Sexual attraction
- This article is about nonphysical sexual attraction. For physical and visual human attraction see physical attractiveness
Sexual attractiveness or sex appeal can refer to anything which has the ability to attract the sexual or erotic interest of a person. The attraction can be to the physical or other quality or trait of a person, or to such quality in the context in which it appears. The attraction may be to a person's looks or movements or to their voice or smell, besides other factors. The attraction may be enhanced by a person's adornments, clothing, perfume, hair style and anything else which can attract the sexual interest of another person. It can also be influenced by individual genetic, psychological or cultural factors, or to other, more amorphous qualities of the person. Sexual attraction is also a response to another person, that depends on a combination of the person possessing the traits and also on the criteria of the person who is attracted.
Though attempts have been made to devise objective criteria of sexual attractiveness, a person's sexual attractiveness is to a large extent a subjective measure dependent on another person's interest, perception and sexual orientation. For example, a gay or lesbian person would typically find a person of the same sex to be more attractive than one of the other gender. A bisexual person would often find both sexes to be attractive. Asexuality refers to those who do not experience sexual attraction for either sex, though they may have romantic attraction (homoromantic, biromantic or heteroromantic). Interpersonal attraction includes factors such as physical or psychological similarity, familiarity, similarity, complementarity, reciprocal liking, and reinforcement.[1]
The ability of a person's physical and other qualities to attract the attention of others is the basis of their use in advertising, film and other visual media, as well as in modeling and other occupations.
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Social and biological factors
Human sexuality has many aspects. In biology, sexuality describes the reproductive mechanism as well as the basic biological drive that exists in all species and can encompass sexual intercourse and sexual contact in all its forms. There are also emotional and physical aspects of sexuality. These relate to the bond that exists between individuals, which may be expressed through profound feelings or emotions. Sociologically, it can cover the cultural, political, and legal aspects; and philosophically, it can span the moral, ethical, theological, spiritual or religious aspects.
Which aspects of a person's sexuality attracts another is influenced by cultural factors, and has varied over time, as well as personal factors. Influencing factors may be determined more locally among sub-cultures, across sexual fields, or simply by the preferences of the individual. These preferences come about as a result of a complex variety of genetic, psychological, and cultural factors.
A person's physical appearance has a critical impact on their sexual attractiveness. This involves the impact one's appearance has on the senses, especially in the beginning of a relationship:
- Visual perception (how the other looks and acts);
- Audition (how the other's voice and/or movements sound).
- Olfaction (how the other smells, naturally or artificially; the wrong smell may be repellent);
As with other animals, pheromones may also have an impact, though less significantly in the case of humans. Theoretically, the "wrong" pheromone may cause someone to be disliked, even when they would otherwise appear attractive. Frequently a pleasant smelling perfume is used to encourage the member of the opposite sex to more deeply inhale the air surrounding its wearer, increasing the probability that the pheromones from the individual will also be inhaled. The importance of pheromones in human relationships is probably limited and is widely disputed,[2] although it appears to have some scientific basis.[3]
Many people exhibit high levels of sexual fetishism, and are sexually stimulated by other stimuli not normally associated with sexual arousal. The degree to which such fetishism exists or has existed in different cultures is controversial.
Enhancing sexual attractiveness
People consciously or subconsciously enhance their sexual attractiveness for a number of reasons. It may be to attract someone with whom they can form a deeper relationship, for companionship, procreation, or an intimate relationship, besides other possible purposes. It can be part of a courtship process. This can involve physical aspects or interactive processes whereby people find and attract potential partners, and maintain a relationship. These processes, which involve attracting a partner and maintaining sexual interest, can include flirting, which can be used to attract the sexual attention of another in order to encourage romance or sexual relations, and can involve body language, conversation, joking or brief physical contact.[4]
The prospect of physical intimacy is at times the most effective means of sexual attraction.
See also
- Mating system
- Erotic capital
- Erogenous zone
- Human height
- Human physical appearance
- Interpersonal attraction
- Lookism
- Physical attractiveness
- Sexual arousal
- Sex in advertising
- Sexual dimorphism
- Sexual field
- Sexual selection
- Sex symbol
Notes
- ↑ Miller, R., Perlman, D., and Brehm, S.S. Intimate Relationships, 4th Edition, McGrawHill Companies.
- ↑ "Will pheromones make you irresistible to the opposite sex?". The Straight Dope. http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_206.html. Retrieved November 30, 2006.
- ↑ "First Evidence of a Human Response to Pheromones". ScientificAmerican.com. http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=0007F9B4-B6D4-1C60-B882809EC588ED9F&sc=I100322. Retrieved November 30, 2006.
- ↑ SIRC Guide to Flirting. What Social Science can tell you about flirting and how to do it. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
References
- Feinberg DR, Jones BC, Law Smith MJ, et al. (February 2006). "Menstrual cycle, trait estrogen level, and masculinity preferences in the human voice". Horm Behav 49 (2): 215–22. doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2005.07.004. PMID 16055126. http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0018-506X(05)00170-4.
- On pecularities of Russian sex appeal, see Draitser, Emil (1999). Making war, not love: Gender and sexuality in Russian humor. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 13–32. ISBN 0-312-22129-0.
External links
- Sexual Attraction Among Humans
- FaceResearch – Scientific research and online studies on the role of faces in sexual attraction
- Reunions Set Off Sex Urges, Article on sexual attraction among birth relatives sparked by reunion.
- www.lookism.info deconstruction of attraction and beauty standards
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