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TRUE NATUREIntimacy and sexual psychology · 18+
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TRUE NATURE editorial

Can you feel romantic attraction without sexual attraction — and vice versa?

We tend to talk about attraction as if it were a single feeling, even though romantic and sexual attraction are different experiences. Some people feel one without the other; some have different romantic and sexual orientations, and some experience one kind of attraction only weakly or not at all.


In a combined analysis of seven studies, 4,032 people who identified as asexual described different patterns of romantic attraction; 74% reported experiencing it. In another study, some allosexual participants' romantic and sexual orientations did not align. This shows that these kinds of attraction can differ, though the findings do not set one pattern for everyone. Identity is a personal way of describing yourself, not a diagnosis others can assign based on one sign.

These differences do not make anyone's feelings “incomplete,” and they do not require finding a label right away. Some people feel romantic attraction without sexual attraction; others feel sexual attraction without romantic attraction. The desire to have sex and the wish to pursue a relationship are separate questions: they do not always follow directly from attraction and can change over time. It may be more useful to ask yourself: what do I want right now, and what do I need to discuss with the other person? An honest answer may be more complicated than the familiar script and still be completely normal.

Research and further reading


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

Editorial approach

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