Foreplay

Foreplay is a set of emotionally and physically intimate acts between one or more people
meant to create sexual arousal and desire for sexual activity.[1] Although foreplay is typically
understood as physical sexual activity, nonphysical activities, such as mental or verbal acts,
may in some contexts be foreplay.[1] This is typically the reason why foreplay tends to be an
ambiguous term and means different things to different people. It can consist of various
sexual practices such as kissing, sexual touching, removing clothes, oral sex, manual sex,
sexual games, and role playing.[1]

Martin van Maële's print Francion 15

depicts a couple engaging in foreplay
outdoors.

Foreplay is not only about initiating sexual activity but is fundamentally centered on
enhancing pleasure for all participants. It serves as a critical phase in sexual encounters that
heightens emotional intimacy and physical pleasure, making the sexual experience more
fulfilling and satisfying.[2]

Role
Foreplay has important physical and psychological effects.

Physically, the sexual organs for both partners receive more blood flow and become aroused.
For male partners this leads to an erection and for female partners this results in a clitoral
erection. When partners experience sexual arousal from the acts of foreplay, their organs that
are susceptible to pleasure become highly sensitive to external stimuli all while at the same
time releasing bodily fluids that lubricate the organs to prepare for intercourse. These
physical events aforementioned are more easily reached by the male partner as compared to
the female partner which is possibly due to the potential consequences of pregnancy and
motherhood.[3] It is for this reason foreplay has been found to play a critical role for the
female partner, as noted by sexologist Dr. William Robinson. Robinson suggests that male
partners are able to perform sexual intercourse without the requirement of foreplay, whereas
female partners require longer acts of foreplay to become sufficiently stimulated and
pleasured.[4]

Psychologically, foreplay lowers inhibitions and increases emotional intimacy between

partners. Both partners, while performing foreplay, are able to have a mutual experience of
understanding and emotions. This mutuality leads to an enhanced sexual experience for both
partners.[3]

From a biological perspective, foreplay may be seen as an act that is costly in regards to
reproduction (male animal perspective). Nonetheless, the costliness of foreplay becomes
insufficient when it has been noted through biological research that it is a worthwhile strategy
to increase fertility rates in both the animal and human kingdom. The increased rates of
fertility are due to physical and psychological effects aforementioned which also play a role
in the effects of the neurohypophysial hormone. This hormone is capable of increasing the
rate production of sperm count within the male during the acts of extensive foreplay and
therefore results with the female partner having higher chances of becoming
impregnated.[5][6]
Research
According to a survey on heterosexual couples about duration of sexual intercourse and
foreplay, neither partner in these relationships was satisfied with the duration of foreplay in
their relationships. This survey sampled 152 couples who were mainly university educated
and satisfied with their sexual life. In this study, and when compared to some larger studies,
men were better at perceiving desired sexual intercourse and foreplay duration for their
partner. The average times spent on intercourse were 7 minutes and 12 minutes on foreplay
for the couples in this survey. Another result of this survey was that the length of desired
foreplay for men and women was about the same.[7]

In a global study of about 12,000 individuals from 27 countries in 6 continents, physical

foreplay was rated as "very important" for 63% of men and 60% of women.[8]

According to a study of individuals in committed romantic relationships, pornography and

sexual media usage does not play a role in satisfaction with time spent on foreplay, although
other aspects of sexual satisfaction can be impacted by this type of sexual media. This
means that foreplay is an important part of the sexual script, and social influences on the
sexual script such as pornography and provocative sexual media do not impact foreplay.
Time spent on foreplay is an important part of becoming sexually aroused and unique to
each individual, and individuals still need the same amount of foreplay in order to become
sexually aroused despite what they learn from porn.[9]

Games

Foreplay by kissing a woman's back

moving towards her hips
Sexual role-playing or sex games can create sexual interest.[10] These games can be played in
a variety of situations, and have been enhanced by technology. This type of extended foreplay
can involve SMS messaging (sexting), phone calls, online chat, or other forms of distance
communication, which are intended to stimulate fantasizing about the forthcoming
encounter. This tantalization builds up sexual tension.

A card or board game can be played for foreplay. The objective of the game is for the
partners to indulge their fantasies. The loser can, for example, be required to remove clothing
or give the winner a sensual foot massage or any other thing that the winner wants to try. A
sensuous atmosphere can also be enhanced by candles, drinks, sensual food or suggestive
clothing. Even a suggestion of the use of sex toys or the playing of games involving fetish,
sexual bondage, blindfolding or sploshing is an indication of sexual interest.

Some couples create sexual interest by watching erotic and pornographic videos. Role
playing may involve the partners wearing costumes, to create and maintain a sexual fantasy.
For variety, the partners can make up a (sexual) story together. One of them starts with a
sentence and then the other continues until the story becomes sexually explicit, and it
provides an opportunity for the partners to express their sexual fantasies. "Strangers for a
day" is a role-playing game which consists of the couple playing roles of the first meeting
between them. In a public meeting place, the partners pretend to be strangers meeting for the
first time. The objective is for them to flirt and seduce the other, without doing or saying
anything that they normally would not do or say at a first meeting.

Tantric
Tantric foreplay is the first step in the lovemaking session, according to the tantra principles.
Tantric sex is against rushing things for the purpose of reaching an orgasm, so tantric
foreplay is a way to prepare the body and the mind for the union between the two bodies. The
tantric rules say that foreplay must be focused on the preparation before sexual intercourse.
Tantric foreplay may include sensual baths between the two partners in a relaxing
atmosphere. Fragrance oil and candles may also be used to set up the mood.[11]

Tantric foreplay is only about giving each other time to connect spiritually and bind. Staring at
each other while in a cross-legged position and touching the other's hand palms is a usual
foreplay tactic used by tantra practitioners. Tantric foreplay may also include Tantra
massages. The massage that is applied, according to the tantric philosophy, is not for
reaching orgasms but for giving each other pleasure and connecting at a spiritual level.[12]
History
There are many historical references to foreplay, with many artistic depictions. The Ancient
Indian work Kama Sutra mentions different types of embracing, kissing, and marking with
nails and teeth.[13] It also mentions BDSM activities such as slapping and moaning as
"play".[14] There are also examples of the use of foreplay in marital advice literature that dates
back to the early 1900s.[4]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media

related to Foreplay.

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x/kama/kama207.htm) Kama Sutra

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