Like other primates, Homo sapiens uses sexuality for reproduction and for maintenance of social bonds. As with other behaviors, our high intelligence and complex societies have produced in us the most complicated sexual behaviors of any animal.
Most people enjoy some sexual activities. However, most societies have defined some sexual activities as inappropriate (wrong person, wrong activity, wrong time, etc.) Many sexual activities can be engaged in by same sex or opposite sex partners. However some, (most notably sexual intercourse), can only be engaged in by partners of opposite sexes.
Most people experiment with a range of sexual activities during their lives, though they tend to engage in only a few of these regularly. Some people enjoy many different sexual activities, while others avoid sexual activities altogether for religious or other reasons (see chastity, abstinence). There is also a widespread belief that sex acts are devalued when engaged in outside of a long-term, monogamous romantic relationship.
Sexual behavior, like other kinds of social activity, is generally governed by rules of etiquette which are culturally specific and vary widely (see sexual morality).
Some activities are actually illegal in some jurisdictions even between (or among) consenting people (see sodomy law, incest).
Many people enjoy fantasizing about, or reading or viewing depictions of, sexual activities that they do not wish to engage in in their own lives, or that they would be unable to engage in in their own lives (see pornography and erotica).
Some people engage in various sexual activities as a business transaction; this is called prostitution.
Nearly all cultures consider it a serious crime to force someone to engage in sexual behavior or to engage in sexual behavior with someone who does not consent. This is called sexual assault, and in the case of sexual intercourse it is called rape, the most serious kind of sexual assault. Details on this distinction may vary. Also, precisely what constitutes effective consent to have sex varies from culture to culture and is frequently debated. Laws regulating what constitutes consent, including the minimum age at which a person can consent to have sex, are frequently the subject of debate; see age of consent.
Common sexual activities include:
- seduction
- petting
- foreplay
- frottage
- vaginal intercourse
- oral sex (cunnilingus, fellatio, rimming, felching)
- anal sex
- masturbation
- sexual roleplaying
- BDSM
- fetish
- outercourse
Generally less common, but still widespread, are the various paraphilias. Some of the more common ones are:
These may also fall into the list of human sexual behaviour:
All sexual behaviors that involve the contact of semen with the vagina or vulva may result in pregnancy. To prevent pregnancy, people employ a variety of birth control) measures.
All sexual behaviors that involve contact with another person or the body fluids of another person entail some risk of transmission of sexually transmitted diseases, which is why safer sex techniques are recommended.
See also: sex, human sexuality, sexual orientation, gender and sexuality studies, obstetrics and gynecology, sexual arousal