Discover the five different types of attraction

Attraction is essential to building a sense of connection, especially when meeting new people.

Although it is a universal feeling, human attraction can be difficult to understand. Attraction is the feeling of closeness, interest, or desire you feel for someone. You may have heard the term “attraction” used primarily in sexual or romantic contexts, but attraction is not limited to these categories and has many different types.

You can experience attraction in many ways. This can include things like admiring or being interested in the subject of your attraction and wanting to connect with them. Attraction varies over time and is influenced by many factors. As you may have experienced, sometimes it doesn’t take much for your feelings or preferences to change, and that’s perfectly natural. Attraction can’t be put into a single box. It’s an individual experience and it’s about connecting with other people in a healthy way that makes everyone involved happy.

How Human Attraction Works and Why It Matters

Understanding how human attraction works is important because it plays a key role in chemistry and interpersonal relationships. Knowing what you like also helps you develop a stronger sense of self-awareness. Ultimately, it increases your understanding of how to approach and what to expect from relationships.

Attraction is essential to building a sense of connection, especially when meeting new people. Once you understand the complex nature of attraction, you will gain insight into your own feelings. This can help you set boundaries that protect your comfort zone. You will also be able to better respect and relate to the feelings of others and expect the same in return, resulting in rewarding interpersonal experiences.

What are the types of attraction?

Attraction is generally classified into five main types:

1. Sexual attraction. It involves an intense desire for intimate sexual contact with others of the same or different genders. It is divided into:

Subjective sexual attraction: when you have sexual feelings for a specific person based on your personal experiences with them, such as in relationships.

Objective sexual attraction: when many people find someone sexually attractive (e.g., a movie star), but you may or may not find them sexually attractive.

Lust: when you experience intense feelings of sexual desire, passion, and sometimes affection for a person.

Sexuality describes the way people express their sexual feelings. Sexual attraction helps you identify your sexuality. For example, asexuality is when you are not sexually attracted, while pansexuality is when you are sexually attracted to multiple genders.

2. Physical attraction. This involves the desire for physical contact, but not in a sexual or romantic context (for example, hugging or petting a dog). It is divided into:

Intimacy: when you are simply looking for a feeling of physical closeness or connection between people.

Sensuality: when you have a desire to touch or be touched by someone, but not in a sexual way.

Subjective physical attraction:when you feel physical desire, admiration, or affection for someone based on your interactions with them.

Objective physical attraction: when many people find someone physically attractive, but you may not necessarily be attracted to that person’s physical appearance.

3. Emotional attraction. This involves a desire for closeness or connection that may not include any physical contact. It is broken down as follows:

haughty This is when your desire for emotional closeness is neither entirely romantic nor entirely unromantic.

Attached It’s when you have a special emotional bond with someone (e.g. family members).

Intellectual It’s when you’re simply attracted to someone’s intelligence.

Love is when you experience strong or deep feelings of emotional connection and attachment to someone.

Passion It’s when you experience intense feelings of desire for someone.

Platonic is when you want to have a non-romantic, non-sexual relationship with someone (e.g. friends).

ProtectorIt’s when you want to take care of someone (e.g. pets).

Social This is when you are popular and generally liked by most people.

Squish or almost platonicTHE is when you want a strong but non-romantic emotional relationship with someone (i.e. the non-romantic version of a crush).

Zucchini (queerplatonic) is when you have strong, committed, but platonic (not romantic) relationships with two or more people.

4. Romantic attraction. This involves a combination of physical, sexual and emotional feelings towards someone. It is broken down as follows:

A romantic This is when you don’t want a romantic relationship.

Self-romantic This is when you have romantic feelings towards yourself.

Biromantic is when you have romantic feelings for people of more than one gender.

Crush (flirting) It’s when you have a strong desire for a romantic relationship with a specific person.

DemiromanticThis is when you can only experience romantic feelings after you have built an emotional connection with someone.

GrayromanticThis is the time when you experience romantic feelings extremely rarely.

Heteroromantic is when you have romantic feelings towards the opposite sex.

Homoromantic is when you have romantic feelings towards the same sex.

PanromanticThis is when you have romantic feelings towards all genders.

Polyromantic This is when you have romantic feelings towards multiple genders, but not all.

5. Aesthetic attraction. It involves feelings of admiration for a person’s appearance without any physical, sexual, or romantic desire for them. This type of attraction often accompanies other types of attraction in relationships. For example, you might like someone’s dress sense and also be physically attracted to them.

How to deal with attraction

Attraction can have a significant impact on your behavior and decisions. For example, you are likely to have positive expectations about the personality traits of someone you find physically attractive. This is called the halo effect. Because of its complex nature, attraction can often be confusing. Therefore, having a clear understanding of your feelings is essential to making good decisions.

Here are some tips to guide you on how to process your feelings of attraction and behave wisely:

-Develop self-awareness and acceptance. Give yourself enough space and time to make peace with your preferences. This will help you clarify your priorities and choices, making it less likely that you will deceive someone else or be disappointed.

-Have a clear understanding of your limits. Establishing and maintaining personal boundaries early on can give you a sense of security in a new relationship. It can also help the other person understand your expectations and avoid doing anything that makes you uncomfortable.

-Set clear goals. Clearly communicating what you want increases your chances of success in relationships because you minimize the chances of misunderstandings or mismatched expectations.

-Don’t follow the model. There is no “right” way to be attracted to someone or build a relationship. Any preference that respects yourself and others is valid. Don’t try to follow anyone’s lead and always trust your feelings for accurate guidance.

-Be prepared for changes. Your or your partner’s desires and preferences may change over time. Be adaptable and communicate openly to avoid any emotional reactions.

If you are having trouble dealing with your feelings or managing your relationships, don’t hesitate to seek professional help. Guidance can provide clarity and improve the quality of your social interactions.

Source: WebMD

Source: Terra

Ben

Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.