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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.
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Top Rated Answers
brightForest58
July 18th, 2015 3:12am
There is a huge difference between sexual and romantic attraction. Sexual attraction can be an extremely visceral experience. You can be sexually attracted to someone who doesn't attract you emotionally. People can also be attracted to someone who they connect with emotional or intellectually but not physically. Romantic attraction happens when you feel the sexual attraction and the intellectual attraction. You look at a person and connect physically, emotionally, intellectually. You want to give them everything you have. Purr sexual attraction is only physical. It's about the touch. It's about pleasing someone visually and physically. Never goes beyond that physical touch. It's superficial. It doesn't last.
Anonymous
July 18th, 2015 7:12pm
Romantic attraction is when you want to you love someone and sexual attraction is when you like someone for their parts
AbstractAbby
July 19th, 2015 2:43am
As an asexual person who sometimes feels romantic attraction, I think about this a lot. For me, I find that sexual attraction is the more physical urges of arousal and a desire to participate in certain sexual acts with someone else (which I personally don't experience). Romantic attraction, on the other hand, is all the fluffy stuff. Wanting to spend time with someone and talk to them. Long walks on the beach and all that jazz. There might be some physical aspects to romantic attraction, such as wanting to hold their hand and cuddle, but for me, it doesn't include a desire for any activities that I deem sexual.
Anonymous
July 19th, 2015 1:01pm
Sexual attraction is attraction to a person's physical being; you feel attracted to them and would like to have coitus with them. Romantic attraction is more where you feel attracted to their innate being; you feel attracted to them and would like to have dinner with them.
Oreo
July 19th, 2015 7:48pm
Romantic attraction is the desire to be with another person romantically, sharing time and affection. Sexual attraction is the desire to sexually interact with another person, through touching or intercourse. One can be present without the other.
helpfulHug38
July 22nd, 2015 5:58am
The line between romantic and sexual attraction differs from person to person. Romantic attraction, however, tends to be for things like hugging, holding hands, being together, and (for some people but not all) kissing/cuddling. Sexual attractions are the more heavy parts of a relationship like touching each other under clothes (or even over them), intercourse, and other varying levels of physical interactions. As I've stated though, the exact distinction between the two varies from person to person.
Klovek
July 22nd, 2015 1:27pm
Romantic attraction is defined as 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. Many asexual people experience romantic attraction even though they do not feel sexual attraction. So romantic attraction is more a feeling of love like a deeper friendship without getting too physical or just not really desiring sexual interaction. Sexual attraction is desire based on sexual means and can be very physical.
tranquilFreedom
July 22nd, 2015 11:15pm
The difference between a romantic attraction and a sexual attraction is in a romantic attraction you are attracted to them romantically (meaning you want to have a relationship with them) and a sexual attraction means you want to have sex with them. Nothing else.
Anonymous
July 23rd, 2015 1:56am
Romantic attraction is when you experience a deep connection with someone emotionally such as "love". . With sexual attraction it's more of "lust" rather than "love".
stuffwithbits
July 23rd, 2015 6:44am
Romantic attraction is a pull to do romantic things with a specific person. Things like, going on dates, buying them flowers, cuddling, sometimes kissing, really just anything you feel is romantic. Sexual attraction is not something I've felt personally, but I've heard it described as a gut pull to do something sexual with a specific person. Some describe it as a need or a warm sensation.
Thanks4Calling
July 23rd, 2015 10:49am
Sometimes one can lead to the other, sometimes not. Romantic attraction is when you desire an emotional relationship with that person and sexual is when you desire a physical relationship.
Anonymous
July 23rd, 2015 4:40pm
Romantic attraction is less to do with sexual urges, and more with personality and feelings while sexual attraction is more physical admiration and possible thoughts involving sexual material
Anonymous
July 24th, 2015 3:14am
I think romantic attraction is wanting the person for all their flaws. To be attracted to them for their personality and want to stand beside them, even through their darker moments. Sexual attraction is more about the body.
Anonymous
July 24th, 2015 6:37am
Romantic attraction is more about accepting a person entirely for who they are. Sexual attraction is more about having a physical attraction to a persons appearance.
Rivkae
July 24th, 2015 8:26pm
Attraction differs, and there is actually a difference between romantic and sexual. Romantic attraction is about having feelings for someone, and loving them as a person and wanting to be by them. Yada, yada, it's about loving people, or having the capacity and potential to love someone. Sexual attraction, on the other hand, tends to be purely physical. You can see yourself being intimate with them physically, but not as much emotionally. Romantic attraction and sexual attraction tend to go hand in hand. Many people say 'heterosexual' to mean that they are both romantically and sexually attracted so a certain gender, but it doesn't mean that they can't be two things tackled differently. It isn't unknown to only be attracted sexually to certain genders, but then not attracted to them romantically. It's about opinion, really.
IvyXx
July 25th, 2015 3:53am
Sexual attraction is more of a physical endurance of you wanting to be or imagining being sexually intimate. However, romantic attraction is refereed to as wanting to be in a relationship with another and commuting yourself towards them.
Quakey
July 25th, 2015 5:04pm
For me, romantic attraction is something you have with a partner whom you trust. This can be either love, or just extremely strong feelings toward that person. A sexual attraction, while still having some intimacy, is just that. An attraction to a person based on their body. Of course, the two can also go hand in hand.
chloeprice
July 25th, 2015 5:06pm
Romantic attractive is when you want to do romantic stuffs with the said person. Do you wanna have a romantic relationship with them? Do you wanna go on a date with them? Romantic attraction. Sexual attraction is when you want to have sex/do sexual things with them in general. They might be focused on the same or different people and that is fine! Some people's sexual and romantic attraction might be towards different genders and it is okay too! Just be you.
royalMoon68
August 2nd, 2015 4:12am
Romance involves feelings of warmth and safety, generally associated with the "getting to know each other" side of dating. In my experience, this involves the powerful intimacy of understanding how the other person thinks and feels. This provides the means to surprise them with romantic gestures just got them that will remind them of past conversations and the intimacy that you have built. Sexual attraction for me is bolstered by that intimacy and intellectual connection, but can also be an easy physical chemistry with no other intent.
anothersunshine
August 2nd, 2015 5:14pm
People feel the two differently. Romantic attractions pull at your heart and you find yourself drawn to that person and psychologically in-tune with the person. Sexual attraction is a pull at your lustful desires and your libido heightens. It affects everything but your heart.
waterlilyfarmer
August 5th, 2015 6:06am
Romantic attraction, for me, involves knowing a person as a person in a way that is different from friendship in a way that's hard to describe. Sexual attraction, although it can be reached from knowing non-physical traits of people. is a purely physical feeling for me.
Mugiwara
August 5th, 2015 5:48pm
When it comes to romantic attraction, I guess you could say that you are in love with someone. You feel a lot of emotional affection towards that person and want to be there for them and the other way around. Whereas sexual attraction just means that you find their body attractive - it is not connected to their character or your affection towards the persons character at all.
HamRadio4Life
August 6th, 2015 7:57pm
Romantic attraction entails emotions. Sexual attraction is more of a lustful feeling for someone. There are no emotions with a sexual attraction.
Anonymous
August 7th, 2015 2:47pm
The difference between romantic and sexual attraction is that you feel romantic feelings toward someone as in lovey and sweet. Sexual is feeling that you would have sexual relations with that person and you can see them like that.
Jenniferroseh98
August 7th, 2015 6:23pm
Romantic is where you want to build a relationship with them that is like Hugs,kisses,long walks and talking. Where as sexual is just for the purpose of having sexual relations with them
Anonymous
August 8th, 2015 4:45pm
To put it easily: Romantic attraction: I would want a relationship with that Sexual attraction: I would have intercourse with that They can both be different. You could for example be biromantic heterosexual. This would mean you feel sexual attraction to the opposite gender, while feeling romantic attraction to both.
Sammy01
August 8th, 2015 10:15pm
Sexual attraction is purely physical, it's just to do with wanting to take part in sexual activity with another person. Romantic attraction is harder to explain, it's more like being friends with somebody except more extreme, you want to care for them and help them when they feel down etc. Some people experience one without the other, some people experience neither. Any of that is perfectly valid, and don't let anybody else tell you otherwise.
lesbianlibra
August 9th, 2015 8:06am
Romantic attraction is being attracted to a person In way that you would take them out on dates and sexual attraction is like a one night stand , its based on looks.
Supergirl94
August 12th, 2015 4:45am
Romantic attraction is wanting to have a relationship with them, to talk to them everyday about everything. To want to be with them, do things with them and share your life with them. To start with a basic date and work your way up, moving in together, getting married, growing old together. You have goals to do things with them and to love them fully, just the two of you. Sexual attraction is when you aren't interested in a relationship or growing old with them. You love how they look physically and crave their bodies but may not feel the need to form an emotional bond with them, to share everything with them or talk to them everyday, to not make goals between each other or anything really personal and indepth. You may just want the surface things, more like friends with benefits or just the benefit with that person.
sleepypoett
August 12th, 2015 9:52am
For some, they are one in the same. For others, the attractions can be quite different, where romantic attraction involves your emotional feelings for a person, and sexual attraction involves your physical desire towards a person.