Editing Sexual stimulation (section)

==Alternative routes==
The human sexual response is a dynamic combination of cognitive, emotional, and physiological processes. Whilst the most common forms of sexual stimulation discussed are [[Sexual fantasy|fantasy]] or physical stimulation of the genitals and other erogenous areas, sexual arousal may also be mediated through alternative routes such as visual, olfactory and auditory means.

===Visual===
Perhaps the most researched non-tactile form of sexual stimulation is visual sexual stimulation.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Arnow |first1=Bruce A. |last2=Desmond |first2=John E. |last3=Banner |first3=Linda L. |last4=Glover |first4=Gary H. |last5=Solomon |first5=Ari |last6=Polan |first6=Mary Lake |author-link6=Mary Lake Polan |last7=Atlas |first7=Scott William |author-link7=Scott Atlas |last8=Lue |first8=Tom F. |year=2002 |title=Brain activation and sexual arousal in healthy, heterosexual males |url=https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/125/5/1014/328126?login=false |journal=[[Brain (journal)|Brain]] |volume=125 |issue=5 |pages=1014–1023 |doi=10.1093/brain/awf108 |issn=1460-2156 |oclc=8254606391 |pmid=11960892 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Karama |first1=Sherif |last2=Lecours |first2=André Roch |last3=Leroux |first3=Jean-Maxime |last4=Bourgouin |first4=Pierre |last5=Beaudoin |first5=Gilles |last6=Joubert |first6=Sven |last7=Beauregard |first7=Mario |author-link7=Mario Beauregard |year=2002 |title=Areas of brain activation in males and females during viewing of erotic film excerpts |journal=[[Human Brain Mapping]] |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=1–13 |doi=10.1002/hbm.10014 |issn=1065-9471 |oclc=5153773005 |pmc=6871831 |pmid=11870922 |s2cid=18912925 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rupp |first1=Heather A. |last2=Wallen |first2=Kim |year=2008 |title=Sex differences in response to visual sexual stimuli: A review |journal=[[Archives of Sexual Behavior]] |volume=37 |issue=2 |pages=206–218 |doi=10.1007/s10508-007-9217-9 |issn=0004-0002 |oclc=264113859 |pmc=2739403 |pmid=17668311}}</ref> An apparent example is the act of [[voyeurism]]{{snd}}a practice where an individual covertly watches another undress or engage in sexual behaviour. Although seen socio-historically as an unacceptable form of '[[Paraphilia|sexual deviation]]', it highlights the human tendency to find sexual stimulation through purely visual routes. The multibillion-dollar [[porn]] industry is another example. A common presumption is that men respond more strongly to visual sexual stimuli than do women. This is perhaps best exemplified by the [[Alfred Kinsey|Kinsey]] hypothesis that men are more prone to sexual arousal from visual stimulation than are women.<ref>Kinsey, A. C., Pomeroy, W. B., Martin, C. E., & Sloan, S. (1948). [[Sexual behavior in the human male]].</ref><ref>Mulvey, L. (1989). [http://theslideprojector.com/pdffiles/art6/visualpleasureandnarrativecinema.pdf Visual pleasure and narrative cinema]. In ''Visual and other pleasures'' (pp. 14-26). Palgrave Macmillan UK.</ref> Nonetheless, both sexes can be sexually aroused through visual stimulation. In one study, visual stimulation was tested by means of an erotic video. Although significantly higher in the male group, sexual arousal was the main emotional reaction reported by both sexes. Their physiological responses to the video also showed characteristics of sexual arousal, such as increased urinary excretions of [[Epinephrine|adrenaline]].<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Levi | first1 = L | year = 1969 | title = Sympatho-adrenomedullary activity, diuresis, and emotional reactions during visual sexual stimulation in human females and males | journal = Psychosomatic Medicine | volume = 31 | issue = 3| pages = 251–268 | doi=10.1097/00006842-196905000-00005| pmid = 5790114 | citeseerx = 10.1.1.564.5354 | s2cid = 19788356 }}</ref> A subsequent study investigating male arousal showed that men were able to achieve rigid [[erection]]s through visual stimulation of an erotic film alone.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Lee | first1 = B. | last2 = Sikka | first2 = S. C. | last3 = Randrup | first3 = E. R. | last4 = Villemarette | first4 = P. | last5 = Baum | first5 = N. | last6 = Hower | first6 = J. F. | last7 = Hellstrom | first7 = W. J. | year = 1993 | title = Standardization of penile blood flow parameters in normal men using intracavernous prostaglandin E1 and visual sexual stimulation | journal = The Journal of Urology | volume = 149 | issue = 1| pages = 49–52 | doi=10.1016/s0022-5347(17)35996-7| pmid = 8417216 }}</ref>

Studies that use visual stimulation as a means for sexual stimulation find that sexual arousal is predominantly correlated with an activation in [[Limbic system|limbic]] and [[paralimbic cortex]] and in [[Cerebral cortex|subcortical]] structures, along with a deactivation in several parts of the [[temporal cortex]]. These same areas are activated during physical sexual stimulation, highlighting how powerful visual stimulation can be as a means of [[sexual arousal]].<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Holstege | first1 = G. | last2 = Georgiadis | first2 = J. R. | last3 = Paans | first3 = A. M. | last4 = Meiners | first4 = L. C. | last5 = van der Graaf | first5 = F. H. | last6 = Reinders | first6 = A. S. | year = 2003 | title = Brain activation during human male ejaculation | journal = The Journal of Neuroscience | volume = 23 | issue = 27| pages = 9185–9193 | doi = 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.23-27-09185.2003 | pmid = 14534252 | pmc = 6740826 }}</ref>

===Olfactory===
Olfactory information is critical to human sexual behavior. One study investigating olfactory sexual stimulation found that heterosexual men experience sexual arousal in response to a female perfume. Individuals rated odourant stimulation and perceived sexual arousal. They also had [[Functional magnetic resonance imaging|functional MRI]] scans taken during the experiment. The results showed that olfactory stimulation with women's perfume produces activation of specific brain areas associated with sexual arousal in men.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Huh | first1 = J. | last2 = Park | first2 = K. | last3 = Hwang | first3 = I. S. | last4 = Jung | first4 = S. I. | last5 = Kim | first5 = H. J. | last6 = Chung | first6 = T. W. | last7 = Jeong | first7 = G. W. | year = 2008 | title = Brain activation areas of sexual arousal with olfactory stimulation in men: A preliminary study using functional MRI | url = http://www.jsm.jsexmed.org/article/S1743-6095(15)31972-X/fulltext | journal = The Journal of Sexual Medicine | volume = 5 | issue = 3| pages = 619–625 | doi=10.1111/j.1743-6109.2007.00717.x| pmid = 18221282 | url-access = subscription }}</ref> Another study found that homosexual men displayed similar [[hypothalamus|hypothalamic]] activation to that of heterosexual women when smelling a testosterone derivate present in male sweat, suggesting that [[sexual orientation]] plays a role in how humans experience olfactory sexual stimulation.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Savic | first1 = Ivanka | last2 = Berglund | first2 = Hans | last3 = Lindström | first3 = Per | year = 2005 | title = Brain response to putative pheromones in homosexual men | journal = Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America | volume = 102 | issue = 20| pages = 67356–7361 | doi=10.1073/pnas.0407998102| pmid = 15883379 | pmc = 1129091 | bibcode = 2005PNAS..102.7356S | doi-access = free }}</ref>

Evolutionary analysis of sex differences in reproductive strategies can help explain the importance of smell in sexual arousal due to its link to immunological profile and offspring viability.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Rikowski | first1 = A. | last2 = Grammer | first2 = K. | year = 1999 | title = Human body odour, symmetry and attractiveness | journal = Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences | volume = 266 | issue = 1422| pages = 869–874 | doi=10.1098/rspb.1999.0717| pmid = 10380676 | pmc = 1689917 }}</ref> This is because olfactory cues may be able to trigger an [[incest]] avoidance mechanism by reflecting parts of an individual's genetic equipment. In one study, males rated visual and olfactory information as being equally important for selecting a lover, while females considered olfactory information to be the single most important variable in [[mate choice]]. Additionally, when considering sexual activity, females singled out [[Body odor|body odour]] from all other sensory experiences as most able to negatively affect desire.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Herz | first1 = R. S. | last2 = Cahill | first2 = E. D. | year = 1997 | title = Differential use of sensory information in sexual behavior as a function of gender | url = https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225106584 | format = PDF | journal = Human Nature | volume = 8 | issue = 3| pages = 275–286 | doi=10.1007/bf02912495| pmid = 26196967 | s2cid = 29672935 }}</ref>

===Auditory===
Auditory stimulants may also serve to intensify sexual arousal and the experience of pleasure. Making sounds during sexual arousal and sexual activity is widespread among primates and humans. These include sighs, moans, strong expirations and inspirations, increased breathing rate and occasionally, at orgasm, screams of ecstasy. Many of these sounds are highly exciting to people, and act as strong reinforcers of sexual arousal, creating a powerful positive feedback effect.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Levin | first1 = R. J. | year = 1992 | title = The mechanisms of human female sexual arousal | journal = Annual Review of Sex Research | volume = 3 | pages = 1–48 | doi=10.1080/10532528.1992.10559874}}</ref> Thus, [[Female copulatory vocalizations|copulatory vocalisations]] are likely to serve mutual sexual stimulation for mating partners.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Hamilton | first1 = W. J. | last2 = Arrowood | first2 = P. C. | year = 1978 | title = Copulatory vocalizations of chacma baboons (Papio ursinus), gibbons (Hylobates hoolock), and humans | journal = Science | volume = 200 | issue = 4348| pages = 1405–1409 | doi=10.1126/science.663622 | pmid = 663622| bibcode = 1978Sci...200.1405H }}</ref>

Even when not coupled with "touching", sounds can be highly sexually arousing. Commercial erotic material (mainly produced for the male market) uses such sounds extensively. As early as the 1920s and 30s, several genres of singers turned to "low moans" for erotic effect. [[Vaudeville]] Jazz singers often incorporated sex sounds into the narrative of the lyrics. Even contemporary music such as [[Prince (musician)|Prince]]'s "Orgasm" or [[Marvin Gaye]]'s "[[You Sure Love to Ball]]" includes sounds of the female orgasm.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Corbett | first1 = J. | last2 = Kapsalis | first2 = T. | year = 1996 | title = Aural Sex: The Female Orgasm in Popular Sound| journal = TDR| volume = 40 | issue = 3| pages = 102–111 | doi=10.2307/1146553| jstor = 1146553 }}</ref> Research has shown music to be an auditory sexual stimulant. In one mood induction study, exposure to certain music resulted in significantly greater [[penile tumescence]] and subjective sexual arousal for men.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Mitchell | first1 = W. B. | last2 = DiBartolo | first2 = P. M. | last3 = Brown | first3 = T. A. | last4 = Barlow | first4 = D. H. | year = 1998 | title = Effects of positive and negative mood on sexual arousal in sexually functional males | journal = Archives of Sexual Behavior | volume = 27 | issue = 2| pages = 197–207 | doi = 10.1023/A:1018686631428 | pmid = 9562901 | s2cid = 28731412 }}</ref> In a similar experiment, women did not show significant physiological responses to certain types of music but did report higher levels of sexual arousal.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Laan | first1 = E. | last2 = Everaerd | first2 = W. | last3 = Van Berlo | first3 = R. | last4 = Rijs | first4 = L. | year = 1995 | title = Mood and sexual arousal in women | journal = Behaviour Research and Therapy | volume = 33 | issue = 4| pages = 441–443 | doi=10.1016/0005-7967(94)00059-s| pmid = 7755530 }}</ref> Further studies have looked at the connection between auditory stimulation and the experience of sexual pleasure. Whilst the highest levels of physiological and subjective arousal were found for visual stimuli, spoken-text was found to elicit sexual arousal in men, implicating sounds as a means of sexual stimulation.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Julien | first1 = E. | last2 = Over | first2 = R. | year = 1988 | title = Male sexual arousal across five modes of erotic stimulation | journal = Archives of Sexual Behavior | volume = 17 | issue = 2| pages = 131–143 | doi=10.1007/bf01542663| pmid = 2456050 | s2cid = 41278617 }}</ref> [[Phone sex]] is one type of arousal inducer that makes use of this effect.