Sexual Relationships
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What is the difference between attraction, physical attraction, and sexual attraction to you?

How often you feel it? What does it feel like?




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Most Helpful Guys

  • Sensitivity to and precision of language, please.

    "Attraction" is a general umbrella term. It can mean many things.

    "Physical attraction" is a butchery of words. Did you mean to say "physically attractIVE"? Someone that's physically attractive simply has an "external shell," that when compared to the statistical average of the available pool of sexual options in society, and compared again against the general consensus of what other similar buyers in the marketplace would consider desirable, objectively scores very high. So, if most men would find Female A attractive (statistically above average), and Female A is also very close to what most men independently express as their physical "ideal" woman, then we can conclude that Female A is "physically attractIVE."

    "Sexual attraction" is a "conclusion." It's an "ending point" to the human decision-making tree. Physical attractiveness is just one component of the whole calculus. There are obviously other factors that go into the giant melting hodge pot of arriving at the "sexual attraction" conclusion. A woman's physical skills and talents play a large role (it's one thing to have a nice body, but quite another to actually know how to use it). The way a woman moves and carries herself also communicates loads of information about her youth, health, fertility, willingness to engage in sexual activity, comfort in engaging in sexual activity, and the way she specifically feels about this particular man. There's the psychological aspect of the female, which accounts for her comfort and motivation regarding sexual activity. Is it simply a social script she follows and goes along with? Is she doing it for emotional security from a man? Is she doing it for financial security? Or, is sex something she does with this particular man (and all men she has had sex with in the past) simply because she enjoys sex as a woman? Lastly, intelligence also plays a key role. A woman who does know how to dress, how to be sexy, or how to tease and excite her man is going to leave her male partner miserable and unsatisfied much faster than her body will age.

    So, when those boxes start getting checked off, "sexual attraction" is the final "conclusion" your brain arrives at.

  • I think if you go through them attraction is like it would be nice to date them, physical attraction is I bet it is nice to make out with them whereas sexual attraction is just I wouldn't mind banging them if I got the chance. It is a question of levels and your personal outlook on such things. I would always prioritise attraction first.

Most Helpful Girls

  • I think attraction is what draws me to guys, example I like the way a guy talks or I like his energy and attitude. It just feels comfortable and easy, most of my friendships with guys are like this and it's really great because it's like there's no pressure for more than friendship.

    Physical attraction is blurred with sexual attraction for me, but it's not the same for everyone. For me physical attraction is just seeing a guy with physical traits that I like and appreciating his looks. This happens every now and then for me, usually when I'm away from my home town (Which is very small). It's just a curiosity that makes me want to go and talk to a guy to see if he has a sweet soul to match the rest of him.

    Sexual attraction kind of combines attraction and physical attraction. It's great in the moment but it's maybe not a wise idea to act on in all situations. It's a bit like an adrenaline thrill, like before you get on a roller coaster, but it's not expressed the same way; it's channeled in a more sexual way, so less grinning like an idiot and more batting your eyelashes. This is a once in a blue moon feeling for me but I know it's different for girl to girl.

    • Good answer

  • No difference what so ever. physical attraction means sexual attraction.

    This is different than finding a person attractive. where i can see they have a nice look but i feel no chemistry.

    Also different than over all attraction which involves more than just physical chemistry.

    i've never been physically attracted TO someone without being aroused by them. on some level. even as a young child.

    Physical attraction =Sexual attraction.

    Attraction overall = Sexual emotional intellectual. psychological attraction.

    Finding a person physically attractive = Not desiring them physically, but recognizing their aesthetic beauty.

  • Attraction is being drawn to someone by their personality. That's why you can meet someone and not find their looks that appealing but when you get to know them and they have an awesome personality they can easily become more physically attractive.

    Physical attraction is obviously finding someone's looks are physically appealing.

    Sexual attraction is usually on a deeper level. Sure it's some physical attraction, but sexual attraction is when you sexually want all of them. And to do things with them that pleasure both of you. It's when you feel turned on just by doing things to them without them having to do anything to you.

  • Physical attraction and sexual attraction tend to go hand-in-hand. Attraction as a whole can encompass a bunch of stuff like money, career, job, personality, humor, hobbies, skills, etc.

    I suppose if physical and sexual attraction were different, it would be acknowledging that a person is hot but not wanting to have sex with them. Ex: I acknowledge Zac Enron is a good looking guy, and I find him attractive but, I would never have sex with him because he's not my type and I feel like we would clash in bed.

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What Girls & Guys Said

31 20

  • They are the same to me. I fantasize about a woman I find attractive in a couple seconds and then move on.

  • I'm bisexual. I can find women sexually attractive based on physical attraction alone, and then later I'll become attractive to them once I get to know them more as a person. But to find a man sexually attractive, I need to first be attracted to them as a person before I can find them both physically and sexually attractive.

    When I say attractive to someone as a person, it's based on how well I can connect with them and find their behaviour to be cute. I'm tempted to say it's based on personality, but it turns out I can still be attractive to someone as a person even if their personality is shit.

    It's a little bit more complicated than that. But that's usually how it works for me.

    • Hey, sounds like this girl understands men already!

  • In my case, it is like this:

    Attraction: I like the person, I do not mind talking to them or having them close to me. But this for me does not mean I want to be anything more then friends. This happens sometimes, maybe 5 times a year for me at best.

    Physical attraction and sexual is the same for me, but it has only happened to me once in my life. I cannot be physically attracted to someone unless I like their personality, but if I do, then my knees get weak, my stomach get butterflies, I want to touch them and be with them. You know, talk all night under the stars kinda thing.

  • Someone could be engaging and that would be a form of attractive. Physical attraction is pretty much sexual attraction to me... and it's about energy and looks. If he's giving the right vibes, my lady bits take notice.

  • Attraction is not something I usually feel. Physical attraction is if a find a man to be brilliant intellectually, morally, socially, and physically. Sexual attraction is if I find a man to be better than me intellectually and physically but not socially or morally.

    • Wait, so a man has to be better than you to be sexy?

  • Sexual attraction is only wanting sex from the person, physical attraction is similar as you find their body attractive but not in a sexual way necessarily. Attraction is finding a persons personality attractive.

  • I think they're all the same honestly, I mean for me there's two types of attractions that I notice I jump straight to. First is physical attraction (mainly if they have a cute face), second is attraction to their personality ( is he boring to me, is he nice to other people or just to me?) from that I can then determine whether or not I'm gonna like this boy. Sometimes I'll like their personality first and can later dig their face.

  • Physical & sexual attraction are the exact same thing. Attraction as a whole also consists of mental attraction for me.

  • Attraction to me is generally being drawn to someone but you can't put your finger on it. Physical attraction is similar but add that the person is so attractive to you that you just can't take your eyes off them and want to be with them. Sexual attraction is when you want someone inside of you this second and don't have to necessarily be as strong in the other types of attraction, but when you put them all together that right there is a keeper.

  • Attraction for me is when a guys personality is amazing and attractive but his physical appearance at first not so much, a great personality can make someone who you thought wasn't good looking beautiful somehow! Physical attraction for me is just domeone who i think is absolutely gorgeous, this mostly happens before i get to know them! And sexual attraction for me is seeing or knowing someone who you just want to have sex with and that's it, nothing more! Combine the three of them and you have a perfect person!!😊

  • Physical attraction is finding someone aesthetically pleasing. Sexual attraction comes when I know me and the person have chemistry, and I also find them physically attractive.

  • same thing to me - im just attracted to the person and my fantasies start dominating my mind

    • YES!

  • all seem pretty similar but I guess sexual attraction is the one where you wanna hook up with the person and that's about it... if it's just sexual attraction by itself.

  • Attraction: the action or power of evoking interest, pleasure, or liking for someone or something.

    Physical Attraction: the degree to which a person's physical features are considered aesthetically pleasing or beautiful.

    Sexual Attraction: attraction on the basis of sexual desire or the quality of arousing such interest.

  • Sexual attraction is shallow, (not in a negative way, just means you just wanna bang them) just about sex and wanting to have sex.
    Physical attraction is when you're like Holy shit... that person is fine and you can't take your eyes off them.
    Attraction is liking the whole package. I mean you might just get attraction from their personality and love their sense of humour or whatever but it's definitely deeper than the first two. Mutual attraction is amazing.

  • Attraction is a combination of looks and personality and is what I'd describe as me wanting to be with someone, whereas sexual attraction is the desire to want to do sexual things, but with someone specificially.

  • That's the whole "butterfly in the stomach" thing

  • Whatever Alyssa1111 said. That.

  • Physical and sexual attraction are the same thing. You want to do things to their body.

    Attraction in and of itself could be something about them you can't emotionally explain that compels you to be near them. Like it's not necessarily their physical beauty or just being an inviting person. It just IS.

  • Attraction could refer to personality compatibility.

    Physical and sexual are used interchangeably in my opinion, but if I had to separate them, I would say physical is just how visually appealing they are in an artistic viewpoint and then sexual is how excited I would be to have sex with them based on their appearance.

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