What is being autosexual –

A while ago, socialite Kourtney Kardashian shared an article about autosexuality. In it, the therapist casey tanner defined this term as “a trait in which someone is aroused by engaging in their own eroticism”.

Want to understand better? People explain.

WHAT IS AUTOSEXUALITY

No, it doesn’t mean that you necessarily just feel like having sex with yourself, but you feel sexual attraction for yourself and not in the sense of just feeling sexy but actually feeling sexual desire when you think about yourself.

It is common for autosexual people to experience sexual desire when looking in the mirror, to prefer masturbation to all other types of physical or sexual contact, and to become aroused by the thought or act of their own performance during sex.

Tanner tells us that, like most human traits, autosexuality is on a spectrum – and most of us are on it! Some may identify as exclusively autosexual (in which case they may consider autosexuality their sexual orientation). Most people, however, incorporate autosexuality into a broader sexual repertoire that also includes being turned on by partners.

IT IS NOT NARCISISM

If that thought crossed your mind, think again.

“O narcissism it is a consequence of the anxiety itself, of a power that people believe they have and think they are better than others”, explains the PhD, neuroscientist, neuropsychologist and biologist Fabiano de Abreu.

It is a personality disorder that, because it makes a person feel better, indicates an intense lack of empathy for others.

Autosexuality, on the other hand, is a sexual orientation that names a sexual preference.

HOW TO KNOW IF YOU ARE AUTOSEXUAL

1

Do you prefer masturbation to all other types of sex?

– (CSA-Printstock/Getty Images)

It is common for autosexuals to prefer masturbation to sex with other people. Do you ever wish your partner would leave the sex scene so you could finish it on your own? Calm!

Preferring solo sex over partnered or partnered sex is not, by itself, an indication that someone is autosexual. There are a number of reasons why someone might prefer sex alone, but if the reason is because you’re more attracted to yourself than the person there with you, then that’s a symptom.

two

You are more attracted to yourself than your partners

Yes, you can be more attractive than your partner and you know it. It doesn’t mean anything. But autosexuals get aroused from thinking of themselves in sexual scenarios and not from doing a sexual act with someone else, but from the image of themselves being sexual.

3

Do you love having sex in front of the mirror?

Masturbating in front of a mirror is a good way to learn more about your personal pleasure preferences. But if you do it specifically to admire yourself, that could be a symptom – but not necessarily.

I’M AUTOSEXUAL, NOW WHAT?

– (Serge Krouglikoff/Getty Images)

If you suspect that you are autosexual, there is no reason to seek help unless your experience of attraction is actively causing you pain. Autosexuals can have happy and healthy relationships.

That’s because, in a relationship, people have sexual and romantic orientations. Sexual orientation describes the genders one is sexually attracted to, while romantic orientation describes one’s pattern of romantic attraction. And while the two are sometimes aligned, they don’t have to be.

That is, you can be exclusively autosexual but feel emotionally attracted to someone else.

“Whether a relationship is healthy depends on the partners respecting each other and their individual sexual and romantic preferences,” says Casey.