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TRUE NATUREIntimacy and sexual psychology · 18+
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TRUE NATURE editorial

Why can the body respond even when you do not want sex at all?

This is one of those facts about sexuality that people deserve to learn much earlier than most of us do.


Physiological response and subjective arousal do not always match.

A person can have an erection or vaginal lubrication in a situation they absolutely do not want to continue. And the reverse can also happen: someone may feel strongly sexually aroused while their genital response is weaker than expected.

It is particularly dangerous to treat an automatic bodily response as evidence of consent: “But you were wet,” “But you had an erection.”

That tells us nothing about whether the person wanted what was happening to continue.

The body can respond automatically to a sexually relevant stimulus. Consent remains a person’s decision, not a reflex of their genitals.


Educational articles for general information. They do not replace advice from a qualified professional.

Editorial approach

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