Human sexuality is how people experience the erotic and express themselves as sexual beings; the awareness of themselves as males or females; the capacity they have for erotic experiences and responses.[1] Human sexuality can be described as the way someone is attracted to other people. What they feel can be heterosexual (attracted to the opposite sex), homosexual (attracted to the same sex) or bisexual (attracted to both sexes).[2]
Human sexual behavior is different from the sexual behavior of most other animals, in that it is practiced for reasons besides copulation. That is, while most animals seem to be driven solely to reproduce, humans, dolphins, (and some other species such as bonobos) participate in sexual acts for the reasons such as joy, compliance or boredom, not just reproduction.
The term Human sexuality can also cover cultural, political, legal and philosophical aspects. It may also refer to issues of morality, ethics, theology, spirituality or religion and how they relate to all things sexual.
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simple answer.
Sexual drives among straights, homosexuals, bisexuals, and others are all driven partially by their genetics and also by superior mental activity and by social, cultural, educational, and normative characteristics of those places where the subjects grow up and their personality develops.[3]
Each of these sexual lifestyles will then drive personal identity and in the social evolution of individuals.[3] And will be a powerful force that affects all social activities.[4]
[edit] Evidence for nature
Twins are more likely to share sexual orientation than other close genetic ties. This is probably due to their identical genes and similar en utero chemicals.
[edit] Evidence for nurture
Second born children are more likely to be homosexual, or bisexual due to chemical differences en utero during pregnancy. This is probably due to an evolutionary anti-incentive of two highly competitive brothers or sisters.
[edit] Biology and physiology
The biological aspects of human sexuality deal with human reproduction and the physical means with which to carry it out(sexual intercourse). They also deal with the influence of biological factors on other aspects of sexuality, such as organic and neurological responses,[5] heredity, hormonal issues, gender issues and sexual dysfunction.[6]
For the sake of reproduction, normally a male will stimulate a woman until she is ready to have sex. Then he will penetrate her vagina with his penis. After repeated thrusts of his midsection and buttocks—causing the penis to partially retract from, then reenter, the vagina—the man will ejaculate his semen. This may lead to insemination, which may lead to pregnancy.
During this time there are many other biological changes which have little or nothing to do with reproduction and can be generalized to any sexual act, not just that between a man and a woman. These include, increase in body temperature, increase in levels of pleasurable hormones.
[edit] Benefits
See also: Sexual intercourse#Health benefits
- Apart from the case of a desired pregnancy and childbirth, sex has a wide range of health benefits including relief from stress, more immunity through increased immunoglobulin A, reduced risk of heart attack and of prostate cancer, and sounder sleep.[7]
[edit] Drawbacks
- Sex can leave a person tired, physically, and feeling drained. Sex often leads to sleep.
- An undesired pregnancy is a common side-effect of unprotected, and rarely protected, sex.
[edit] Sociocultural aspects
Women's liberation demonstration, 1970
Human sexuality can also be understood as part of the social life of humans, governed by implied rules of behavior and the status quo. This focus narrows the view to groups within a society.[6] The sociocultural aspect examines influences on and from social norms, including the effects of politics and the mass media. Such movements can help to bring about massive changes in the social norm — examples include the sexual revolution and the rise of feminism.[8][9]
The link between constructed sex meanings and racial ideologies has been studied. Sexual meanings are constructed to maintain racial-ethnic-national boundaries, by denigration of "others" and regulation of sexual behavior within the group. "Both adherence to and deviation from such approved behaviors, define and reinforce racial, ethnic, and nationalist regimes."[10][11]
The age and manner in which children are informed of issues of sexuality is a matter of sex education. The school systems in almost all developed countries have some form of sex education, but the nature of the issues covered varies widely. In some countries (such as Australia and much of Europe) "age-appropriate" sex education often begins in pre-school, whereas other countries leave sex education to the pre-teenage and teenage years.[12] Sex education covers a range of topics, including the physical, mental, and social aspects of sexual behavior.
[edit] Psychological aspects
Sigmund Freud with daughter Anna
Sexuality in humans generates profound emotional and psychological responses. Some
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