This question randomly popped into my head some time ago. I haven’t really found anything on Wikipedia relating to masochism outside of sex, but since sadism can be non-sexual, why could masochism be too?

  • Chozo@fedia.io
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    26
    ·
    9 months ago

    Absolutely. It could be argued that religious self-flagellation would fall under this category of non-sexual masochism.

      • dandelion (she/her)@lemmy.blahaj.zone
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        7
        ·
        edit-2
        9 months ago

        CW: self-harm

        I enjoyed self-harming and feeling pain when I was dissociating a lot, I think there are clearly examples where people inflict pain on themselves for non-sexual and non-religious (i.e. not for punitive / atoning) reasons. Besides some kinds of self-harm, eating spicy food seems like a clear example of this. Pain releases endorphins, you can get high on pain. For what it’s worth, I also have enjoyed every physical trauma I have experienced (being hit by a car, being thrown over the handlebars of my bicycle at speed and my face hitting the asphalt first, etc.).

      • essell@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        9 months ago

        If they’re enjoying the ritual, is that a meaningful distinction between that and enjoying the pain? 🤔

    • Impound4017@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      20
      ·
      9 months ago

      As a Linux user (btw) let me tell you, if anyone is masochistic it’s us. The amount of times I’ve gotten sidetracked for an hour fixing a problem that would be a non-issue on Windows is kind of depressing when assessed as a whole

      • Rikudou_Sage@lemmings.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        10
        ·
        9 months ago

        I check out Windows from time to time and don’t worry, it’s mutual. Windows has as many issues as Linux, they’re just usually a very different kind of issues.

  • howrar@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    19
    ·
    9 months ago

    I would say that the pain and follow-up soreness from working hard at the gym feels amazing in a non-sexual way.

    • dumples@midwest.social
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      9 months ago

      Exactly. There are some asexual kinksters as well as those kinksters who play with people who they are not sexually attracted too.

  • Acamon@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    11
    ·
    9 months ago

    Lots of folks seem to have hobbies or put themselves through challenges that from the outside seem pretty masochistic. They generally claim they like the challenge, want to prove themselves or some other thing, but people who run the Marathon de Sable or swallow a Cessna light aircraft sure seem to gain pleasure from putting themselves through pain…

    • hemko@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      9 months ago

      I’m not endurance sportsman but I kind of feel like when I push myself beyond the comfort zone and it gets really hard, is when the activity gets the best. It stops being just a boring hike or whatever, and becomes more interesting and involved.

      But it’s not the pain I’m enjoying, but overcoming it, enduring through it. I’d think masochist would enjoy the pain itself?