Sexual stimulation
Part of a series on |
Human sexual activity
|
---|
Reproductive health |
Human sexuality portal |
Sexual stimulation is any
The term sexual stimulation implies stimulation of the
Some people practice orgasm control, whereby a person or their partner controls the level of stimulation to prolong the experience leading up to orgasm.
Physical sexual stimulation
Physical sexual stimulation consists of touching the genitals or other erogenous zones.
Genital
One study found that women benefit more from pleasurable sex with a committed partner, while gender did not impact the relationship with masturbation.[9]
The purpose of sex toys is to provide pleasure and stimulation through an alternative route than just using people's bodies. They can be used by someone on their own, with partnered sex, or group sex. They can be exciting and provide new types of stimulation that the body cannot produce, such as vibrations.
Sex toys have been used as a source of sexual stimulation for thousands of years. There have been
Non-genital
There are many areas through which a person can be sexually stimulated, other than the genitals. The nipples, thighs, lips, and neck can all provide sexual stimulation when touched.
- Nipples
- One studybrain-scanning technology found that stimulating nipples in women resulted in the activation of the genital area of the sensory cortex. The research suggests the sensations are genital orgasms caused by nipple stimulation, and may also be directly linked to "the genital area of the brain".[16][17][18] In women, one study indicated that sensation from the nipples travels to the same part of the brain as sensations from the vagina, clitoris and cervix. Nipple stimulation may trigger uterine contractions, which then produce a sensation in the genital area of the brain.[16][17]
- Thighs
- In 2012, the California Institute of TechnologyMRI scanned. They were either watching a video of a woman touching their thigh or a man touching their thigh. They reported more sexual pleasure when they thought it was the woman touching them than the man, and this was reflected in their MRI scans with greater arousal of their somatosensory cortex. It can be therefore concluded that the thighs are an area that can cause sexual stimulation when touched.
- Lips
- Lips contain a huge number of nerve endings and are considered to be an erogenous zone. Women report experiencing more pleasure from the stimulation of their lips than men do (see below for sex differences in stimulation). In addition to stimulation of the lips by touching, men can be visually stimulated by looking at a woman's lips. It has also been[20]reported that men prefer women with fuller lips because they are an indicator of youth.
- Neck[21]
- A sample of 800 participants rated 41 different body parts on their erogenous intensity on a scale of 1–10 (10 being the most arousing). Females reported neck stimulation as being more arousing than men did.
Sex differences in erogenous zones
This table[21] shows the sex differences in erogenous zones and includes the top ten most arousing areas for both sexes. Each body part was rated out of ten for how arousing it is when touched. Apart from body parts exclusive to one gender such as the penis or clitoris, many of the erogenous zones are similar and contain many nerve endings.
Females | Males | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mean | Standard deviation | Mean | Standard deviation | ||
Clitoris | 9.17 | 2.12 | Penis | 9.00 | 2.50 |
Vagina | 8.40 | 2.35 | Mouth/lips | 7.03 | 2.68 |
Mouth/lips | 7.91 | 2.27 | Scrotum | 6.50 | 3.72 |
Nape of neck | 7.51 | 2.70 | Inner thigh | 5.84 | 3.39 |
Breasts | 7.35 | 2.73 | Nape of neck | 5.65 | 3.50 |
Nipples | 7.35 | 3.15 | Nipples | 4.89 | 3.79 |
Inner thigh | 6.70 | 2.99 | Perineum | 4.81 | 4.10 |
Back of neck | 6.20 | 3.15 | Pubic hairline | 4.80 | 3.82 |
Ears | 5.06 | 3.40 | Back of neck | 4.53 | 3.42 |
Lower back | 4.73 | 3.38 | Ears | 4.30 | 3.50 |
Internal stimulation
The excitation-transfer theory states that existing arousal in the body can be transformed into another type of arousal. For example, sometimes people can be sexually stimulated from residual arousal arising from something such as exercise, being transformed into another type of arousal such as sexual arousal. In one study[22] participants performed some physical exercise and at different stages of recovery had to watch an erotic film and rate how aroused it made them feel. They found that participants who were still experiencing excitatory residues from the exercise rated the film as more arousing than those who had fully recovered from the exercise. This suggests that the remaining arousal from the exercise was being transformed into sexual arousal without any external stimulation.
Alternative routes
The human sexual response is a dynamic combination of cognitive, emotional, and physiological processes. Whilst the most common forms of sexual stimulation discussed are fantasy or physical stimulation of the genitals and other erogenous areas, sexual arousal may also be mediated through alternative routes such as visual, olfactory and auditory means.
Visual
Perhaps the most researched non-tactile form of sexual stimulation is visual sexual stimulation.
Studies that use visual stimulation as a means for sexual stimulation find that sexual arousal is predominantly correlated with an activation in
Olfactory
Olfactory information is critical to human sexual behavior. One study investigating olfactory sexual stimulation found that heterosexual men experience sexual arousal in response to a female perfume. Individuals rated odourant stimulation and perceived sexual arousal. They also had functional MRI scans taken during the experiment. The results showed that olfactory stimulation with women's perfume produces activation of specific brain areas associated with sexual arousal in men.[31] Another study found that homosexual men displayed similar hypothalamic activation to that of heterosexual women when smelling a testosterone derivate present in male sweat, suggesting that sexual orientation plays a role in how humans experience olfactory sexual stimulation.[32]
Evolutionary analysis of sex differences in reproductive strategies can help explain the importance of smell in sexual arousal due to its link to immunological profile and offspring viability.[33] This is because olfactory cues may be able to trigger an incest avoidance mechanism by reflecting parts of an individual's genetic equipment. In one study, males rated visual and olfactory information as being equally important for selecting a lover, while females considered olfactory information to be the single most important variable in mate choice. Additionally, when considering sexual activity, females singled out body odour from all other sensory experiences as most able to negatively affect desire.[34]
Auditory
Auditory stimulants may also serve to intensify sexual arousal and the experience of pleasure. Making sounds during sexual arousal and sexual activity is widespread among primates and humans. These include sighs, moans, strong expirations and inspirations, increased breathing rate and occasionally, at orgasm, screams of ecstasy. Many of these sounds are highly exciting to people, and act as strong reinforcers of sexual arousal, creating a powerful positive feedback effect.[35] Thus, copulatory vocalisations are likely to serve mutual sexual stimulation for mating partners.[36]
Even when not coupled with "touching", sounds can be highly sexually arousing. Commercial erotic material (mainly produced for the male market) uses such sounds extensively. As early as the 1920s and 30s, several genres of singers turned to "low moans" for erotic effect.
Mental stimulation
Sexual arousal includes feelings, attractions and desires, as well as physiological changes.[41] These can be elicited not only by physical but also mental stimulations, such as fantasy, erotic literature, dreams, role-play, and imagination.
Fantasy
Sexual fantasy is a form of mental sexual stimulation which many people engage in.[41] It is where a person imagines a sexual experience while they are awake. Fantasy has less social or safety limits than in real life situations. It gives people more freedom to experiment or think of things they could not necessarily try in real life and can be anything from imagining your spouse naked, to imagining a sexual experience with a mythical creature. Common sexual fantasies include imagining activities with a loved partner, reliving past experiences and experiences with multiple partners of the opposite gender.[41] It is also common to have fantasies about things you would not do in real life and about taboo or illegal activities, such as forcing another, or being forced by another to have sex, intercourse with a stranger and sex with a boy or girl or older partner.[41][42]
It is useful for research because it makes differences between male and female heterosexual preferences clearer than studies of behaviour. Many sexual fantasies are shared between men and women, possibly because of cultural influence.[42] However, there are still gender differences that have been found. Men are more likely than women to imagine being in a dominant or active role, whereas women are more likely to imagine themselves as passive participants.[42] Women's fantasies have significantly more affection and commitment,[43] whereas men are more likely to fantasise using visual imagery and explicit detail.[44][45] One explanation of this difference comes from the evolutionary perspective. Women have a higher minimum parental investment than males (they have 9 months of gestation prior birth and are then the main care givers, whereas men only have to provide sperm to ensure their genes are passed on) and are therefore more likely to want commitment from their partner in order to gain resources to improve their offspring's chance of survival.[46]
Fantasies can have benefits, such as increasing arousal more than other forms of sexual stimuli (such as an
Dreams
Nocturnal emission orgasms or "wet dreams" or "erotic dreams" are when people ejaculate or orgasm during sleep.[51] These occur during REM (rapid eye movement) phases of sleep,[41] which is the main stage when humans dream.[52] This implies that erotic dreams alone are enough to stimulate men, but erections accompany all REM phases.[41] According to self-report data, as many as 22% of young women may also experience orgasm during sleep, with such dreams being more common in college students in higher school years than younger students.[53] The orgasms experienced were positively correlated with high emotionality, including sexual excitement, but also anxiety.[53]
Sexual role-play
Sexual role-play is when people act out characters or scenarios which may sexually stimulate each other. This can include fantasies (discussed above) and fetishes, such as BDSM (bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, sadism and masochism) or age-play. It has been described by some as an adult form of L.A.R.P (live action role-play).[54] Role-play can also be carried out online, by typing stories to each other or pretending to be a character, and is therefore a form of mental stimulation you can engage in with another person without them being physically present. Many adolescents find online role-play pleasurable and arousing.[55]
Role-play can also include sexual fan fiction, where characters from well-known stories, that were not sexually or romantically together in the original story, are written into sexual scenes. Slash fiction is a type of fan fiction where the characters of the same sex (originally male-male) engage in romantic or sexual activities. Slash fiction allows people the freedom to share stimulating things that can be counter-cultural.[56]
Role of sexual dysfunctions in sexual stimulation
Women
Physiological factors
According to the National Library of Medicine, approximately 80% of middle aged women with heart failure have reported a decrease in vaginal lubrication, leading to challenges in successful intercourse.[57] The reduction in lubrication affects the vaginal moisture during sexual activity. Women with hypoactive sexual desire (HSDD) may also experience a lack of interest in sexual stimuli, thus affecting their psychological responses to sexual cues.[57] Within the study conducted by Sandra Garcia and her colleagues, suggested that trauma-related changes may impact genital tissues, affecting blood flow and response to sexual stimulation.[58] As well as when psychologic distress is present it affects the ability to achieve orgasm despite adequate sexual stimulation.[59] This is a result of relationship issues that affect sexual stimulation and sexual response, connecting back to orgasmic difficulties.[59]
Hormonal factors
The deficiency of estrogen leads to conditions like dyspareunia, which is something important for maintaining adequate lubrication.[60] Therefore there is hormonal treatment that is used which is the addition of in-taking estrogen supplements.[60] But as well as the supplementation of testosterone, which was shown as beneficial for enhancing desire, arousal, and sexual satisfaction.[60] There could also be some hormonal changes when it comes to going through the phases of aging. A review in 'The Journal of Sexual Medicine', showed how pre-menopause women showed more sexual dissatisfaction. This was shown due to their hormonal imbalances.[61]
Responses to sexual stimulation
Brain
When sexual stimulation is perceived, there are systems in the brain that receive the stimuli and respond to it. During physiological sexual arousal, the autonomic nervous system responds to signals from central nervous system and prepares the body for sexual activity.[62] The autonomic nervous system engages the parasympathetic and sympathetic systems, which are responsible for blood flow to genital and erectile tissues, and to muscles that participate in sexual responses.[62] This results in responses like increased breathing rate, heart rate, and pupil dilation. The limbic system also plays a part in how sexual stimuli are received.[63] A study done about pleasure and brain activity in men showed that electrical stimulation of the limbic system is highly pleasurable, and can sometimes generate orgasmic responses.[63] During genital stimulation different areas of the brain are activated in men and women. For men, a study saw that genital stimulation caused part of the cerebral cortex and the insula, which is a part of the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems, to activate.[64] For women, during clitoral stimulation parts of the secondary somatosensory cortex were activated.[64] In both men and women the amygdala was deactivated.[64]
See also
References
- ISSN 1353-1131.
- OCLC 751245411.
- ^ "I Want a Better Orgasm!". WebMD. Archived from the original on 2009-01-13. Retrieved August 18, 2011.
- PMID 11497209.
Women rated clitoral stimulation as at least somewhat more important than vaginal stimulation in achieving orgasm; only about 20% indicated that they did not require additional clitoral stimulation during intercourse.
- PMID 18486835.
Most women report the inability to achieve orgasm with vaginal intercourse and require direct clitoral stimulation ... About 20% have coital climaxes...
- ^ Based on "masturbation" in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition, Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003
- PMID 17875491.
- ^ "Bulbocavernosus Reflex". Wheeless' Textbook of Orthopaedics. 2020-07-22. Retrieved 2023-06-10.
- PMID 36519736.
- ^ Amos, Jonathan (2005-07-25). "Ancient Phallus Unearthed in Cave". BBC.
- OCLC 883308309.
- ^ a b "The long, strange history of sex toys". 2013-06-19. Archived from the original on 2018-11-10. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
- OCLC 1055406389.
- OCLC 879074157.
- PMID 16681470.
- ^ a b c Pappas, Stephanie (2011-08-05). "Surprise finding in response to nipple stimulation". CBS News. Retrieved 2023-06-10.
- ^ PMID 21797981.
- S2CID 219696836.
- PMID 22665808.
- OCLC 729246375.
- ^ S2CID 24804760.
- PMID 1206469.
- PMID 11960892.
- S2CID 18912925.
- PMID 17668311.
- Sexual behavior in the human male.
- ^ Mulvey, L. (1989). Visual pleasure and narrative cinema. In Visual and other pleasures (pp. 14-26). Palgrave Macmillan UK.
- S2CID 19788356.
- PMID 8417216.
- PMID 14534252.
- PMID 18221282.
- PMID 15883379.
- PMID 10380676.
- S2CID 29672935.
- .
- PMID 663622.
- JSTOR 1146553.
- S2CID 28731412.
- PMID 7755530.
- S2CID 41278617.
- ^ a b c d e f LeVay, S., & Valente, S. M. (2006). Human sexuality (2nd ed.). Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates.
- ^ PMID 7777650.
- S2CID 144756486.
- ^ Barclay, A. M. (1973). "Sexual fantasies in men and women". Medical Aspects of Human Sexuality. 7: 205–216.
- S2CID 145369267.
- .
- PMID 22788995.
- ^ "Erotica Stories – EroticaTale". Free Sex Stories and Adult Erotica Stories. Retrieved 2020-10-27.
- ^ Anderson, M. (2012). Sexual communication in romantic relationships: An investigation into the disclosure of sexual fantasies (Order No. AAI3489846).
- PMID 15614321.
- ^ Geller, Lindsay (2019-06-07). "Whoa, You'll Never Guess What A Lesbian Sex Dream Really Means If You're Straight". Women's Health. Retrieved 2020-10-27.
- .
- ^ PMID 1003178.
- ^ Harviainen, J. T. (2011). "Sadomasochist role-playing as live-action role-playing: a trait-descriptive analysis" (PDF). International Journal of Role-Playing. 2: 59–70. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-07-06. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
- S2CID 142054076.
- ^ Kustritz, A. M. (2008). Productive (cyber) public space: Slash fan fiction's multiple imaginary (Order No. AAI3276215). Available From PsycINFO. (621716546; 2008-99030-157).
- ^
- ^
- ^
- ^ ISBN 978-1-60761-915-4.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-119-16470-8.
- ^ PMID 19219848.
Further reading
- Alan F. Dixson (26 January 2012). Primate Sexuality: Comparative Studies of the Prosimians, Monkeys, Apes, and Humans. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-954464-6. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
- Bruce Bagemihl (10 April 2000). Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-1-4668-0927-7.
stimulation.