Compared to men’s fantasies, women’s are driven by emotions . The mood, the atmosphere of the sexual encounter, the feelings, the physical and emotional responses… all in one make up the norm among women, according to a study published in the Psychological Bulletin magazine .
Men have more sexual fantasies than women.
Men’s imaginations are very active and creative when it comes to fantasies, according to a study published in The Journal of Sex Research , whose survey ended up with as many as 55 distinctly clearly detailed sexual fantasies from the male sample. Another tangible difference in this study was that men had a much stronger desire to turn these fantasies into reality , contrary to what happened with women.
Romance is a common plot in sexual fantasies.
There are no differences . Both sexes care about romanticism in their sexual relationships. According to the study published in The Journal of Sex Research , 88% of men and 92% of women agreed that they preferred to feel romantic emotions during a sexual relationship . Regarding fantasizing about having sex in places described as romantic, 78% of men and 85% of women opted for this type of location over any other, suggesting that both men and women have erotic fantasies of a romantic nature .
Relationship status influences sexual fantasies.
A study published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin found that people – both men and women – who were in a stable, satisfied and happy relationship displayed intimacy-related sexual fantasies with their partner, all of them in positive ways. However, those people who were in a doubtful, insecure or not very transparent relationship, with fear of abandonment or rejection, showed much more aggressive and less emotional sexual fantasies .
Women have more fantasies when they ovulate.
One of the curiosities of the study published in Psychological Bulletin was that women tend to have more sexual fantasies during the ovulation period due to an increase in testosterone levels. In the first half of the cycle, fantasies tend to focus on physical attributes; later, once ovulation has started, these are more focused on emotions .
They can lead to paraphilias…
Paraphilia is described as “a deviation of a sexual nature” and the term usually carries negative connotations that do not always have to be fulfilled . When sexual fantasies become the only method for a person to get excited, they become obsessive desires or paraphilias.
… o in DSH
If we go to the opposite extreme, the prolonged absence of sexual fantasies is called Hypoactive Sexual Desire ( HSD ). This disorder can have both physical and psychological causes and is usually related to a lack of self-esteem, anxiety, or difficulties in interpersonal relationships..
They can be classified in many ways.
Sexual fantasies have been extensively studied by numerous professionals and each one has designed their own system to classify these desires. For example, sex therapist Wendy Maltz , author of ‘ The Intimate World of Female Sexual Fantasies ,’ differentiates only between fictionalized and non-fictionalized fantasies . On the other hand we have Adrián Sapetti , a specialist in psychiatry and sexologist author of ‘ Right to enjoyment ‘, who differentiates up to 18 different types of sexual fantasies including those that help to get excited, those that serve to increase passion, voyeuristic or exhibitionist .
They help improve sexual life.
Repressing, denying , or being prejudiced about our own sexual fantasies can lead to a misunderstanding of sex or chronic dissatisfaction. Sexual fantasies should be considered a natural stimulus that can make sex much more pleasant, either fulfilling them or leaving them in thought .
They were studied by Freud.
The father of psychoanalysis deepened in his work ‘ Three essays on sexual theory ‘ in the connection between the psyche and the sexual desires of people , as well as the importance of childhood in these. The German term ‘phantasie’ was developed by Freud to designate the imagination and desires that our subconscious manifested and that were “representations not intended to be executed” . The quasi-negative connotation that the German thinker gave him has been disappearing in the years after his study.
