Skip to main content Skip to bottom nav

Sexual attraction: What's the difference between romantic attraction and sexual attraction?

320 Answers
Last Updated: 01/20/2020 at 3:57pm
Sexual attraction: What's the difference between romantic attraction and sexual attraction?
★ This question about LGBTQ+ Issues was starred by a moderator on 5/12/2016.
1 Tip to Feel Better
Greece
Moderated by

Johanna Liasides, MSc, PhDc

Psychologist

I work with youth and young adults to help them improve depressive symptoms and self-esteem as well as effectively address family, relationship and peer conflicts.

Top Rated Answers
Anonymous
August 13th, 2015 12:26am
Romantic attraction: you are in love with the person Sexual attraction: you just want that person for just sex
Rift
August 13th, 2015 3:06am
Romantic attraction is in regard to falling in love. You could fall in love with men, women, both or neither for example. Sexual attraction is more about your sexuality rather than love. For example, you could have sexual feelings towards men, women, both or neither. And it is perfectly possible for romantic attraction and sexual attraction to not be the same! For example, you could fall in love with both men and women (romantic attraction) but only ever have sexual feelings towards one of the two (sexual attraction).
Anonymous
August 13th, 2015 2:06pm
The person would want to spend more and more time with their crush, whereas if it's a sexual attraction it's purely physical.
Anonymous
August 13th, 2015 10:55pm
The sexual attraction is specific to the way another person looks or moves. Therefore you can be sexual attracted by a certain gender or hair color for example. The romantic attraction on the other hand is limited to the personality of another person. That means you are only attracted towards the person because of the personality. This is what is broadly defined as love.
Anonymous
August 14th, 2015 10:00am
I think someone you are romantically attracted to is more someone you would go on a date with, like going out to the movies, holding hands, cuddling, maybe kissing. Sexual attraction is someone you would have sex with..
Anonymous
August 14th, 2015 9:52pm
Romantic attraction is where you wanna date them, hold hands, cuddle, get married, go on dates, all that fun stuff. Sexual attraction is where you basically just wanna have sex with them.
OpenSpace84
August 15th, 2015 9:05pm
A romantic attraction is a desire to share an emotional connection with someone, where a physical attraction is a desire to share physical closeness.
hxlfbloodprincess
August 16th, 2015 5:42am
Romantic attraction is feelings based on a desire to enter an emotional relationship. Sexual attraction is feelings based on a desire to enter a physical relationship
Avi001
September 21st, 2015 11:10am
I think the difference is in romantic attraction you are attracted to the other person emotionally, on the other hand, in sexual attraction you are attracted to the person sexually.
ThatPersonSkylar
October 25th, 2015 1:55pm
Romantic attraction is where you mainly just love the person for who they are and you'll hug them and like kiss them, have a nice romantic relationship, just most of the time there isn't sex in these relationships. Asexuals feel this attraction. Sexual attraction is where you want to partake in sexual activities with the person.
DoseOfEuphoriaMaybe
November 9th, 2015 1:38am
Romantic attraction is attraction to the sum total of a person, while Sexual attraction is the attraction to the physical qualities of a being.
fairmindedMap1086
December 4th, 2015 6:34pm
Both are just the worse. getting attracted proposing, proceeding and then all ends up in beak up. A real relationship is supposed to happen automatically. Of course there are exceptions. I see there is no difference between them both but on the other end i think an unconditional attraction would be the ideal one.
BethanyRuth
December 11th, 2015 11:17pm
The most simplistic way to explain it is that sexual attraction is just that: a natural desire to have sex with a specific person, it can be an immediate desire upon seeing them or a more gradual one that develops over time, but in the end the base desire is for sex with that person. Romantic attraction is a desire for whatever you perceive is a romantic relationship with a specific person, can also be immediate or more gradual.
Anonymous
December 12th, 2015 12:49am
Romantic attraction is being attracted to the way someone acts, the way they talk to you or how safe you feel with them. Sexual attraction encompasses that but is to the persons body instead of their actions
Anonymous
December 12th, 2015 11:23pm
Romantic: wants to date them, kiss them, cuddle with them, hang out with them, etc, Sexual: wants to have sex with them and that's all
oliverjayy
December 16th, 2015 1:48am
Sexual attraction is only wanting anything physical and sexual. Romantic attraction, in my personal opinion, is something more than just the physical and sexual aspects. Of course, it includes the sexual attractions, but also involves the little things, like just being able to spend time together, without saying anything, and just being in each other's presence. Romantic attraction is a very special thing, and it's important to hold onto something like that if you can find it :)
ashbradbury42
December 17th, 2015 11:15pm
Romantic attraction is when you are purely attracted to someone on an emotional level. Sexual attraction involves the physical side of a relationship.
birdwatcher444
December 18th, 2015 12:42am
Romantic attraction is the desire to just be with someone. It is the love of the other person's personality and feeling content with that person. Sexual attraction is the desire to have sexual relations with someone else. Often times sexual attraction goes hand in hand with romantic attraction. However, some people don't feel sexual attraction at all. That is called asexual, but it doesn't mean they don't want a romantic relationship.
miamaiamaya
December 18th, 2015 11:33am
Sexual attraction is "attraction on the basis of sexual desire or the quality of arousing such interest." Romantic attraction is 'an emotional response that most people often feel that results in a desire for a romantic relationship with the person that the attraction is felt towards." Sexual attraction is the sexual desire for someone, whereas romantic attraction is the desire to be in a relationship with someone.
SockMonkey25
December 19th, 2015 6:10pm
Sexual attraction is fueled by physical desires. It can have romantic attraction involved, but not necessarily. Romantic attraction is more personal, not physically or chemically driven.
Herequeerandcheering
December 20th, 2015 2:32am
For romantic attraction you feel the want for a romantic relationship with a person. For sexual attraction you may have interest in doing sexual things with that person. They don't necessarily happen at the same time to some. Some feel only romantic attraction, some feel only sexual attraction, some feel neither, some feel both
Hopeorhug
December 20th, 2015 7:21pm
Sexual attraction is just based on your human instinct. Romantic attraction takes on 3 things, mind, heart,and instict. So the difference is that sexual attraction is pretty simple, its a brain reaction that needs to be fed, tamed, or stopped sometimes. Romantic attraction is a thing you cant stop nor tame nor start that easily.
SpookyBlue
December 23rd, 2015 7:55pm
Romantic attraction is when you feel the need to be romantic with someone; meaning you want to do things that are considered romantic with them, like holding hands, cuddling, going on dates, and more. Sexual attraction is when you find a person appealing physically and would like to be sexually intimate with them. Romantic and sexual attraction can be separate from one another or they can operate hand in hand.
eleanor0610
December 23rd, 2015 11:17pm
sexual attraction is more the feeling of finding someone physically attractive and wanting to complete acts of a sexual nature with someone. Romantic attraction is more the feeling of wanting to be with someone and make them happy. Of course the lines between the two can be blurred and you can feel both or just one of these types of attraction towards one or many people. There's no clear or right way for you to be attracted to someone.
exquisiteKermit59
December 23rd, 2015 11:27pm
Romantic attraction may or may not include sexual attraction. The main difference between them is that romantic attraction focuses more on the emotional side of the relationship, while sexual attraction focuses entirely on the carnal desire that a person feels.
Miranda1999
December 24th, 2015 12:08am
Romantic attraction is more emotional whereas sexual attraction is about the physical side of maybe wanting to kiss the person or have sex with them. The emotional romantic attraction could be you want to be there for them, go out and spent time with them or even just talk to them and just like being with them or talking to them.
wolfen22
December 24th, 2015 8:12pm
Romantic attraction is an emotional response. It often results in the desire to form a relationship with the person of interest, but not always. Often times, we see it described in fiction as "being drawn to" or "feeling a pull toward" someone. Sexual attraction is an involuntary impulse to have physical contact with another person. For some people it develops over time while for others it can be an instant response. The one factor that never changes is the desire to have physical contact with the person of interest. It's important to note that sexual and romantic attraction can exist separately or simultaneously.
Anonymous
December 25th, 2015 1:11am
Good question! Romantic attraction is extremely hard to distinguish between sexual attraction–mostly because it's easy to feel both of these for the same person. Generally, you can find little differences in the types of attractions–like how a romantic attraction may make you feel warm and gooey in one place, and a sexual attraction makes you feel warm and gooey in, well, another place. It honestly depends on the person though! It may be even harder to distinguish between which is which for the person sitting next to you!
Anonymous
December 25th, 2015 6:16am
Sexual attraction is when you merely have an attraction to someones appearance. Romantic is when have feelings for someone. For a relationship you need a balance of both.
Anonymous
December 25th, 2015 12:41pm
Long story short, sexual attraction is when you feel attracted to someones outdside, their body but not their soul, like when you think someone is "hot" by only looking but never really meet that person. Romantic attraction is when you are actually in love someone, not just for the persons body but for who she is.