Mouth taped polls discussion

Postby aeris » Mon Aug 12, 2013 4:19 pm

Two weeks ago I launched a series of polls to gauge people's opinions on the use of mouth taping as discipline. The links are in the TUG Links forum, so I won't post them again here.

The results so far have been kind of interesting to me. I'm not sure if they are to the rest of you, but I figured this is as good of a place as any to talk about them.

For the infractions that have received significant response (ten or more), median-based analysis reveals that, no matter what the infraction, the punishment should be roughly the same: One hour for the first infraction, two to three hours for the second, and the rest of the day for the third. There also seems to be support, despite the infraction, to tie the hands for every infraction, and to stuff the mouth and add public exposure to the punishment for every infraction after the first. I would have thought there'd be more diversity depending on how people felt about each infraction. Maybe that will reveal itself more as I get more responses.

Duct tape is, far and away, the preferred tape for this kind of punishment. I kind of expected it would get about half the vote, but it's getting more like 80%. Median-based analysis also shows that multiple strips of tape on the face (but not under the chin) is the preferred method of mouth taping, regardless of the infraction.

As I get more responses in, I'm hoping more patterns will emerge. Does anyone have any thoughts about what I've been able to glean so far? Is this information of use to any of you?

Re: Mouth taped polls discussion

Postby aeris » Tue Aug 13, 2013 4:16 pm

Now that I've gotten twelve responses on my "Feelings about having mouth taped" poll, some patterns are starting to emerge. I ask people to rate, on a scale of 0 to 10, how they feel when they have their mouth taped shut. (I don't specify that it be taped shut as a punishment, but given that all of my other polls have that theme, that may influence the results.) Here are the average scores after twelve responses, from high to low:

8.08 Helpless
7.75 Humiliated
7.58 Embarrassed
5.50 Ashamed
4.75 Angry
4.33 Silly
4.00 Nervous
2.83 Sad

Given the strong showings for other negative emotions like humiliation and helplessness, I'm surprised sadness ranks so low. Perhaps I should have put positive emotions like Happy in there as well, to get a feel for those.

Another interesting finding from this poll is that most respondents want to be blindfolded while under public exposure so they can't see who sees them with their mouths taped shut. Normally the eyes aren't covered when something like this happens, both to make it clearer to others who it is, and to let the person see the facial expressions of the people around them. Is this a cultural thing?

Re: Mouth taped polls discussion

Postby Soul_Rebel » Sat Aug 17, 2013 6:17 am

Interesting on the last part. I think it must go along the lines of, "if I can't see them, they can't see me," logic.
Whips and chains may break my bones, but ropes and gags excite me!

The image in my avatar is the work of Vonnart

"Duct tape makes you smart." - Michael Weston

Re: Mouth taped polls discussion

Postby aeris » Sat Aug 17, 2013 9:13 am

Further responses (so similar that I have to assume they're coming from the same person) indicate that being blindfolded increases anxiety later over who saw you bound and gagged. The same person also says that the treatment causes him to get aroused, and that the, um, most visible sign of his arousal gives women an additional reason to giggle.

Re: Mouth taped polls discussion

Postby aeris » Sun Aug 18, 2013 7:00 pm

The public results are, unfortunately, getting skewed by someone who keeps answering the polls with the same responses over and over, including describing his fantasy to me in the essay to the Feelings poll over and over. I can download Excel files of individual responses and delete the duplicates of my own analysis, but I can't delete the duplicates from the public tallies on the site.

If the person who is doing this happens to be reading this: Could you please stop filling out the polls repeatedly? You're making it hard for me to analyze the results. If you want to discuss your own fantasies and predilections, please do so here or in another forum. Thank you.

Re: Mouth taped polls discussion

Postby aeris » Wed Aug 21, 2013 9:11 pm

I'm starting to do a bit of duplicate-entries-eliminated analysis tonight. Just to give you an idea of how much the poll is getting spammed by this one person, when I delete all their duplicate entries, the swearing poll goes from 26 entries down to 11.

Using median-based analysis, here is what the people who took the poll think should be the parameters of a mouth-taping punishment for swearing:

1st Infraction: One hour, hands tied behind back
2nd Infraction: Two to three hours, hands tied behind back, mouth stuffed, displayed in public
3rd Infraction: One day, hands tied behind back, mouth stuffed, displayed in public

The mouth taping, once again using median-based analysis, should be three strips (one horizontally across the mouth, two in an "X" on top) of duct tape.

I also ask respondents whether or not they've had their mouth taped shut for swearing, and if they've taped anyone else's mouth for swearing, to see if those experiences affect how they think a mouth-taping punishment should go.

Of the five people who've had their mouths taped shut for swearing, only one thinks a third infraction should merit more than four to six hours. Of the six people who haven't experienced mouth taping for swearing, four think the punishment for a third infraction should be a day or longer, with three choosing "three or more days." Those who have experienced the punishment are also less likely to think the mouth should ever be stuffed (1/5 compared to 5/6) and the hands should be bound (3/5 compared to 6/6). Public exposure was fairly even at 4/5 and 5/6 respectively. Perhaps experiencing the punishment yourself makes you less likely to want to make others endure it for long.

Of the five people who claim to have taped someone else's mouth for swearing, only one thinks a third infraction should last longer than four to six hours. Of the six people who don't claim to have used this punishment for swearing, four think the punishment for a third infraction should be a day or longer, with three choosing three or more days. (These numbers are identical to those who've experienced it, but not everyone who's experienced it has used it as a punishment, and vice versa.) People who've used mouth taping as a punishment for swearing are also less likely to think the mouth should ever be stuffed (2/5 compared to 4/6), but tying the hands is relatively even (4/5 compared to 5/6) and they're actually more likely to favor public exposure (5/5 compared to 4/6). Seeing how the punishment works may play a part in these options, although I suspect that a lot of the "No" responses may just be people playing out their fantasies with their poll responses.

EDIT: Quickly tallied up the median-based punishments for the other infractions. Numbers in parentheses are the number of valid responses.

SWEARING (11): Three strips of duct tape
1st infraction: One hour, hands bound
2nd infraction: 2-3 hours, mouth stuffed, hands bound, public
3rd infraction: One day, mouth stuffed, hands bound, public

BACKTALKING (15): Three strips of duct tape
1st infraction: One hour, hands bound
2nd infraction: 2-3 hours, mouth stuffed, hands bound, public
3rd infraction: 4-6 hours, mouth stuffed, hands bound, public

TALKING TOO MUCH (19): Multiple strips of duct tape
1st infraction: One hour
2nd infraction: 2-3 hours, mouth stuffed, hands bound
3rd infraction: Rest of the day, mouth stuffed, hands bound, public

LYING (27): Multiple strips of duct tape
1st infraction: One hour, hands bound
2nd infraction: 2-3 hours, mouth stuffed, hands bound, public
3rd infraction: Rest of the day, mouth stuffed, hands bound, public

NOISY (8): Multiple strips of duct tape
1st infraction: One hour, mouth stuffed, hands bound
2nd infraction: 2-3 hours, mouth stuffed, hands bound, public
3rd infraction: 4-6 hours, mouth stuffed, hands bound, public

SNACKING (4): Muzzle of duct tape
1st infraction: One hour
2nd infraction: 2-3 hours, mouth stuffed, hands bound
3rd infraction: Rest of the day, mouth stuffed, hands bound, public

SMOKING (7): Duct tape wrapped around head
1st infraction: 4-6 hours, mouth stuffed, hands bound
2nd infraction: 4-6 hours, mouth stuffed, hands bound
3rd infraction: One day, mouth stuffed, hands bound, public

I can't put too much stock in the ones with fewer than ten valid responses, but there's still some interesting stuff to look at. The consensus punishments for each infraction are close, with some notable variations

Smokers are subjected to harsher punishments, but I think that's to be expected. (If I eliminate someone who chose the bare minimum punishment in each question, the times actually shoot up to two days for the second infraction and three or more days for the third.)

Apart from smokers, those who are too noisy are the only ones subjected to mouth stuffing for their first infraction. Maybe they're the most in need of something to dampen down their volume?

I'm not getting that many responses for snacking, which kind of bums me out because that's the infraction I commit the most. :D

Is this kind of analysis something any of you are interested in? I can look for more patterns if anyone is interested, but I don't know if I want to do that if it's only going to be for my own information.

Re: Mouth taped polls discussion

Postby Christian » Wed Aug 21, 2013 9:57 pm

Off topic but have you taken statistic courses? You sound very knowledge on analysises. Took behavioral statistics and experimental psychology so data analysis was important

Re: Mouth taped polls discussion

Postby aeris » Wed Aug 21, 2013 10:04 pm

I took one course in college, long ago. I remember enough to know that there's no way my methodologies would pass for any kind of formal study, but I'm really doing this more for the TUG community's own enlightenment than anything else, so I don't think the problems with how I've conducting the surveys are too big for my target audience.

Re: Mouth taped polls discussion

Postby NemesisPrime » Thu Aug 22, 2013 4:40 am

Well as someone who has an interest in stuff like this I think one factor that you haven't considered was that alot of us here LIKE having our outhes taped for any reason but I'm sure you are aware of this.

I'm sure I'm restating but you've only listed negative effects and not positive weird as it may be! xD
Everyone speaks in multiple languages...But gag talk is universal and a sock in your mouth is the perfect translator!

Re: Mouth taped polls discussion

Postby aeris » Thu Aug 22, 2013 5:58 am

I love having my mouth taped too! :D I just like using a "punishment" (big air quotes) as a reason for it, the same way some people like doing a "kidnapping" as an excuse to start their tie-up games.

If I'd included "positive aspects" in a poll, though, I don't think I would have gotten as many responses, just because some people would have figured it was only a "kinky" poll. That probably would have reduced the number of people who'd actually undergone mouth taping as a punishment who answered the polls, and those were the group I had the most interest in hearing from because of the personal stories they have to tell.

We can create polls here on this board; maybe you can run polls on the positive aspects of mouth taping here? :D

Re: Mouth taped polls discussion

Postby Lake Lover » Thu Aug 22, 2013 7:45 am

Quite interesting, and I feel, surprising results. Thank you for all the breakdowns.

I would never have thought to include smoking as a punishable offense, even tho I detest the habit. Could any one rationally expect to gag a person for two days? THREE days? I think not.

It would be interesting to include favourable reactions to being gagged or gagging. Some possible favourable choices could include: exciting, helplessness, being controlled, subdued, frightened, aroused.

Re: Mouth taped polls discussion

Postby aeris » Thu Aug 22, 2013 8:05 am

Most tape will start coming off of a face after a few hours anyway, just because the moisture your pores emit will counteract the adhesive. (Wrapping around the head is one way to prevent this, as it adds tension to the adhesive, but that's another story.)

I would assume that the multi-day punishments would include breaks to eat and brush teeth and all of that, and likely for sleep as well. Given how few of the people who've actually had their mouth taped shut as a punishment recommended multi-day mouth tapings, I'm guessing this is more of a fantasy on the respondents' parts. Then again, with smokers it may be necessary, just to help break them of the habit.

Re: Mouth taped polls discussion

Postby aeris » Sat Aug 24, 2013 6:55 pm

Doing some more analysis of the duplicate-entries-eliminated results:

People who have had their mouths taped shut for talking back are actually more likely to think a third infraction merits punishment of a day or longer (3 out of 7 versus 2 out of 8), when it was the other way around for swearing. They're also slightly more likely to think that public exposure should be part of the punishment at some point ((5/7 versus 5/8). However, they are less likely to advocate for mouth stuffing at any point (4/7 versus 6/8), hand-binding (4/6 versus 8/8). No one claims to have taped someone else's mouth shut for talking back, so I have no data to analyze there.

Those who have had their mouths taped shut for talking too much are less likely to advocate for a punishment of at least a day on the third infraction (3/9 versus 5/10) or that the hands be bound (6/9 versus 8/10), but are slightly more likely to suggest the mouth be stuffed at some point (7/9 versus 7/10) and that public exposure be used at some point (7/9 versus 6/10). Those who claim to have taped someone's mouth shut for talking too much are more likely to advocate for a punishment of a day or longer on the third offense (3/6 versus 5/13), using mouth stuffing at some point (5/6 versus 9/13), but less likely to say that the punishment should at some point include hand-binding (4/6 versus 10/13) or public exposure (4/6 versus 9/13).

For lying, people who've had their mouths taped for it are less likely to advocate a punishment of a day or more on a third infraction (3/9 versus 6/15), but are more likely to advocate for mouth stuffing at some point (8/9 versus 13/18), hand-tying (8/9 versus 13/18, again) and public exposure (8/9 versus 14/18). Those who claim to have taped someone else's mouth shut for lying are less likely to advocate for a third infraction netting a punishment of a day or more (2/6 versus 8/21), but more likely to advocate for mouth stuffing (5/6 versus 16/21), hand-tying (again, 5/6 versus 16/21) and public exposure (6/6 versus 16/21).

I lack enough entries to do this kind of analysis on the other three infractions (being too noisy, snacking, smoking), but on the whole it does look like those who claim to have undergone a mouth-taping punishment are likely to advocate for milder conditions of the punishment, as do those who claim to have used it as a punishment on others, with some minor variations across the infractions and conditions.

Finally, some lists that might shed a bit more light on which infractions are considered more serious than others.

Percentage of respondents who advocate for a punishment of a day or longer on a third infraction:
57.1% Smoking
45.4% Swearing
42.1% Talking too much
34.4% Lying
33.3% Talking back
25.0% Being too noisy (tie)
25.0% Snacking (tie)

Percentage of respondents who advocate mouth-stuffing at some point:
88.9% Being too noisy
79.3% Lying
76.1% Talking too much
71.4% Smoking
66.7% Talking back
54.5% Swearing
50.0% Snacking

Percentage of respondents who advocate hand-tying at some point:
100% Being too noisy
86.7% Talking back
81.8% Swearing
77.8% Lying
75.0% Snacking
73.7% Talking too much
71.4% Smoking

Percentage of respondents who advocate public exposure at some point:
81.8% Swearing
75.9% Lying
75.0% Snacking
68.4% Talking too much
67.5% Being too noisy
66.7% Talking back
57.1% Smoking

Interesting how smoking far and away yields the longest proscribed punishments, but is also the least likely to have hand-tying and public exposure included as part of the punishment at some point. If we give 7 points to being rated the highest in one of the above categories, 6 for second-highest, and so on, we get a rough list of what respondents think are the worst infractions:

20 Lying (tie)
20 Swearing (tie)
19 Being too noisy
16 Talking too much
14 Talking back
13 Smoking
11 Snacking

I can see lying and swearing being at the top because they have more potential to hurt others, but I'd think smoking and talking back would be up there as well. Snacking being at the bottom makes sense because it's the one with the least detrimental effect to others aside from the one who commits it.

Again, my methodologies are hardly what I'd call scientific, but I hope some of this data and analysis is of interest to at least a few of you.