Fact Checked

12 Female Arousal Triggers Every Man Should Know

Female Arousal Triggers

Female Arousal Triggers - (Image Credit: Shutterstock)

Story At-A-Glance
  • Arousal is a state of responding to a stimulus causing one’s sexuality to be awakened.
  • Difference between arousal and desire:
    • Desire – “wants” leading to sex; maybe ingrained for a lifetime
    • Arousal – involuntary response leading to fulfilling the “wants”; lasts for a certain period
  • The 12 things considered turn-ons for women:
    • Physique
    • Talent and ability
    • Style and grooming
    • Approach
    • Scenario
    • Knowledge and intelligence
    • Ambition
    • Manliness
    • Attention
    • Affirmation
    • Effort
    • Kindness

What is Arousal?

At some point, all animals and humans can experience being aroused. This condition occurs when an organism responds to a certain stimulus in a focused and alert manner. Although there are different types of arousals, the term it mostly addresses is sexuality.

Sexual arousal naturally refers to the stimulation felt by an individual, coined as “turned on”, which can incline the person to engage in sex. The factors that trigger arousal can differ according to gender, preference, experience, age, and mindset. In the course of this article, we will be focusing on female arousal and understand its complexity.

Is There A Difference Between Arousal and Desire?

The terms sexual arousal and desire are used interchangeably. They are overall similar but there are subtle differences also. Desire focuses on recognizing one’s tendency to have sex with someone. You want to have sex with a particular person and the idea remains true either you are in a mood or not. 

Arousal, on the other hand, refers more to the response to that desire. The process of getting excited is involuntary but can last for a short period. Sexual desire in women is very much different from men due to the biological properties of each other’s reproductive system and the functions of the respective hormones.


12 Female Arousal Triggers

There can be numerous female arousal triggers. All of them can change from time to time. However, we will focus on the 12 most common out there. 

Exterior Aspects

These refer to the physical aspects that trigger sexual arousal. 

1. Physique

The physique is probably the most common of the female arousal triggers. There will be at least one point in a woman’s life that she gets aroused because of the man’s physique. 

Each female has a particular preference for what seems to be sexy for her, but most of them get turned on by the male’s face and body. This factor sits on top of the turn-ons for women.

Without knowing anything about a certain male, as long as he is attractive and the body measurements can be likened to a work of art, automatically most females’ sexual arousal gets sparked. 

On the other hand, males with well-endowed genitals can trigger sexual arousal for the majority of women who have at least a few sexual experiences.

2. Talent and Ability

Unfortunately, not all men have physical assets. Although there are many ways to achieve great body shapes, like exercising, taking supplements, or undergoing surgeries – it will take a huge amount of effort and time to achieve a good look. 

The good thing is that females can get sexually excited besides the physical aspect. Other turn-ons for women include men’s talents or abilities[1]. For instance, a bassist of a school rock band can have many fangirls compared to a nerdy student who constantly gets academic awards. 

But make no mistake about it, men with different abilities can trigger the sexual arousal of some women. However, the person who has more entertaining talents scores better.

3. Style and Grooming

If a guy doesn’t have the looks, skills, and abilities, he can still win a girl through style and grooming. Basic grooming is a must-do, but taking it to a higher level can ignite sexual arousal.

Style and Grooming

In commercials like perfumes, shampoos, and body washes, there is some truth that a pleasing scent is considered one of the female arousal triggers. These products contain a chemical called pheromone, which is responsible for stimulating a social response. Grooming products have pheromone components in their ingredients and are marketed as sexual factors.

Aside from a pleasant aroma, appropriate attire is included in the turn-ons for women. Also, other healthy grooming practices such as great hair, clear skin, and white teeth are a plus.

4. Approach

Many women have been torn apart between a “bad boy image” and a gentleman. It may be the media popularizing the idea, but when a man appears as a bad guy, women find his lack or need for goodness appealing. Being a bad boy doesn’t mean a vicious murderer or a drug dealer, but more on an unresponsive or insensitive guy.

There can be many instances that women will engage in sex and intimacy based on how a guy approaches them even though they don’t know each other. Some girls want to be pursued while others love to pursue their ideal guy even though they get rejected. The manner of approach provides some women a sense of thrill, which leads to sexual arousal.

5. Scenario

Some scenarios can be female arousal triggers. The idea alone turns women on more than the presence of a male. One example is a perfect dating setup, wherein a man surprises the girl and showers her with all the good things. Aside from being happy, achieving such a scenario can make the girl feel desired.

On the wild side of things, females achieve sexual arousal if their male partners suggest sex in a car or an unnoticeable cubicle of a public location. The idea provides women a sense of adventure[2], which is enough to make them excited.  

Interior Aspects

These focus more on a man’s personality, mindset, and other non-physical concepts.


6. Knowledge and Intellect

The term “sapiosexuality” refers to an attraction to a person due to his/her intelligence. It doesn’t restrict on persons who are achievers in academics and aced a lot of exams. It is more on how a person translates his/her ideas into words that are either thought-provoking or purely informational.

Women find smart men sexy, which is a quality that settles on the list of turn-ons for women, who are not only articulated in words but also have wider views on global issues and fresh perspectives on human concepts. 

Talking rhetorically sounding like Tony Star or arguing over an idea like Bruce Wayne can instantly score a lot of points for sexual arousal, as long as there is no bragging tone involved.

7. Ambition

A man with ambition displays 2 things: diligence and confidence. A woman who sees a guy aim for a better quality of living, and acting on it, will get attracted to him. Many instances where women can observe this is when they listen to a man talk and compare it to his actions. 

You might have observed that men in business, politics, and any leadership seat get a lot of appeal in sex and intimacy. It may be due to the idea of having a stable life if forming a family is possible, and that is why women find confidence attractive.

8. Manhood

There can be several ways to display confidence. Having ambition is one. But for every male, the inner machismo or manliness is a way of measuring it. It doesn’t pertain to the length of the penis, but it is more on the size of the balls, figuratively.

The term “having balls” is common in any male conversation and it refers to the amount of masculinity used to address any situation. This situation can be a problem, an embarrassing situation, or a challenge. 

Surely, having a scruffy beard and towering posture as an aspect of manliness can be a part of female sexual triggers, but nothing is manlier than a male who can deal with any situation head-on with pride.

9. Attention

One of the women’s needs is attention. The amount that they need is much more staggering than that of males. Any form of attention that makes a woman desirable can be considered one of the female arousal triggers. 

Intense stares filled with curiosity and obsession are instant turn-ons for women but only in the moments when a girl wants them.

For couples, paying attention to details can pay off big time. If the female partner notices her guy is aware of her unvoiced concerns or remembers something pleasant like a special day or a promise, it will build up and ignite sexual arousal.

10. Affirmation

Aside from being attentive, girls love it when they are affirmed[3] if there is something good in them. Not only on their looks and abilities, but they also wanted to be affirmed on their views and actions regarding sex and intimacy. 

Saying to a girl she looks so good in a dress or bikini, how amazing her kisses felt, or how she manages to get her guy aroused makes her excited and at the same time wanted. An affirmation can also be done effectively through actions alone by kissing on the forehead, hugging tightly, or a simple pat on the back.

11. Effort

An effort can be a hit or miss. Mostly, it is appreciated but it doesn’t necessarily mean a guy is guaranteed sex and intimacy. It can become easily arousing when a man and woman are in a deeper relationship. 

Carrying the grocery bags, taking care of chores, attending when the girl is sick, preparing for a special event, and bringing a cup of coffee or snacks, and more – all of these can lead to sexual arousal if noticed. Taking initiative, consistency and the surprise factor are all recipes for scoring a chance to get laid even though it takes quite a while to get on that level. 

12. Kindness

Sometimes, an act of kindness can be one of the female arousal triggers. Expressing care to a girl and providing what she needs at the moment may appear pleasant to her. Whatever the guy’s intentions are, either pure kindness or a mere calculative strategy, the girl might soften her heart with his actions. 

That may be one of the main reasons why a male friend and confidant can become a lover to a girl at her sad moments in her existing relationship. Acts of kindness can be faked or abused, but if those are pure in a deeper relationship, a guy can be ushered into sex and intimacy.

sex and intimacy

Stages of Sexual Response:

  • Stage 1: Arousal to certain stimuli
  • Stage 2: Engaging in sex and intimacy
  • Stage 3: Reaching orgasm

To repeat, arousal must be triggered

Where Does Arousal Fit into The Stages of Sexual Response?

There are stages of sexual response or your reaction towards sexuality. Arousal fits in the initial stage, way before sex and intimacy can occur. As discussed, there are multiple female arousal triggers and they all start with a stimulus which can be a man or a situation. 

When a woman is aroused, she will act on her desires. She may be getting intimate with her partner by showering her kisses and naughty compliments. Sooner or later, sex can be inevitable until the final stage of sexual response is reached – the orgasm. The cycle can begin again when a stimulus, which can be the same or different, will sexual arousal.


Women’s sexuality is more complex than men’s. While a naked image arouses most men easily, women may need multiple stimuli to ignite sexual arousal.

Attractive looks can be turn-ons for women, but aside from these, things such as personality and mindset can be as equally arousing.

It will be a jackpot for a girl if all 12 arousal triggers can be found in a single guy. However, such may not exist. The knowledge about female arousal triggers can lead to many things that make the relationship of a man and woman solid and healthy.

View More

0 Reviews for 12 Female Arousal Triggers Every Man Should Know

12 Female Arousal Triggers Every Man Should Know
12 Female Arousal Triggers Every Man Should Know Reviewer Rating
3 / 5.0
12 Female Arousal Triggers Every Man Should Know
Write a Review Please review the Guidelines before posting

Hints on how to write a helpful review

A great review should have the following qualities:

  • Above all, let your review be fair and honest.



Leave a Reply


100 characters remaining.

Your Rating:05


5000 characters remaining.

Thanks for submitting your comment!




Your Privacy is important to us






