Existential loneliness is a feeling that humans have felt since time immemorial. It can be described as an existential state wherein one feels isolated from society, their community, and themselves due to a lack of purpose, meaning, or belongingness. This feeling often leads people to search for answers beyond themselves, including spirituality, philosophy, religion, science, art, social activism, therapy, and romantic partnerships. While many studies suggest that sexual experiences may lead to feelings of emotional closeness and intimacy between partners, there are several others that claim that such encounters increase feelings of isolation or separation.
Before we delve into this debate, it would be helpful to understand what exactly constitutes 'sexual experience' and how it differs from casual flings or hookups.
A sexual encounter involves a range of physical and emotional components such as touching, kissing, caressing, stroking, massaging, oral sex, intercourse, and orgasms. It requires two or more individuals who have mutually agreed upon its occurrence. Such experiences tend to involve trust, vulnerability, openness, honesty, empathy, reciprocity, and affection. On the other hand, casual relationships or flings typically refer to superficial encounters with little or no emotional investment in each other by either party. They are usually based solely on physical attraction without any desire for commitment or emotional intimacy. As per research studies conducted over decades now, sexual experiences have been found to have mixed effects on existential loneliness - some claim they alleviate it while others say they deepen it. In fact, one study revealed that women who engage in sexual activities reported lower levels of existential loneliness compared to those who did not.
Another suggested that frequent sexual activity could result in increased loneliness over time due to a lack of deeper connections with partners.
Another important factor is the type of relationship one has with their partner(s). Sexual encounters in committed relationships seem to produce better results than those outside them because they allow individuals to bond more deeply with their partners through non-verbal communication channels like body language, eye contact, facial expressions, and gestures. This means that if you're seeking emotional closeness from your sexual encounters, you may need to find someone you genuinely care about rather than just having random hookups. Moreover, it would also be beneficial if you communicate clearly about what you expect from these interactions beforehand so both parties can avoid misunderstandings later on.
Whether sexual experience alleviates or deepens existential loneliness depends on several factors such as the nature of the relationship between partners, its duration, frequency, and overall quality. Therefore, it is essential to approach every sexual encounter with an open mind and heart instead of expecting too much from it right away.
If you feel lonely despite having regular sex with your partner(s), you might want to seek help from mental health professionals or explore other areas of life where you can find meaning and purpose beyond physical pleasure alone.
Does sexual experience alleviate or deepen existential loneliness?
First of all, it is important to understand what is meant by "sexual experience" when discussing its effect on existential loneliness. Sexual experience can refer to physical or emotional intimacy with another person that involves some form of sensory pleasure. It could include anything from casual hookups to long-term relationships, but for the sake of this discussion, let's focus on long-term relationships.