Sexual arousal has been defined as an emotional and motivational state arising from an interaction between genital response, central arousal, information processing of sexual stimuli, and behavior (e.g., Bancroft, 2003). Sexual arousal comprises both subjective and genital arousal. Subjective arousal is the emotional experience of sexual arousal including the awareness of autonomic arousal, expectation of reward, and motivated desire (Everaerd, 1988). Genital arousal results from vasodilation of genital tissues: In females, this response leads to vasocongestion of the genital tissues and lubrication, and in males, erection.
