Sexual attraction

Sexual attraction is an emotional response sexual people feel where they find someone sexually appealing, and often results in a desire for sexual contact with the person. Sexual attraction can be experienced towards any person and any gender, or even any thing/concept. Sexual attraction can be based upon many qualities of a person. Physical qualities can include, but are not limited to; appearance, movement, smell and clothing. The effect to which a person is successful at drawing sexual attraction based upon physical traits is known as sex appeal. Physical qualities that result in a sexual or erotic response affect a person’s Primary sexual attraction. Qualities that are not instantly available such as psychology, individual genetic and cultural influence can also lead to sexual attraction. Secondary sexual attraction is an attraction that develops over time based on the relationship and emotional connection with another person. There is currently no single accepted definition of sexual attraction. A common definition of sexual attraction is that it is defined as a directed libido.

Different combinations of sexual attraction result in different classifications such as heterosexual attraction (sexual attraction to a person of a different gender), homosexual attraction (sexual attraction to a person of the same gender) and bisexual/pansexual attraction (sexual attraction to two or more genders). Those that lack sexual attraction are asexual. Sometimes asexuals will desire sexual contact for other reasons other than attraction. Such reasons include making a sexual partner happy, to satisfy a curiosity, to have a child, or to prove to themselves or others that they are ‘’normal’’. It therefore becomes difficult to define sexual attraction exactly, as it is not considered by many asexuals to be the same as desire. It is commonly held that sexual attraction involves a desire for the sexual act itself, rather than its social consequences. Some models of asexuality make distinctions between different kinds of sexual desire and allow for asexuals to feel some varieties, while some do not.

Sexual attraction is often experienced alongside other forms of attraction—such as romantic, aesthetic, or sensual attraction—or an emotional connection. However, sexual attraction can be independent of other attractions or emotional connections, which results in only desiring sex. There are different models and methods to approaching sexual attraction. It should be noted that sexual attraction is not the same as a sex drive, although in sexuals the two often go together. When asexuals experience a physical desire for sex (a libido), it is not connected to attraction or desire to another person, and thus can be satisfied without a partner. Some asexuals identify with autochorissexuality, which is a disconnection between oneself and the object/ target of one's arousal. Autochorissexuality describes a lack of emotional desire to participate in sexual activities, and is not a sexual identity, but a label/trait.