What is Eproctophilia?

Eproctophilia is a paraphilia that involves sexual arousal from flatulence or in layman’s terms ‘farting’. We may presume that eproctophiles would spend an abnormal amount of time thinking about flatulence, and having recurring intense sexual urges and fantasies involving flatulence ^[1]. Eproctophilia is considered a subtype of olfactophilia, a paraphilia that describes an individual’s sexual pleasure from certain smells and odors. Research suggests that the development of this particular paraphilia falls in line with behaviors that originate from classical conditioning. In this case, the brain pairs sexual arousal with flatulence. Flatulence then becomes an erotic focus.

What do we know about Eproctophiliacs?

In 2013, Professor Mark Griffiths of Nottingham Trent University published the first case study on a self-proclaimed eproctophiliac. However, the prevalence of eproctophilia is assumed to be negligible given that no previous case studies prior to Griffith’s have been published ^[1]. However, eproctophilia clearly exists and is discussed by self-confessed eproctophiles on several online forums. 

While Griffiths’ findings may not be generalizable to the entire eprocotphilac community, they are helpful in examining why individuals may find arousal from flatulence. As mentioned above, classical conditioning may play a role in how eproctophilia develops. In his case study, Griffiths found that his subject “Brad” had an early experience in which he was attracted to a classmate who had one day farted at school. Brad’s fascination focused simply on the idea of hearing a girl fart, which he suggests is not a typical occurrence in the public social sphere. In Brad’s words, “It is a matter of dualities. Social norm dictates that people in general, particularly females, do not fart in public, for others to hear. To see a beautiful, delicate lady passing wind is a breach of those expectations in a profound manner. That a beautiful woman is capable of producing a “disgusting” sound and smell is what attracts us, and makes us want to experience it. It can also be a matter of humanization ^[1].” 

Furthermore, it is not the actual farting that eproctophilacs are sexually attracted to, but the person releasing the flatulence and for Brad, the sex of his partner doesn’t matter. Brad suggests that with men it’s a different mindset, “It’s more about domination with males, as they don’t have the ‘dainty’ expectation to break ^[1].” Brad also suggests that some eproctophiles are aroused by the idea of dominance and that by being farted on they are being put in their place with a sort of sadomasochism type of fetish. Professor Griffiths found that Brad’s description of his sexual preference for flatulent individuals, along with the seemingly intense sexual urges, fantasies, and behaviors, are suggestive of a genuine paraphilia ^[1]. While this is just one case study, we do gain insight into the process of developing such a paraphilia and what may draw an individual to engage in eproctophilic activities. However, more research must be conducted to get a better and more representative understanding of eproctophilic individuals.