The Importance Of Foreplay In The Digital Era — sexuality clinician And Educator

Foreplay has become more important over the years, with the rise of technology-based communication that can erode physical interaction.

“Physiologically, women need to have arousal – whether mental, emotional and physical – because they don’t generally respond immediately to stimulation. Men also enjoy arousal,” Dr Eve explains.

“A lot of what foreplay is about is people being more connected with each other, especially in the digital era, which brings with it so much disconnection. Now the foreplay gets done very briefly online or on Tinder. It’s all about brief chatting, which is so disconnected from real human touch.”

She explains that exploring your partner’s body builds intimacy – as opposed to just moving straight to penetration.

“Physical foreplay is really important for connection and intimacy so that people connect emotionally with each other. One way that they can do that is by spending more time touching, playing with and exploring each other, instead of just going for genital play,” she says.

Dr Eve says that while men can be fully erect after being stimulated, sex without foreplay isn’t ideal.

“It’s also not sustainable because women will lose interest. They will feel like they are just not getting enough of a connection and attention,” she says.

It’s often difficult for couples to discuss their bedroom interests and Dr Eve highlights this as a problem.

“As you get more intimate with each other, you should be able to tell your partner exactly what turns you on and what doesn’t interest you. You could also send your partner an article on whatever stimulates you and tell them that this is something that resonates with you. If you want to watch porn together, for instance, tell your partner that you’d really enjoy it and suggest that the two of you try it out.”