Essay On Human Sexuality

Sexual intercourse is a biological imperative for all animals, including humans, as it ensures the survival of the species by passing on favorable genes to the next generation. However, human sexuality is much more complex than mere reproduction. Humans are rational and social beings with emotions, beliefs, and behaviors that are influenced by both biological and cultural factors. Sexual behaviors are entangled in this web of complexity, making human relationships extremely complicated and easily influenced by internal and external forces and motivations. For instance, cultural assumptions about sex drive, or libido, between males and females have become almost solely cultural phenomena. While there is some biological basis for these representations of sex drive according to gender, it is not always as clear-cut as it seems.

When someone is hungry, there is an internal force telling them to eat, and things such as the smell or sight of food may influence that hunger as well. Sex drive and hunger are basic instincts that humans are biologically programmed to have, and they can both be affected by outside forces that stimulate the senses. In addition, psychological triggers such as ghosts from our past, interruptions, or a tiring day at work can spark up unconscious feelings and have an effect on a person’s sex drive (Small 44). Coupled with individual differences, the complexity of the human brain makes it difficult to determine what stimuli instigate sexual arousal. According to the textbook Our Sexuality, “we do not all respond similarly to the same stimuli. Some people can become highly aroused if their partners use explicit sexual language; others find such words threatening or a sexual turnoff” (Crooks and Baur 146). Every person experiences a unique life, so it only makes sense that the same behavior can be pleasurable or disgusting depending on who is asked. Although individual differences play a significant role in sexual arousal and sex drive, there are specific parts of the brain involved in sexual thoughts and behaviors for all sexes. Crooks and Baur cite a few of them. The cerebral cortex, responsible for higher mental processes, is the site of sexual fantasies.