Sex is a set of mental reactions and actions associated with the manifestation and satisfaction of human sexual desire. Sex and sexuality are somewhat ambiguous terms with different concepts and perceptions in wide circles and scientific frameworks. People often link sex and love, finding them almost identical, but this is far from the case. Sex is primarily about human reproductive functions, including the sexual response cycle. However, the primary purpose of sex is not a reproduction but a mixture of genes from two parents (Roughgarden, 2017). Sex is usually expressed as a physical and emotional connection between people.
Sexual attraction can be related to a person’s physical or other traits, such as aesthetic perception, voice, or smell. Sexual attraction can be often influenced by genetic or psychological factors that the person is not aware of and have a subjective evaluation. Lehmiller (2017) indicates that “the generic roles adopted by men and women seem to be influenced by the sex hormones they were exposed to while developing in the womb” (p. 7). Sex can be called the result of sexual attraction when there is a combination of mutually attractive qualities.
Sex is greatly influenced by socio-cultural phenomena such as morals, traditions, religion, and current trends. People try to evaluate other people’s sexual activity to determine a norm, but the seek of a sexual partner and average sexual act frequency is generally overestimated (Beasley, 2018). For having a healthy sexual relationship, it is essential to understand oneself and one’s feelings.
To summarize, sex is often the result of a physical and emotional response to another person, but sex is not always about love. Several perspectives define the modern idea of sexuality, including history, culture, society, physiology, and psychology. Sex is an essential part of a relationship, and it is the right attitude towards sex that can improve a person both emotionally and physically.
References
Beasley E. (2018). Misperceptions of the social world: What we get wrong about sex, race, money, and violence. Routledge.
Lehmiller, J. J. (2017). The psychology of human sexuality. John Wiley & Sons.
Roughgarden, J. (2017). What is sex? What is gender? The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide, 24(1), 20-24.