New research on asexuality shows why it’s so important for doctors and therapists to distinguish between episodes of low libido and a consistent lack of sexual attraction

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Over the past two decades psychological studies have shown that asexuality should be classified not as a disorder but as a stable sexual orientation akin to homosexuality or heterosexuality. Both cultural awareness and clinical medicine have been slow to catch on. It's only recently that academic researchers have begun to look at asexuality not as an indicator of health problems but as a legitimate, underexplored way of being human.

In biology, the word “asexual” typically gets used in reference to species that reproduce without sex, such as bacteria and aphids. But in some species that do require mating to have offspring, such as sheep and rodents, scientists have observed individuals that don't appear driven to engage in the act.

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[–] Fosheze@lemmy.world 18 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Asexual ≠ Not liking sex. Asexual means not feeling sexual attraction. There are plenty of us with a perfectly active libido.

[–] jezebelley@leminal.space 9 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Interesting. I didn't know this. Personally, I actively avoid sex. No interest.

[–] Fosheze@lemmy.world 17 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Yep. Asexuality and aromanticism define a lack of a type of attraction. There are a lot of different ways to group attraction types but here is one of the most common ones.

Libido is entirely seperate and in many cases is only somewhat related. Of course, there are plenty of ace people like you too. But personally all of the ace people I know are the horniest people in my friend group. Not finding anyone sexually attractive doesn't stop a person from being a theoretical slut.

[–] novibe@lemmy.ml 8 points 6 months ago (3 children)

Honest question, if you are ace but also very horny, what are you horny about..? What makes you horny? This seems a bit contradictory to me.

I’m not ace, and I feel horny about things I’m sexually attracted to. I can’t imagine feeling horny for other things?

[–] Fosheze@lemmy.world 7 points 6 months ago

The gist of it is that it's the act not the person. Not feeling sexual attraction basically just means that thwre is noone I find "hot". There are still people I like for platonic reasons and I can still appreciate asthetic beauty but I never look at a person and find them sexually apealing. That doesn't mean they're unapealing it's just that I lack that specific feeling. It's like describing the taste of light; it just doesn't make sense to me.

Even if there is noone I find sexually attractive the act of sex still appeals to me just because it is fun and feels good. When it comes to potential sexual partners platonic attraction is typically what I base that on. It just a fun activity between friends like playing a board game or watching a movie. You can still constantly desire sex without feeling sexual attraction, thus horny.

[–] stephen01king@lemmy.zip 4 points 6 months ago (1 children)

You could just be horny for your own pleasure, and not towards your sexual partner.

[–] novibe@lemmy.ml 2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Huuummm but then I feel the word horny has different meanings for us. I’m not horny for pleasure, I’d say. I’m horny for things I’m sexually attracted to. And I feel pleasure in indulging in that. The horniness is not for the pleasure, it’s a feeling that represents that sexual attraction.

How would you describe being “horny for your own pleasure”?

I hope I’m not coming off like a dick, I’m just genuinely curious I swear 😆

[–] stephen01king@lemmy.zip 1 points 6 months ago

Well, I'm not asexual, so I can't really answer for them. But there are times where I am more turned on by the feeling of pleasure than by the subject I am faced with, in a sense. I would assume that is how it works for asexual people.

[–] Chee_Koala@lemmy.world 1 points 6 months ago

*Not ace. Getting horny for me feels like a reptile brain thing intruding in my normal life. It's like my body has a very limited use superpower, and can randomly provide hornyness at specific and un-specific moments :) I responded to you because 'just getting horny' seems weird to you, while it doesn't to me.