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

Me and my best friend have been friends for 3 years... and recently we have been spending a lot more time texting and seeing each other... we have spent the night together twice which was great but he is not physically attractive to me but he is sweet... kind... really cares for me and i feel like he knows everything about me and me him which makes me really trust him. Can you spend the rest of your life with someone who u dont find them physically attractive?

Sexual attraction is typically defined as a pull or allure toward a specific person in which you wish to partake in sexual activities with them. It's looking at a person and having a feeling that makes you think "I'd like to have sex with them." Romantic attraction, on the other hand, is typically defined as a similar pull or allure toward a specific person, but instead of a sexual desire, it's a romantic desire. It's when you look at someone and have a feeling that makes you think "I'd like to do romantic things with them." What those romantic things entail depends on the person. For some, it may be dates, dinners, holding hands, and cuddling. Others may include kissing with that. Others may not like anything that involves touching. Whatever activities, thoughts, and feelings you think of when you consider what is "romantic," those are what you'd think about, feel toward, and want to do with someone you are romantically attracted to.

Sexual attraction is having feelings of a sexual nature - you would like to have a sexual relation with this person - either in real life, or in fantasy. Romantic attraction is having feelings of a romantic, but not sexual, nature. It's perhaps wanting to kiss, cuddle, but maybe even less physical things like say I love you and go on dates and do the emotional-caring part of a relationship but not necessarily with the physical parts of a relationship. Often, sexual attraction and romantic attraction happen at the same time, but not always. Sometimes people are only sexually attracted to a person, or only romantically attracted.

Sexual attraction comes first. You want to touch that person, feel their presence, kiss them and so on. Their body excites you, their looks attract you. Romantic attraction needs time - once you get to know the person, the way they say something, the look they have in their eye when they talk about their passion, and how all that makes you smile - now, that's romantic attraction :)

Romantic attraction is when you would like to develop a romantic relationship. A sexual attraction is when you want to develop a sexual relationship

Sexual orientation: Orientation of genders to which one experiences sexual (erotic) attraction usually expressed with sexual interactions, fantasy, lust, and stimulation. Romantic orientation: Orientations of genders to which one experiences romantic (love) attraction expressed by interpersonal bonding, relationship-building, and emotion.

Sexual attraction is just when you are interested in somebodys body, or the touch/feel of their body. Romantic is when you're together you seem like nothing else is real, and when you're alone you want them so badly it drives you mad

Romantic attraction is the deep intimate feeling that you really like this person for their soul, spirit, heart and mind. This is the attraction that has you thinking about the person for hours and all the time practically. The one that gives you butterflies. While sexual attraction, is that tingly feeling you get in your lower regions when you think of them and the fact that you can't stop thinking of their body in a sexual manner.

Romantic attraction deals with trust and respect on an emotional level. You feel supported and cared for and do the same for your partner.

Romantic is where you feel emotionally connected to someone and want a relationship, sexual is about sex.

Physical penetration is sex, which is a very superficial thing. Psychological penetration is love, which is far more deep, far more significant, far more beautiful, far more human. And then there is a third kind of penetration: when two consciousnesses meet, merge, and melt into each other. -Osho

A romantic attraction is when you feel an inclination or allure to do romantic things with a person, while sexual attraction refers to a pull or allure to do sexual activities/things with another. The parameters of what's romantic and what’s sexual might depend largely on the person...for example for some kissing someone on the mouth might be romantic while for another that could be sexual. For some people, these two orientations go hand in hand (as someone being bisexual is also biromantic) but for someone that experience this attraction differently they might explain it a little more 9 some examples might be a panromantic asexual or a biromantic homosexual, etc.).

This is a really good question! I think a lot of people seem to have their own specific definition of the two terms, so here's my own: -Romantic attraction is the more "emotional" attraction. It is feeling attracted to a person in a way where you enjoy spending time with someone, and want to form a close, intimate relationship with them. It's looking -Sexual attraction is more about wanting to have sex with a person. You can certainly have really romantic, emotional sex, but sexual attraction alone is more about the physical components to a relationship, and not the personal parts. Romantic attraction is the love and sexual attraction is the lust in a relationship. They can be intertwined, or someone could only feel one type of attraction. It can also be more gender specific. So, one could identify as being attracted romantically to both males and females, but only be attracted sexually to one of those genders.

Romantic attraction and sexual attraction are two very different things. Usually romantic attractions aroused after you start getting to know the person because by then you already know about their personalities, what they do, how they respond to actions, and mainly how they are acting towards you. However, sexual attraction on the other hand grows when you are attracted to the person because of their physical qualities. You are attracted only by looking the person physically without even knowing who they are inside. Basically when you are only attracted to the physical appearance, you got the desire to get to know this person and be with them so you can admire those physical qualities closer. I mean, if you don't have any prior knowledge about this person, how can you know how you are feeling when you are around them or how they are going to act around you? Romantic attraction definitely got something to do with wanting to be attracted back by the same person, and sexual attraction got something to do by wanting to have physical contacts with the person because they got your attention by that particular physical appearance that made you feel lust. You'll know when you're attracted to a person only sexually when you can just forget about them in a short time period. But you know you are attracted to a person romantically when it's hard for you to get over them, knowing that there's a chance that somebody else could make them smile other than you, or when you are constantly worrying about their being.

Romantic attraction is wanting be romantically involved with a person without sex or anything sexual being a factor. Sexual attraction is based solely on if you would have sex or any sort of sexual encounter with someone.

Romantic attraction is when you feel an emotional connection with those who you like/love. You want to be in a close relationship and gradually become more intimate over time. Sexual attraction is when you let your body take over with the hormones and you feel lust over love.

Sexual attraction is the pull you feel from your inner thighs while romantic attraction is the pull you feel from the bottom of your heart.

Romantic attraction is the emotional side -- the warm, fuzzy feeling their personality, quirks, and snuggles give you. Sexual attraction is generally more physical.