What is the difference between emotional and romantic attraction?
I’ve heard that straight men can have strong emotional attachment with each other.
Now what is romantic attraction then? What is the difference between emotional attraction which has no dependency on sexual orientation and romantic attraction which can be part of being a homosexual if two guys feel romantic attraction (other than the sexual attraction)?
November 7th, 2010 at 2:20 am
Emotional attraction: could be any emotion (eg, hate, love, envy, ect). In this case it would be a strong connection of friendship, usually with no need to be any closer than friends.
Romantic attraction: basically, a more-than-friends emotion.
November 7th, 2010 at 2:34 am
HERE’s YOUR ANSWER:
Sexual Attraction = Sexual Attraction
Emotional Attraction = Emotional Attraction
Romantic Attraction = Emotional Attraction + Sexual Attraction
I’m a gay man with lots of gay friends (i.e., gay men with whom I am emotionally bonded); but, as I write these words, I can’t think of one man to whom I am romantically attracted. Of course, I do experience sexual longings from time to time, but lately it’s been confined to lusting after some stranger I might see on a bus.
I imagine that purely emotional mutual attraction between two men would be the same in character irrespective of either of the two men’s sexual orientation.
What’s really awful is when a straight guy and a gay guy start out innocently, and simply, as close ‘buddies’ and then the gay guy, later down the line, finds himself falling in love. In completely different ways, it’s really hard (no pun intended) on both of them. One way, or another, the friendship usually comes to an amicable, but sad, end.
However, with me this has only ever happened once, and I’ve had (and continue to have) MANY straight male friends.
I would suppose that the experience of emotional bonding between two straight guys is pretty much the same (with the exception that the likelihood of either falling for the other is probably near zero).