Libido is the term used to describe sexual desire or sexual motivation.
Where did it come from? Even if you know nothing about psychology, I am sure many of you have heard of the theories of Sigmund Freud, he used the term Libido to describe the energy created by sexual instincts. Even though we use the term instinct, libido does not just describe the biological need for sex but also the psychological and social factors that go along with sexual activity.
Sexual desires and the things that engage our libido can tell us lots about ourselves that might have been hidden deep in our subconscious. Sexual desires allow you to realise what your aesthetic taste are when it comes to potential partners, by figuring out the type of people we are attracted to (Levine, 2002).
Your libido is something individual and personal to you! You will have your own normal so do not compare your normal with others. Even though you will have your normal level there are some things that can cause it to increase. For example, people who do more exercise ill tend to have a higher sex drive, a study found a relationship between physical fitness and sexual health (Jiannine, 2018). Things like mental health and age can be the cause of a lower sex drive.
Further Reading:
- https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-libido-2795329
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/sex-drive#what-is-normal
References
- Jiannine, L. M. (2018). An Investigation of the Relationship Between Physical Fitness, Self-concept, and Sexual Functioning. Journal of Education and Health Promotion.
- Levine, S. B. (2002). Reexploring the Concept of Sexual Desire. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 39-51.