Is romantic attraction basically an emotional attraction?

[gray-a girl]

I am wondering, is romantic attraction like an emotional attraction? Like, this is the person you want to spend time with, and you feel emotionally drawn to them? Thats how I am understanding it.... whereas sexual attraction is, you get turned on by the person and want to do things with them because they turn you on.

[uniQChick]

You are correct romantic attraction is an emotional response. Here is some more info on this topic.

[Zagadka]

My instinct was going to say that romantic attraction is emotional attraction with an added element of obligation to that person as a partner, but I'm not sure. That is how I see romance, anyway.

[Guest]

6 hours ago, gray-a girl said:

this is the person you want to spend time with, and you feel emotionally drawn to them?

The romantic attraction definition there is accurate (it's definitely emotional) but

 

6 hours ago, gray-a girl said:

you get turned on by the person and want to do things with them because they turn you on.

the sexual one is completely inaccurate.

 

Only SOME sexual people get 'turned on' by other people.

 

For many sexual people, sex is just an enjoyable and intimate activity that they have a preference for over masturbation. When they have a romantic partner, that's when they actively desire to enjoy sex as part of their emotional intimacy. That's how sex is for many of the sexual people I know (myself included). And sex can be any intimate pleasurable activity involving arousal and/or orgasm, doesn't have to be PiV (which I'm not into personally).

 

Sex can also be something people just have with friends (or even strangers) for fun and pleasure.

 

Only SOME people get 'turned on' by others, and want sex with them as a result solely of being turned on by them though. That sounds like a pretty emotionless and shallow way to have sex to me personally, but some people do genuinely enjoy having sex solely based on the appearance of others. That's only ONE expression of sexuality though.

 

There are many expressions of sexual attraction and at the root of them all is just a desire to connect with someone else on a sexual level for the sexual and/or emotional pleasure of sex. That's what really makes someone 'sexual' at the end of the day.

[Sandfire12]

Yeah, I reckon romantic attraction is a form of emotional attraction. I don't have much experience in the field of romance, so take my advice with a grain of salt, but I believe, at its simplest, romantic attraction is defined as wanting a romantic relationship with someone. It's finding all their little mannerisms and all the things they say endearing, and wanting to know more about them, even the little, meaningless things. It's desiring an emotional connection with them that goes beyond friendship.

 

I hope this made some semblance of sense - I don't really understand romantic attraction myself, and am still trying to piece it all together, but this is my current understanding of it!

[Bloc]

Romantic attraction is difficult to define. If you take "wanting a romantic relationship with someone specific" then you are still at the point what makes a relationship romantic? Are these just the signed society sees as romantic like holding hands, kissing, having candle light dinners? You can do this with any person.

 

In the following I try to get closer to it, but won't give an definition.

 

I personally would say it is a connection on an emotional level which is different from from friendship. It doesn't necessarily mean that this connection is deeper. At least for me being physically attracted to them is part of it, but there are also friends I like to cuddle with and who I even would kiss if they would want but I would say that I romantically attracted to them. An important part of being romantically attracted to someone is wanting to share at least a significant part of your life and deep secrets with them. Also this is something you can feel for your best friends you don't have a physical attraction to.

 

I would assume that romantic attraction is, at least for me, when all these things come together and you feel that it is different than being friends with someone. But in the end it is not important if the connection is romantic or not. Your connection with every single person is different and has its own value. Some may be more important to you may they be romantic or not. For some people the connection to a romantic partner is their most important relationship, for others it is their non-romantic friend.

[Sally]

Romantic attraction is emotional, but it also has a component of wanting to be physically near the other person.  Not in a sexual sense, though.  Sexuals who are in a romantic relationship  feel sexual toward their partners, but asexuals can have romantic feelings toward their partner without any sexual component (that was my longtime experience).  

[Someone Else]

I don't like to fight about definitions, but for my own personal mind, I preferred emotional attraction.