental illness， and treated as such。 Cowart says however， that self-flagellating cults in the streets would not have been shocking in the 1300s。 Pain has long been a normal part of daily life， with beatings at school and at work。 Today， mankind has developed all sorts of ways to induce pain， seemingly for pleasure， with little or no stigma attached。 It is even admired。The pleasure comes in many forms， she says。 It can be an adrenaline rush during the pain， or the endorphin rush afterwards。 It can be satisfaction in knowing you can outlast the pain， or the accomplishment of doing something truly pointless， but which demonstrates superhuman exertion。 That possibly half of humanity enjoys some sort of pain is a revelation。 It is far more important， and in a positive way， than we normally think。 Here’s her best try at explaining it: “When people talk about pain on purpose， they almost always talk about what comes next， how they feel after the pain。 The dominion over self。 The endorphin rush， that hit of homebrew morphine， the lactic acid that makes the muscles tense with a pleasing burn long after the workout has ended。 High-sensation-seeking people out there using their bodies to test limits， to feel something wild， to push themselves。 There are masochists who are strictly pain-seeking for the sensation of it， but， in my experience， there are so， so many more who use pain as a tool to feel something else。 To feed bad to feel better。” It’s not just kinky sex。 She says: “I believe， through research and interviews and personal experience， that using pain for its own sake is an everyday part of being human。 I think the capacity to seek out and benefit from pain is built into us， embedded in the looping chemical user manuals that come installed in our rented primate bodies。” She says she is in awe of people who display such mastery。 In other words， suffering induced pain is an accomplishment worthy of praise。 Just ask marathoners， long distance swimmers， Everest climbers， or people who hike the entire Appalachian Trail in one go。 They’re all examined here。For Cowart， it seems to have begun at an early age with ballet， which punished her， put her in hospital， and nearly caused her to die。 Like most ballerinas， she knew it was all part of the road to success， so she kept at it。 But looking back， it was crazy: “What if you took your shoes off and kicked the wall with your big toe as hard as you could， over and over and over again， and then you kept doing it until your toenails turned eggplant purple and fell off？” So we train our children to not merely endure， but to seek out pain as being worthy。The best segment， at least for me， was her description of her days in Chicago as an anorexic-bulimic。 The days were all the same， working two jobs， stealing， downing various foods and immediately throwing them back up， in order to digest nothing， ever。 The pain of hunger， of the deteriorating body aching for any kind of sustenance and her miserable lifestyle are all horribly real。 She’s not proud of that period， but she demonstrates again how pain shapes her life。 And that she is not alone。Freed of anorexia before it would have killed her， she has moved on to BDSM-related pain。 It must be done with trust and love， she says。 While she would blanch at a stranger touching her arm， a lover inserting needles like stitches all over her back is immensely pleasurable， beyond the immediate pain。 “I have come to think of my experiences with masochism as a kind of biohacking: a way to use the electrochemistry of my body in a deliberate way for the purpose of curating a specific experience。 Something about my response to pain is different， be it inborn or learned （or both， I suspect）。 It’s something that allows me to craft a little pocket of joy for myself， an engineered release， be it through running a few miles uphill， getting a tattoo， or getting slapped in the face for fun until I cry。”Pain focuses the mind。 When Cowart is in induced pain， nothing else matters。 She is totally focused on only the pain。 All the worries of the day， all the worries of the world simply vanish。 There is nothing at all in the universe besides her pain。 That is part of the attraction。 She heard the same sort of thing from marathoners， and when she joined the “polar bears” on January first for a dip in the Atlantic， she also focused， telling herself she would survive， it would soon end， and she could do this。 Despite extreme cold being her worst fear。 She heard that kind of recitation from others in her travels。The book has lengthy explanations of how pain works， how the brain interprets it and filters knowledge of it as it deems appropriate。 The brain can be trained to react differently to pain too。 It’s all part of the game of pain， and for some the game is everything。I like how conversational Cowart is， making her experiences very believable。 She also is journalistic， checking details， backgrounds， interviewing scientists and taking far more notes than she could ever use in the book， she says。 She even provides a Youtube video of her eating the world’s hottest pepper exactly as she described it – painfully。 I did not like all the F-bombs， often several per page。 That always dulls their usage， without adding any information。 They have no shock value in the book， though they might elicit the occasional giggle。 But I came to realize the book would not be better without them。 It’s part of the self-harm ethos that Cowart talks dirty。 It is altogether a different world， and Cowart is an excellent guide to it。David Wineberg 。。。more
Elisa
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As someone who avoids pain like the plague， I picked up this book hoping that it would give me ideas as to how to deal with my chronic migraines。 It didn’t， but it taught me about a world so alien and compelling that it made for addictive reading。 The author learned how to choose pain as a healthier way to deal with self-harming tendencies that nearly destroyed her。 She takes a fascinating journey to explore all the ways there are for people to subject themselves to painful experiences， on purpo As someone who avoids pain like the plague， I picked up this book hoping that it would give me ideas as to how to deal with my chronic migraines。 It didn’t， but it taught me about a world so alien and compelling that it made for addictive reading。 The author learned how to choose pain as a healthier way to deal with self-harming tendencies that nearly destroyed her。 She takes a fascinating journey to explore all the ways there are for people to subject themselves to painful experiences， on purpose。 From hot pepper eating competitions to swimming in the cold sea， Cowart takes part in many different events that cause her， and those around her， pain。 Other experiences she only witnesses， but as an insider， since she gets it。 She also discusses and practices sexual-related pain。 I consider myself pretty tolerant in that regard， but some of the kinks described here were too explicit， even if probably the most painful part was reading about ultra-marathons。 Must be helpful for people who deal with self-harm or those who are curious but， even for the pain-averse， it’s very interesting。 I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased。 Thank you， NetGalley/Perseus Books， PublicAffairs！ 。。。more
Bernie Gourley
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Humans devote a lot of effort to avoiding unpleasant sensations。 I’ve even heard people philosophize that all human activity is about moving toward pleasure or away from pain， but this claim fails on two grounds。 First， people don’t invariably flee from pain， sometimes they run into its arms。 Second， the dichotomization of pleasure and pain， categorizing them as opposites， also fails for a wide variety of human endeavors。 This book reflects upon a diverse set of cases in which the pleasure-pain Humans devote a lot of effort to avoiding unpleasant sensations。 I’ve even heard people philosophize that all human activity is about moving toward pleasure or away from pain， but this claim fails on two grounds。 First， people don’t invariably flee from pain， sometimes they run into its arms。 Second， the dichotomization of pleasure and pain， categorizing them as opposites， also fails for a wide variety of human endeavors。 This book reflects upon a diverse set of cases in which the pleasure-pain dichotomy breaks down， attempting to glimpse why this is the case。 Cowart investigates pepper-eating contests， ultramarathons， Polar Bear Club mid-winter dips， flagellation by religious adherents， and sexual sadomasochism。 One thing these diverse activities have in common is that individuals voluntarily and purposefully subject themselves to intensely painful sensations。 Throughout the book， the author is forthright about the varied ways that she has been attracted to pain， including: ballet dancing， an eating disorder， and sexual masochism。 This book takes a story-centric approach。 As the subtitle suggests， it does present scientific findings， but this information is tucked in amid the stories – both her own confessional tales and the stories of the masochists （broadly speaking， i。e。 not referring only to sexual pain-seekers） she meets during her research trips。tAs a student of both martial arts and yoga， I found that the changing of one’s perception of， and relationship to， sensation is one of the most profound and empowering aspects of these practices。 I， therefore， was curious what brought people to the purposeful pursuit of pain and what benefits others found。 Not surprisingly， there isn’t just one reason for all cases， and Cowart discusses neurochemical， social， and psychological reasons。 If you’re curious about why people engage in pain purposefully and voluntarily， this book is a must-read。 。。。more
Heather Levy
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As a masochist myself， I appreciated Cowart’s sensitive and researched approach to exploring folks who seek out pain。 I believe fellow pain-lovers and curious people alike will enjoy this intimate yet scientific examination of what pushes some people to push their own boundaries as they search out comfort within themselves。
kat （wroughtofbooks）
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I already had a vested personal interest in this book based purely on the subject matter， and I was very pleased to find that Leigh Cowart is a magnificent wordsmith。 I am generally not a big fan of non-fiction works， I find them generally very drab， but I really enjoy how Leigh presents herself and her research。 Her voice reminds me of early Chuck Palahniuk in that I can vividly feel， taste， smell， see。。。 I can imagine everything as though it's happening in front of me， or to me。 Leigh has this I already had a vested personal interest in this book based purely on the subject matter， and I was very pleased to find that Leigh Cowart is a magnificent wordsmith。 I am generally not a big fan of non-fiction works， I find them generally very drab， but I really enjoy how Leigh presents herself and her research。 Her voice reminds me of early Chuck Palahniuk in that I can vividly feel， taste， smell， see。。。 I can imagine everything as though it's happening in front of me， or to me。 Leigh has this magic way with words that makes the most mundane things vibrant and personal。 She managed to make the description of a setting – a pepper eating contest at a California fair – feel like the beginnings of an old detective novel to me。 Her writing is so evocative and provocative。 It feels rich and full in the mouth and mind – it's dirty and honest and I could see myself growing addicted to someone this gifted with linguistics。 Beyond this its clear a great deal of field and desk research went into the science and practice of the subject matter。 I'm eager to see read future works crafted by Leigh Cowart。Thank you to Perseus Books， Public Affairs and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own。 。。。more
Debra
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"Hurts so goodCome on baby， make it hurt so goodSometimes love don't feel like it shouldYou make it hurt so good" -John MellencampWell， that did not hurt one bit！ I enjoyed it！Pain on purpose， why do some engage in it， while others will avoid pain at any cost？ Is it the thrill， the danger， the endorphins released， the high one feels， the thrill of pushing yourself， or feeling good after feeling bad？Yes， this book does touch on Masochism， but it also looks at deliberate pain involving ballet danc "Hurts so goodCome on baby， make it hurt so goodSometimes love don't feel like it shouldYou make it hurt so good" -John MellencampWell， that did not hurt one bit！ I enjoyed it！Pain on purpose， why do some engage in it， while others will avoid pain at any cost？ Is it the thrill， the danger， the endorphins released， the high one feels， the thrill of pushing yourself， or feeling good after feeling bad？Yes， this book does touch on Masochism， but it also looks at deliberate pain involving ballet dancers who suffer for their art， for endurance athletes/ultra-marathoners who push their bodies to the brink， those who enter Carolina Reaper eating contests， those who take polar plunges， and those who engage in religious flagellants to name a few。 Consensual pain and activities that involve pain have been around since the beginning of time。Plus， there are those who enjoy watching people feel pain， "Hot Ones" comes to mind。 If you have seen it， you have seen celebrities eating hot wings and struggling to answer questions as well。 This inspired our household to hold our own， hot sauce eating contest。 There are also those who enjoy watching people get hooks in their backs and be suspended from the ceiling。 I found this book to be a fast， interesting， and absorbing read。 She provides examples， neuroscience， and history on various pain on purpose activities。 The Author spoke to scientists， psychologists， and those who seek pain for pleasure plus shared a few personal experiences as well。 Hard to put down， interesting and informative。Thank you to Perseus Books， Public Affairs and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 All the thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own。**I always have a soundtrack or a particular song going through my head while I read books， for some reason John Mellencamp was on my playlist for this book。Read more of my reviews at www。openbookposts。com 。。。more
Janet
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Date reviewed/posted: May 10， 2021Publication date: September 14， 2021When life for the entire galaxy and planet has turned on its end， you are continuing to #maskup and #lockdown to be in #COVID19 #socialisolation as the #thirdwave （#fourthwave #fifthwave？） is upon us， superspeed readers like me can read 300+ pages/hour， so yes， I have read the book … and many more today。I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley， the publisher and the author i Date reviewed/posted: May 10， 2021Publication date: September 14， 2021When life for the entire galaxy and planet has turned on its end， you are continuing to #maskup and #lockdown to be in #COVID19 #socialisolation as the #thirdwave （#fourthwave #fifthwave？） is upon us， superspeed readers like me can read 300+ pages/hour， so yes， I have read the book … and many more today。I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley， the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review。 From the publisher， as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews， I let them do it as they do it better than I do 😸。An exploration of why people all over the world love to engage in pain on purpose--from dominatrices， religious ascetics， and ultramarathoners to ballerinas， icy ocean bathers， and sideshow performersMasochism is sexy， human， reviled， worshipped， and can be delightfully bizarre。 Deliberate and consensual pain has been with us for millennia， encompassing everyone from Black Plague flagellants to ballerinas dancing on broken bones to competitive eaters choking down hot peppers while they cry。 Masochism is a part of us。 It lives inside workaholics， tattoo enthusiasts， and all manner of garden variety pain-seekers。At its core， masochism is about feeling bad， then better—a phenomenon that is long overdue for a heartfelt and hilarious investigation。 And Leigh Cowart would know: they are not just a researcher and science writer—they’re an inveterate， high-sensation seeking masochist。 And they have a few questions: Why do people engage in masochism？ What are the benefits and the costs？ And what does masochism have to say about the human experience？By participating in many of these activities themselves， and through conversations with psychologists， fellow scientists， and people who seek pain for pleasure， Cowart unveils how our minds and bodies find meaning and relief in pain—a quirk in our programming that drives discipline and innovation even as it threatens to swallow us whole。I warned Cass， the Hachette liaison who sent me the link to review this book， that I know some very kinky people and trust me， they are all into pain and the endorphin release after said punishment。 BUT I have never met someone who got tattooed for the pain – we are all about the art， not the needles。 （how kinky are my friends？ they do not travel by air in case their luggage has to be searched。。。they don't care what people think they are into， they don't want their toys seized！）I laughed out loud so many times reading this book and I could so see a LOT of my friends on these pages。 The concept of pain on purpose was well explained （although there will be people who never understand it， of course…） as was the oxytocin release released afterward。 The book is written in a breezy style so it does not read as a psychology textbook and I will highly recommend it to the above-mentioned friends and patrons and book clubs looking for something different to read or discuss。 As always， I try to find a reason to not rate with stars as I simply adore emojis （outside of their incessant use by "🙏-ed Social Influencer Millennials/#BachelorNation survivors/Tik-Tok and YouTube Millionaires/snowflakes / literally-like-overusers etc。 " on Instagram and Twitter。。。 Get a real job， people！） so let's give it some dominatrix-worthy 👠 👠 👠 👠 👠 （The closest I could come to a stiletto heel！） 。。。more
Kate
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As someone who both enjoys sadomasochistic play and suffers from a chronic pain disorder， I found this book fascinating。 I had never learned this much about how pain works in the brain and body before， despite having had an intimate relationship with pain for most of my adult life。Cowart's writing style is sharp， funny， expressive， weird， and authentic。 Their adventures and misadventures in the book are a delight to read about。 I particularly enjoyed their visits to the pepper-eating festival an As someone who both enjoys sadomasochistic play and suffers from a chronic pain disorder， I found this book fascinating。 I had never learned this much about how pain works in the brain and body before， despite having had an intimate relationship with pain for most of my adult life。Cowart's writing style is sharp， funny， expressive， weird， and authentic。 Their adventures and misadventures in the book are a delight to read about。 I particularly enjoyed their visits to the pepper-eating festival and the backyard ultramarathon。 Anyone who enjoys "pain on purpose" in any area of life – whether it be sex， exercise， recreation， religion， or anything else – should read this！ 。。。more
Cat
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I have never understood any ones desire to actually seek out pain。 Boggles the mind。 I always figured life throws enough pain our way without asking for more。 But。 of course， I know that's wrong。 Eating hot peppers come to mind。 Ballet and football， too。 The book was an interesting read with lots of insight I had never given thought to。 I had imagined maybe inflicting pain on self to over ride existing pain would be plausible， I think。 Still the extremes folks intentionally inflict on themselves I have never understood any ones desire to actually seek out pain。 Boggles the mind。 I always figured life throws enough pain our way without asking for more。 But。 of course， I know that's wrong。 Eating hot peppers come to mind。 Ballet and football， too。 The book was an interesting read with lots of insight I had never given thought to。 I had imagined maybe inflicting pain on self to over ride existing pain would be plausible， I think。 Still the extremes folks intentionally inflict on themselves still amazes me！ Fascinating and engaging read。I received a Kindle arc from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review。 。。。more
Poptart19 （ren）
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