A brief update on the specificity of sexual arousal

Abstract

In this article I review research on specificity of sexual arousal conducted since 2005. Three lines of investigation – sexual psychophysiology, visual attention and brain response – demonstrate convergence; women's response is non-specific whereas men's is specific to preferred sexual stimuli. The implications of these findings, with respect to the nature of sexual features that elicit genital response in women, the relationship between sexual orientation and sexual arousal and the role of genital-subjective concordance in women's sexual functioning, are discussed.

Keywords:

• sexual arousal
• gender difference
• sexual preference
• sexual interest
• sexual response
• sexual orientation
• female
• male

Notes

1. We defined sexual orientation as relative sexual attraction to women and men rather than use sexual identity labels (e.g., lesbian) because, among women, there is significantly greater variability in the agreement between identity and sexual attractions than among men.