Can Erotic Fiction Improve Your Sex Life?
Erotic fiction, or written erotica, is erotic material or literature that sexually arouses and titillates the reader. The genre ranges from short stories to popular novels such as "Fifty Shades of Grey." You can also find explicit blurbs and fan fiction shared on platforms such as Tumblr, Pinboard and Reddit.
Erotica has been experiencing a boom thanks to the power of the internet and the mainstream popularization of erotic fantasy on TV and in the movies. Erotic fiction is even being penned by AI apps these days.
"Written erotica has been around as long as we have been putting words down on paper," said Stefani Goerlich, an AASECT-certified sex therapist and author in Detroit. Her upcoming book, "With Sprinkles On Top: Everything Vanilla Partners Need To Communicate, Explore, and Connect," includes examples of written erotica dating back 4,000 years.
Fans of the genre may be pleased to know our brains treat reading and watching television in different ways. Reading erotic fiction can offer unique benefits that viewing explicit content cannot.
Let's unpack why erotic fiction can be more pleasurable for some people than other types of explicit content. How does erotica destigmatize kinks and fetishes? How can it help people get more comfortable with their sexuality?
Way of the future: #SmutTok and AI erotica
Formerly a secret guilty pleasure, erotic fiction now has entire online communities built around it. Millions of TikTok users share their favorite raunchy books with hashtags such as #SmutTok, for instance.
We're decades past the days of discreetly passing around D.H. Lawrence's "Lady Chatterley's Lover" for the juicy bits. Popular erotic novels such as "Den of Vipers" and "Ryan Rule: New York Ruthless" receive billions of cumulative downloads. There's a rapidly growing, endless catalog of smut available for eager readers.
"I think that the internet has really democratized erotica," Goerlich explained. "Now, anyone can create and publish content that speaks to their specific desires and fantasies, and to find content written by others that does the same."
You don't have to be a Shakespeare in the making. For aspiring erotica writers who love thinking up naughty scenarios but who aren't experienced writers, AI is now a viable option. Tech-savvy erotica fans can combine their own specific sex fantasy with already-published stories to produce their own customized erotic journeys.
"We can increasingly turn to AI to write our specific fantasy scenarios down for us," Goerlich said. "Which is wonderful for folks who might struggle with shame around their fantasies or who are unsure of how to find the content that they crave."
Sexual wellness company Lovehoney recently proved this by using AI to write an original erotic novel. After being fed the titles, excerpts and book covers of the top five erotic novels on Goodreads, the AI bot produced a three-chapter work titled "Viper's Desire."
Here's an excerpt from the novella:
The room was filled with the sound of our heavy breathing, the only thing breaking the silence. Selena's body was covered in a sheen of sweat, her scales glistening in the dim light. I could feel the warmth of her body against mine, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction. We had finally fulfilled our desires and fantasies.
"Maybe I'll feel less possessive after I've come deep inside you," Selena said, as she lay next to me, her hand trailing down my body. "I guess we'll soon see."
The benefits of reading erotic fiction
Reading erotic fiction offers benefits other forms of erotic content don't. Goerlich noted that one of the biggest benefits of written erotica is that when we read, our minds "self-censor" to adapt the situation into something more suitable for our personal tastes.
"We naturally imagine the written scenarios in ways that feel more comfortable for us," she explained. "While we can't control what we're seeing on screen in a video, for example, we can selectively edit as we read to make the images the words evoke more palatable and more pleasurable for us."
Reading activates the brain
Moreover, the physical act of reading stimulates the sensory-motor part of the brain more than visual media does, and studies have shown our brains are much more actively involved in the act of reading than they are in the act of viewing.
Many people who enjoy reading erotica feel more comfortable accessing fantasies in this medium because the brain helps edit out parts they don't like and it actively reshapes the fantasy to their liking. Plus, the physical act of reading engages parts of the brain that makes it easier to get into the fantasy.
"The physical act of reading has a calming effect on the brain," Goerlich said. "Reading erotica actually makes you more receptive to intimacy and more likely to experience pleasure than watching the same content would."
Written erotica improves self-acceptance
Since it's more comfortable to actively tap into those fantasies, it can help someone accept their sexual fantasies and fetishes. Plus, the fact that somebody took the time to write about a particular fantasy or fetish means you're not alone.
By putting these fantasies out into the world for readers to share, people writing erotica can help to normalize and destigmatize a common sexual fantasy and fetish in a safe manner.
Written erotica allows the reader in
Finally, although there are brief descriptions, there are no faces in written erotica, so it's easier for readers to imagine themselves in scenarios like roleplay, and that can get them aroused faster.
"Taking a few minutes to read a few steamy pages, or listen to a sexy story via audio, can help create responsive desire," said Jessica O'Reilly, Ph.D., Lovehoney's sex and relationship expert. "For many, erotic fiction helps to put them in the mood for sex in spite of the distractions of work, kids, etcetera."
Less shame plus more imagination equals better sex
All the benefits outlined here essentially boil down to one thing: Reading erotica can make you more comfortable with your own fantasies and thus help you get more in touch with yourself. By being more comfortable with your own sexual preferences, you are more likely to understand what gets you off and better able to talk to your partner about what you enjoy.
That all adds up to a more satisfying sex life, whether that means masturbating to your own fantasies or sharing erotica with a partner.
