It’s just after Valentine’s Day and we’re hitting you with the least lovey-dovey stories out there.
We’re probably all familiar with the term asexual, which we might use casually but is an actual medical condition – the state of being incapable of experiencing or feeling sexual attraction. Aromantic, as you might have have guessed, is the inability to feel romantically or euphoric about a love interest. It’s a real thing!
Statistics show in fact that being aromantic is even more common than being asexual (0.7% of the population is asexual, whilst 1% is aromantic according to this medical journal). The symptoms of being aromantic essentially involve not really experiencing the soaring feelings and rush of endorphins and oxytocin and all those other good things we get when we’re in love. However, it doesn’t mean you can’t have a normal life.
Many people who are aromantic describe experiencing lust and sexual attraction for someone regularly, as well the joys of commitment, loyalty, friendship, and intimacy. Most of them are interested in and capable of having healthy long lasting relationships as well as just normal sex lives.
The only difference is that they simply don’t get that stomach tightening, hot flushes, mind mushing feeling common mortals do. And to be honest in some ways we’re kind of jealous. We’d have a lot more peace of mind if we were aromantic too.
Common ways of diagnosing and spotting an aromantic involve feeling moved by art and films that depict love, as well as how you rate PDA and cuddling! Nuts.
