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

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.