Sexual attraction

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This article is about sexual attraction among humans. For sexual attraction among other animals, see Animal sexual behaviour.
"Sex appeal" redirects here. For the Eurodance group, see S.E.X. Appeal. For the Georgio album, see Sex Appeal (album). For the 2014 film, see (Sex) Appeal.
The Flirtation (1904), by Eugene de Blaas




Social and biological factors




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,[citation needed] increasing the probability that the individual's pheromones will also be inhaled. The importance of pheromones in human relationships is probably limited and is widely disputed,[unreliable source?][4] although it appears to have some scientific basis.[5]


Pheromones have been determined to play a role in sexual attraction between people. They influence gonadal hormone secretion, which for example. Follicle maturation in the ovaries in females, testosterone and sperm production in males.[6]

Sexual attraction and high anxiety

A research conducted by Donald G Dutton and Arthur P. Aron aimed to find the relation between sexual attraction and high anxiety conditions. In doing so, 85 male participants were contacted by an attractive female interviewer at either a fear-arousing suspension bridge or a normal bridge. Conclusively, it was shown that the male participants who were asked to by the female interviewer to perform Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) on the fear-arousing bridge, wrote more sexual content in the stories and attempted, with greater effort, to contact the female interviewer after the experiment than those male participants who performed the TAT on the normal bridge. Another test was done, a male participant, chosen from a group of 80, was given anticipated shocks. Along with the male was an attractive female confederate, who was also being shocked. The experiment showed that the male's sexual imagery in the TAT was much higher when self shock was anticipated and not when the female confederate shock was anticipated.[7]



Sex and sexuality differences in sexual attraction

Men have been found to have a greater interest in uncommitted sex compared to women.[9] Some research shows this interest to be more sociological than biological.[10] Men have a greater interest in visual sexual stimuli than women, however.[11] Additional trends have been found with a greater sensitivity to partner status in women choosing a sexual partner and men placing a greater emphasis on physical attractiveness in a potential mate, as well as a significantly greater tendency toward sexual jealousy in men and emotional jealousy in women.[12]

Bailey, Gaulin, Agyei, and Gladue (1994) analyzed whether these results would vary according to sexual orientation. In general, they found biological sex played a bigger role in the psychology of sexual attraction than orientation. However, there were some differences between homosexual and heterosexual women and men on these factors. While gay men and straight men showed similar psychological interest in casual sex on markers of sociosexuality, gay men showed a larger number of partners in behaviour expressing this interest (proposed to be due to a difference in opportunity). Self-identified lesbian women showed a significantly greater interest in visual sexual stimuli than heterosexual women and judged partner status to be less important in romantic partnerships. Heterosexual men also had a significantly greater preference for younger partners than homosexual men.[13]

See also


  1. ^ "Sexual attraction". Retrieved December 16, 2011. 
  2. ^ "Sexual attraction". Retrieved December 16, 2011. 
  3. ^ Miller, R., Perlman, D., and Brehm, S.S. Intimate Relationships, 4th Edition, McGrawHill Companies.[page needed]
  4. ^ "Will pheromones make you irresistible to the opposite sex?". The Straight Dope. Retrieved November 30, 2006. 
  5. ^ "First Evidence of a Human Response to Pheromones". Retrieved November 30, 2006. 
  6. ^
  7. ^ Dutton, Donald G; Arthur P. Aron (1974). "Some evidence for heightened sexual attraction under conditions of high anxiety". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 30 (4): 510–7. doi:10.1037/h0037031. PMID 4455773. 
  8. ^ SIRC Guide to Flirting. What Social Science can tell you about flirting and how to do it. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
  9. ^ Buss, D. M., & Shmitt, D. P. (1993). Sexual strategies theory: A contextual evolutionary analysis of human mating. ‘’Psychological Review’’: 100, 204-232.
  10. ^ Conley, T. D. (2011). "Perceived proposer personality characteristics and gender differences in acceptance of casual sex offers". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 100: 309–239. doi:10.1037/a0022152. 
  11. ^ Ellis, B.J., & Symons, D. (1990). Sex differences in sexual fantasy: An evolutionary psychological approach. ‘’Journal of Sex Research’’, 27, 527-555.
  12. ^ Wiederman, M. W.; Allgeier, E. R. (1992). "Gender differences in mate selection criteria: Sociobiological or socioeconomic explanation?". Ethology and Sociobiology 13: 115–124. doi:10.1016/0162-3095(92)90021-u. 
  13. ^ Bailey, J.M.; Gaulin, S.; Agyei, Y.; Gladue, B. (1994). "Effects of gender and sexual orientation on evolutionarily relevant aspects of human mating psychology". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 66 (6): 1081–1093. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.66.6.1081. PMID 8046578. 


External links