Excuse me sir, are you happy to see me?

September 27, 2007 12:08 PM

Why is it easier for me to achieve sexual arousal now rather than 10 years ago?

This is something I've noticed over the last couple of years. I'm really not sure if this is a phenomenon that has been researched or not.

I'm currently 29. About 10 years ago, I remember that I would only be sexually aroused by the sight of nude or near nude women. Women wearing provocative clothing were nice to look at, but did nothing for me.

Now, I find myself aroused if a woman is showing even a hint of cleavage or wearing a tight fitting top. I find that I have sexual fantasies much more often about my girlfriend and other women than I did as a 19 year old.

According to my intuition, isn't this the opposite of how it should be? I thought that sexual arousal was easier to achieve at a younger age, and that when you got older, it waned.

Any thoughts or explanations would be appreciated.

posted by anonymous to Science & Nature (11 answers total)

Totally random idea - are you eating better now than you were? Drinking less alcohol? Doing less drugs?

Maybe you're tastes have changed over time?

IANASexTherapist(as you can probably tell).
posted by Solomon at 12:13 PM on September 27, 2007

well, experience could have conditioned you to become aroused--now that you are more worldly, you respond more quickly.

if it's really drastically different, though, if you can't control your urges, or if you've had other personality changes, you might make sure you haven't developed a hormone imbalance or a psychiatric issue (bipolar disorder can sometimes result in hypersexuality). but it's probably just good fortune more than anything else, so i wouldn't worry. :)
posted by thinkingwoman at 12:29 PM on September 27, 2007

What sex are you? That might be important to know here.

*snort* Three guesses -- and the first two don't count.
Another clue might be found in the title "Excuse me sir..."
posted by Lame_username at 12:50 PM on September 27, 2007

Were you depressed and/or getting less exercise 10 years ago?
posted by epugachev at 1:14 PM on September 27, 2007

getting less sex?

life more boring?

more stressful?
posted by Salvatorparadise at 1:20 PM on September 27, 2007

Your interests, experiences, and/or physical health may have changed in the past 10 years. 10 years ago you may have been more interested in video games, or you may have been timid/shy (discomfort with one's sexuality), more sedentary, etc. Could be bunches of stuff. None of which I'd worry about.

Unless it's interfering with your life in a serious way; unless you think you've developed a perversion or addiction you can't control, etc. In which case, get thee to a therapist.
posted by iguanapolitico at 1:26 PM on September 27, 2007

There are prescription drugs that list this as a side effect.
posted by klangklangston at 1:37 PM on September 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

My arousal these days is often tied to 1) memory of real-life events and 2) the potential for future events. Which means that clothed hot bods can set me off in a way that they wouldn't have when I was less experienced and less confident. I've also grown more observant of the bits that make people hot. Not just butts, the way *that* person walks *that* makes that butt totally hot.
posted by wemayfreeze at 2:00 PM on September 27, 2007

I think I've read that testosterone peaks in men in the late 20s/early 30s, so that might explain it. Sorry, no links.

I know putting on muscle is much easier for me now than it was 10 years ago.

And I might be hornier.
posted by mpls2 at 2:59 PM on September 27, 2007

You've probably had more experiences of a woman wearing clothing morphing into a nude or near-nude woman, and have linked the first concept with the second on a visceral level.
posted by yohko at 5:46 PM on September 27, 2007

Why question? Enjoy!
posted by nakedcodemonkey at 10:36 PM on September 27, 2007 [1 favorite]