Sensual attraction involves the desire for physical closeness without sexual intent, including acts like cuddling, holding hands, or gentle touches. Sensual attraction focuses on non-sexual touch that provides comfort, affection, and a sense of connection. It’s about enjoying physical closeness with others in ways that feel affectionate and nurturing without romance or sexuality.
Jamie loves to share non-sexual affection with close friends and family, enjoying hugs, cuddles, and the comfort of physical closeness. They often feel drawn to friends who also appreciate this type of connection, finding joy in affectionate gestures that aren’t romantic or sexual. One evening, after a stressful day, Jamie’s friend offered them a long hug, which instantly made them feel better. For Jamie, sensual attraction means connecting through touch that offers comfort, warmth, and a sense of care. This attraction allows them to express closeness without romantic intentions, celebrating affection in its simplest form. It’s a way for Jamie to feel supported and connected, creating bonds through gentle, affectionate touch.
Sensual Attraction
Sensual attraction is a form of non-sexual physical attraction, where someone might feel drawn to engaging in close, affectionate interactions with a specific person. This could include gentle touch, kissing, cuddling, hugging, or massaging. Sensual attraction, directed at certain genders, often shapes an individual’s sensual orientation, which is usually described with terms like “heterosensual” or “bisensual.”
Someone who regularly feels sensual attraction is often called allosensual. On the other hand, people who rarely experience it might identify as asensual or fall somewhere on the asensual spectrum. Occasionally, a strong craving for this type of close, intimate contact with another person is referred to as a “lush.”
Sensual attraction is sometimes confused with a general desire for touch, known as sensual drive, or the more intense need for physical contact called touch-starvation. Both sensual drive and touch-starvation can cause someone to seek out physical closeness, but unlike sensual attraction, these feelings aren’t directed at any particular individual. Sensual attraction specifically involves a desire for closeness with a certain person.
Due to its physical nature, sensual attraction can also be misinterpreted as sexual attraction. This is why people often assume that any relationship involving affectionate touch will inevitably lead to sex. However, distinguishing sensual attraction as its own form of connection allows individuals to clarify their boundaries and understand the levels of intimacy they desire.
History
The concept of sensual attraction was first discussed in 2009 on the AVEN forums by a user named Ender. Ender introduced the term as a way to describe why some asexual individuals in romantic relationships aren’t simply platonic friends with their partners. Ender defined sensual attraction as a desire to engage in affectionate, physical acts—such as kissing, cuddling, hugging, or holding hands—with a particular individual.
Sources
- pride-color-schemes. “Sensual.” Tumblr, July 8, 2016. Link
- ASEXUALITY, ATTRACTION, AND ROMANTIC ORIENTATION. LGBT Center. Accessed May 10, 2023. Link
- Brognano, Andrea. “What Does It Mean to Be Touch Starved?” Choosing Therapy, February 6, 2023. Link
- Ender. “Sensual Attraction.” The AVEN, December 6, 2009. Link
- Kunde, Roma. “What Are the Types of Attraction?” WebMD, November 7, 2022. Link
- life-of-an-asexual. “Desires for Relations Based on Types of Attraction.” A-spectacular Life, November 16, 2014. Link
- Paramo, Michael. “On Sensual Attraction: Yes, Sometimes People Do ‘Just Want to Cuddle.’” AZE Journal, August 19, 2018. Link