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
somerandomer999
January 3rd, 2016 4:25pm
Romantic Attraction is who you love. Sexual attraction is who you go to bed with. For example you can love both men and women but only want to sleep with women.
Anonymous
January 3rd, 2016 6:15pm
this is a cliche answer but when you feel comfortable with a person to the point where you can share your life moments with them and feel safe when they are around and want to make them smile ..that is romantic attraction . Sexual attraction is more visual . You see a cute person and think oh maybe i should go talk to them....its not based on the personality of the person , more on their looks .
Yourfairygodbro
January 3rd, 2016 9:41pm
Sexual attraction is when you want to have sex with someone, or touch them in a sexual way while romantic attraction is wanting to date and maybe marry a person.
starryNatural85
March 27th, 2016 12:43am
I think of romantic attraction as an attraction to personality-to spending time with the person. I think of sexual attraction as a physical-to looks.
friendlyPenguin1020
February 10th, 2016 2:38am
Romantic attraction is when you can imagine yourself with that person with the rest of your life, you feel like you can do everything for them, they attratc you but, is more than that, you can feel it, And sexual attraction is when you only see them in your bed, you can confuse these two very often, and sometimes you do it when it's late, The best way to reconize romantic attraction is to imagine the person doing things that you don't like, you will still be with them?... If you ony feel sexually atracted to them you will loose interest trough time.
ScarfyMia
February 11th, 2016 11:27am
romantic attraction means you can imagine having a relationship with them, and commiting to it, while sexual attraction can mean that you just feel like having sex with them.
BlueishHeck314
March 16th, 2016 12:18am
Romantic attraction is the feeling of wanting to be in a romantic relationship with a certain gender. Romance could vary from just dates and hand holding to kissing. Sexual attraction is more wanting to have a sexual relationship with a certain gender. They do work together, and it is common for someone to identify as two separate ones. There is also a sexual/romantic orientation where you don't feel romantic/sexual attraction to anyone. For more specific examples, google it!
WoundedHelper
March 16th, 2016 3:20am
Romantic attraction is showing kind love and support for your partner. Sexual attraction is showing interest in your partners body.
Razmatazq
March 16th, 2016 5:42am
Romantic attraction is wanting to have a connection with someone, yearning to be "romantic" and be with them in a non-sexual way. Sexual attraction is wanting to engage in sexual activities
Anonymous
March 18th, 2016 6:14am
The difference between sexual and romantic attraction is that romantic attraction is the desire to go on dates with someone, be with them, be close with them, and sexual attraction is about being attracted to a person sexually, the desire for sex.
Anonymous
March 19th, 2016 1:11am
Romantic attraction is understood to be non-physical - many plutonic relationships can be romantic, but not sexual. Sexual attraction is focused more on physical attraction and desires.
Swifting
March 19th, 2016 8:53am
The best description that I can provide for the difference between romantic and sexual attraction is that sexual attraction is the fire in your stomach and romantic attraction is the fire. Sexual attraction applies directly to the desire to be with someone's body while romantic attraction is the desire to be with the whole person involving more than a physical presence of the body.
randomscreennamebecausewhynot
March 19th, 2016 6:02pm
Romantic attraction and sexual attraction are different things. While you feel romantic attraction when you want to date or build a romantic relationship with another person, sexual attraction exists when you want to have sex with another person. You can feel both of them towards one person, only one (no matter which one of them) or none. For example, an a asexual person may feel romantic attraction towards one person but not sexual attraction and an aromantic may feel sexual attraction but not romantic attraction.
timaeusTestified1203
March 20th, 2016 3:25am
Romantic is people you would date. (If someone is Aromantic, it means they don't feel romantic attraction.) Sexual is people you would have sexual intercourse with (asexual means you don't feel sexual attraction.) :)
Anonymous
March 20th, 2016 6:05pm
I believe that the difference is that romantic attraction is wanting to just kiss a person or you like them and think that they are cute and sexual attraction is wanting to just see them with no clothes and just want to have sex with them immediately
Anonymous
March 24th, 2016 6:33am
Romantic attraction refers to when you feel a romantic connection or appeal to someone. Sexual attraction is when that connection is sexual.
Anonymous
March 25th, 2016 1:57am
Romantic attraction is the desire to partake in romantic activities with a specific person. These romantic activities can include dating, holding hands, kissing, and/or cuddling. These aren't the only romantic activities to do, it's just a short list of examples, and not everything applies to everyone. The romantic activities you may desire to partake in can be anything that comes to mind for you when you think of the word "romantic". Sexual attraction is much like romantic desire except the activities are different. Sexual attraction is the desire to partake in sexual activities with a specific person. These activities can be anything of a sexual nature, and might make you think something along the lines of, "I want to have sex with them."
Corinne12341
March 25th, 2016 2:56am
When you are sexually attracted to someone that means that you wish to have sex with this person while if you are romantically attracted to someone you do not wish to have sex just cuddle and such.
Anonymous
March 26th, 2016 4:19am
Romantic attraction is more of when someone is aesteciaclly pleaseing, like you would feel comfortable laying on a couch and having a relationship with someone. Sexual attraction is where you feel sexually attracted to someone in more then just or not at all in a dating way.
Anonymous
March 26th, 2016 3:20pm
Romantic attraction is a feeling that causes people to desire a romantic relationship with a specific other person. Sexual attraction is attraction on the basis of sexual desire or the quality of arousing such interest.
Anonymous
November 20th, 2017 7:05pm
Romatic attractions :What your heart wants vs. Sexual attractions:What your gentiles want. Sometimes they never gel, sometimes they do.
QueerDeer
June 19th, 2015 5:19pm
Romantic attraction, put into simple words would be "wow I want to marry him/her/they" and possibly not being interested in sex. And sexual attraction would be "wow I would like to have coitus with him/her/they". For example, I am a lesbian who is also panromantic. Meaning, I would be able to be with a female, and also have sex with her. But, panromantic being, I could get romantically attracted to anyone of any gender. So, an even simpler example: -Asexual -Homoromantic A person who is not willing to have sex with anyone/doesn't feel a sex drive, but, is romantically interested in someone of the same sex. Hope this helped!
Anonymous
January 18th, 2020 9:41pm
Hi everyone. Well, according to Medium, sexual attraction involves the desire for sexual contact with someone, while romantic attraction focuses more on the desire for a romantic relationship with someone, not purely related to sex. When I met my girlfriend the first thing that appeared between us was, of course, romantic attraction. We were over the moon, our relationships seemed to be so tender and unique. Then after some time especially when we found a nice forum https://elliquiy.com about sexual life our relationships found a new side - sexual attraction. So in my opinion first comes romantic attraction and then sexual and there is a difference between them, but it's much better when these concepts come together.
Aayla
- Expert in LGBTQ+ Issues
May 22nd, 2019 12:02am
Sexual attraction involves being attracted to a person in a physical way and having sexual desires about them. It's a purely physical dimension that only concerns the body. Romantic attraction involves being attracted to a person in an intellectual and/or emotional way, independently from sex and the physical dimension. The two attractions can coincide, you can feel both for the same person, but they don't necessarily go together. There are also people whose sexual and romantic orientations do not coincide, so they can feel, for example, romantic attraction towards one gender and sexual attraction towards more than one, or viceversa, or any other combination.
younity
December 3rd, 2018 1:23am
romantic interest develops through emotional connection with ones personality while sexual attraction is physical and develops through appearances and lust.
Clarisse29
October 2nd, 2018 9:30am
Romantic attraction is when you feel like taking care of someone and making them feel loved and giving them compliments. It is not solely based upon their looks. You just get the butterflies when you see them. Whereas sexual attraction is just when you’re attracted to their bodies and don’t really feel much for them. Romantic attraction also involves the feeling that you can look at or listen to them for hours on an end and you just wish to be with them and spend time with them. While romantics attraction takes awhile to fade. Sexual attraction may fade sooner.
KiaraTheBored
August 21st, 2018 12:44pm
Romantic attraction is when you are attracted to someone in way that you would date them, but not have sex or participate in any sexual activities with them. Sexual attraction is when you are attracted to someone in a way that you WOULD have sex with them. Types of attraction can differ depending on many things, such as gender, age and appearance. It is possible to feel both romantic and sexual attraction to someone. It is also possible to feel only sexually attracted to one gender and only romantically attracted to another. These are all completely normal things that are seen in multiple people.
Anonymous
June 2nd, 2018 11:06am
Sexual attraction is defined as an allure or a pull towards a person in which you would like to have sexual activities with them. Romantic attraction is defined as the same as sexual attraction, but instead of having sexual desires with them, you want more of a romantic date or feelings with them.
EndlesslyDreaming
November 21st, 2017 3:42pm
love and lust, I'm ace or I don't experience or like the idea of sex/sexual attraction but I really want to date someone! its like you want to have sex with the person verses you want to cuddle and love them! that's what I think.
RileyTwiggs
May 24th, 2016 2:18am
Romantic attraction comes from the feelings you have for a person based on their personality, mannerisms, and social characteristics. Sexual attraction is based on your liking of a person's physical characteristics and outward appearance.