10 Weird Things That Happen When You’re Sexually Attracted To Someone

It’s no secret that having a huge crush can totally absorb your world, but the extent to which being attracted to someone affects us on the inside is incredible. From our body language to our brains, there are a ton of different ways our bodies respond when we find someone sexually attractive. Check out the nuts stuff that happens when you’re super into a person. 

  1. You subconsciously mimic their body language. When you spend time with a person you’ve got the hots for, you literally start to imitate the movements of their body. It’s a super primal tendency called interactional synchrony, and it’s a way that humans bond on a subconscious level. It can affect your speech patterns and tone, walk, body positioning, and more.
  2. Your pupils dilate. When we see something that interests us, we naturally want to see more of it! Because of this, our pupils dilate when we see someone we’re attracted to. It’s similar to a cat when they see something they want to hunt, except, ya know, sexier. It’s our eyes’ way of cooperating when our brain wants to get a more thorough look at something (like the badonk on the hottie in your gym class.)
  3. You get all sweaty. Nobody ever claimed that love isn’t awkward as hell. There are a couple of reasons that we get literally all hot and bothered in the presence of our crushes. It’s caused by a rush of norepinephrine in our body, which is similar to adrenaline in effect. This sends your sweat glands into overdrive, releasing a ton of pheromones in the process. If you and your crush are compatible on the most basic human level, they’ll subconsciously be into the scent your sweat is giving off.
  4. You can’t stop thinking about them—literally. This is a weird one, but it’s true. When you see someone that really tickles your peach, your brain’s dopamine level rises. You probably know dopamine as one of your body’s feel-good chemicals, but it’s also directly associated with addiction. Plus, your serotonin levels drop, so your brain is looking to make up for that with thoughts of your crush.
  5. You get kind of a high. Dopamine isn’t the only euphoria-causing chemical related to attraction. Oxytocin production is also a sign of a sexually stimulated brain, and the effects of the chemical are proven to be similar to alcohol. If you feel blissed out and uninhibited in your crush’s presence, that could be why. It’s also why we tend to make less-than-excellent decisions when sexual attraction is involved.
  6. You get all awkward and weird. The good news is, it’s not just you. The bad news is, it’s pretty much unavoidable. When you see someone you like, your body produces stress hormones and adrenaline, leaving your dignity in the fray. This is not ideal in any non-danger situation, but it’s especially problematic when you’re trying to keep your cool in front of a super sexy guy or gal.
  7. You’re up all night. Guess what doesn’t go with obsessive thinking and adrenaline? Getting a good night’s sleep. Plus, norepinephrine gives your body a jolt of energy so you can lay there thinking about Gym Hottie all night long without feeling like the living dead the next day. Still, insomnia isn’t fun, and that’s one of the less desirable side effects of crushing on a hottie for sure.
  8. Your sense of smell goes into hyperdrive. Remember those pheromones in your sweat we talked about earlier? He’s got them too, and your sense of smell knows how to do its job. You start to develop super-sniffing powers when the object of your attraction is around so your body can fully assess whether it likes the pheromones he’s sending your way.
  9. Your heart races. A racing heart often goes along with the sweat and awkwardness, and it’s not a surprise why. The adrenaline that’s causing you to stumble all over your words is also causing your heart rate to speed up. It’s also a measure to make sure you’ll stay sweaty so your pheromones can be easily detected, because we all know that cardio makes us sweat.
  10. You can’t help but touch yourself. When you’re close to someone you’re sexually interested in, you might have the subconscious urge to touch your own body. This is caused by a combination of a few drives, including erotic touching, preening, and self-soothing from the stress hormones. Either way, if you can’t seem to stop playing with your hair or touching your neck while you’re talking to someone you’ve been eyeing, that’s almost certainly why.
Whitney is a freelance writer from New England. She's a professional content creator, lifestyle blogger, and news junkie. Follow her on Twitter if you're not turned off by snark and political takes.
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