When people consider the word “attraction,” they most likely think about romantic or sexual attraction. This term is primarily associated with dating or the attraction you feel towards partners or dates. However, attraction comes in many forms and can apply to friends, family, and strangers in addition to romantic partners. Read on to learn more about the many types of attraction and how people typically experience them.
Different Types of Attraction
Emotional Attraction
When we experience emotional attraction, we desire to connect with someone’s personality, emotions, mind, or soul. It is not an attraction to the body or sexual desire. For this reason, we can be emotionally attracted to anyone from lifelong partners to friends and family.
Romantic Attraction
We experience romantic attraction when we wish to develop a deep intimacy with someone. This is not necessarily sexual. We exhibit romantic gestures and behaviors in order to get closer to the person we are attracted to, but this does not necessarily lead to sex. Romantic attraction includes romantic love of all forms, including attraction that is heteroromantic, homoromantic, or polyromantic.
Sexual Attraction
We experience sexual attraction when we desire physical or sexual contact with another person. This is most often experienced with lust. Though romantic and sexual attraction go hand in hand in many relationships, this is not always the case. Some partners experience sexual attraction but no romance, and other couples experience romantic attraction without sexual attraction. Furthermore, sexual attraction can include objective sexual attraction, which occurs when we objectively view someone as sexually desirable, though we may not desire them ourselves.
Physical Attraction
Though many people consider physical attraction and sexual attraction the same thing, they are different forms of attraction and love. When we experience physical attraction, we want to be physical and sensual with someone but not necessarily partake in sex. For example, you are physically attracted to someone you desire to cuddle with but may not be interested in having sex with. You also experience physical attraction to people you wish to hug or kiss platonically, such as friends and family.
Aesthetic Attraction
We experience aesthetic attraction when we admire the appearance of someone without experiencing romantic love, sexual desire, or physical attraction. This type of attraction is simply an appreciation of one’s appearance or style without a desire for romance or sex.
Intellectual Attraction
Intellectual attraction is when we are attracted to someone for their mind. It may be due to their intelligence or knowledge about a particular subject, or it can also be for their hobbies and talents. It is an attraction of a person’s thoughts, knowledge, and talents rather than their body or appearance.
Natural Ways To Be And Feel More Attractive
Everyone wishes to be or feel more attractive at some point. This is true whether you are looking to gain a new partner or want to make more friends. Below are a few natural ways to be and feel more attractive.
- Express your unique personality and style with clothing and makeup
- Wear clothes that fit and complement your body shape
- Exhibit confidence and self-love
- Practice attractive body language
- Eat a nutritious diet
- Maintain a proper skin routine
- Exercise often
- Sleep well
- Moisturize
- Drink plenty of water
- Smile more and take care of your oral health
Bottom Line
We all exhibit various types of attraction depending on our sexuality and the people we keep in our lives. Attraction is not just sexual or romantic and can be experienced in many ways and towards many types of people. Hopefully, this article gave you a good introduction to the various types of attraction and how to feel more attractive in general. Head on over to BetterHelp for more information and resources on attraction.
Marie Miguel Biography
Marie Miguel has been a writing and research expert for nearly a decade, covering a variety of health- related topics. Currently, she is contributing to the expansion and growth of a free online mental health resource with BetterHelp.com. With an interest and dedication to addressing stigmas associated with mental health, she continues to specifically target subjects related to anxiety and depression.
