Question: Are arousal triggers the same as erogenous zones?

How to define physical “arousal triggers.”

OK so this is a wee bit complicated. Arousal triggers are things that trigger arousal. This is a big umbrella of things. It could be porn, sexual thoughts, sexual touch, a fetish, really anything that leads you to become sexually aroused. An erogenous is an example of an arousal trigger. When erogenous zones are stimulated, this can trigger arousal (assuming they find that particular erogenous zone to arousing and the type of touch they're receiving to be arousing).

How does physical arousal work?

Arousal is the physical bit. It is all the ways your body responds to sexual stimuli. For people with penises, this includes erections and for people with vulvas, it includes getting wet, throbbing in the vaginal canal, and swelling of the vaginal and vulvar tissues. "Arousal" is physical -- we can think of this as "horniness." It’s also referred to as ‘spontaneous arousal.’ This horniess will often be to one wanting to engage in sexual activity -- either solo or partnered. Now, to be clear, the brain is still involved in this physical arousal as well. The brain needs to be notified that physical sensations are happening in order to send the proper signals to start the sexual arousal process. I always say you can think of physical arousal as being body-based, with a brain chaser.

What makes certain places or parts of the body arousal triggers.

Ok, so why do certain non-sexual parts of the body lead to arousal? Studies have actually shown that the nerve endings in certain erogenous zones stimulate the same part of the brain as the clitoris/penis does: the sensory-cortex. Let's use the nipples as an example here. The nipples, brain, and genitals actually end up "talking to each other" during nipple play, using the spinal cord as a messenger system.

The nipple/breast is stimulated. If the stimulation feels good, a message is sent to the brain that it feels good. The brain then sends a corresponding message to the genitals that pleasure is being experienced. This gets the whole sexual arousal process started. And thus, the clitoris becomes engorged, the labia swell, and the vagina becomes lubricated or the penis becomes engorged and gets hard.

The same principles can be applied to feet, the nape of the neck, lower tummy, lower back, and basically anywhere else that provides sexual arousal on a person's body. Everyone is different and what feels sexually stimulating for one person won't always be sexually stimulating to another. It's important to communicate with your partner to ensure they're being touched in a way that feels good for them. We are as unique as snowflakes!

XOXO GIGI

Part of this blog originally appeared as an interview with Cosmo.