New Book: Furscience – A Decade of Psychological Research on the Furry Fandom

Dr. Courtney Plante, co-author of the new book, Furscience – A Decade of Psychological Research on the Furry Fandom, embarked on a remarkable research journey spanning over a decade, dedicated to unraveling the complexities of the furry fandom. With a focus on understanding this often-misunderstood community, they have explored the struggles and resilience of its members. Their aim is multifaceted: to enlighten parents of furries, to correct sensationalized media narratives, to combat politicized fear-mongering, and to foster self-awareness within the community itself.

Drawing from over 15 years of involvement within the furry community, the book brings an insider’s perspective to the forefront, addressing pertinent concerns and bridging the gap between insiders and outsiders. Witnessing the community’s embrace of their work has been immensely gratifying, especially when it equips furries with resources to counteract stigma.

Having been a member of the furry community for over 15 years, Courtney Plante has gained invaluable insights into the most pertinent questions and concerns within the community. This extensive experience has also played a crucial role in addressing concerns from within the furry community about potential sensationalism and inaccuracies in outsider perspectives. Dr. Plante finds great satisfaction in the positive feedback their work has received from the community. Moreover, the opportunity to place their book into the hands of those who can benefit the most from the research, particularly in combatting stigma directed towards the community, has been an incredibly rewarding experience.

Despite the challenge of consolidating years of research, the pandemic surprisingly provided an opportunity to focus on compiling their findings. Among global pandemic chaos, the project served as a welcome distraction and a testament to the strong spirit of the community. Witnessing furries’ excitement upon accessing the comprehensive research has been the ultimate reward.

“One of the biggest challenges of this research has been knowing when to finally sit down and compile everything in one place. We’ve been wanting to turn our research into a book for five or six years now but finding the time to do so—especially since our research is still continuing and producing new results every few months—has been difficult. When the pandemic hit, we found ourselves with a windfall of free time, given that there were no in-person conventions at which to conduct research, and so we were able to do the bulk of the writing (it was, mercifully, one of the few things to help us get through the pandemic, a much-needed distraction from global events). The most rewarding part has been getting to see the excitement in furries’ eyes when they realize they can get their hands on this research in one convenient place, to have access to all this information about their community, and finally have something to defend themselves with against media-driven narratives and broader societal misconceptions.”

The book stands as a testament to Dr. Plante’s dedication and commitment to shedding light on the furry fandom. Furscience-A Decade of Psychological Research on the Furry Fandom is now available for free download on their website, www.Furscience.com, and purchasable at the cost of printing on Amazon.