Why You Should Be Reading Erotica
If you’re reading this post, I'm guessing you’re one of the millions who enjoy a naughty tale at least once in a while and perhaps more often than that. But I bet you don’t advertise your hankering for the erotic either, do you? I once knew a counselor friend who told me she was reading 50 Shades of Grey but had slipped another book jacket over the cover so nobody could see what was in her hand as she enjoyed her Iced Toasted Vanilla Oat Milk Shaken Espresso at Starbucks. Hey, I don’t blame the girl. It’s not something many people would find wholesome. If they were to see a woman reading erotica, they might suddenly begin seeing her with one eye askew.
But why is that? Who is to blame? Our Western heritage? The Church? Our parents? Probably some of all. And yet there is so much to be said for reading erotica.
I recently came across an article written by Stephanie Weaver entitled “You Need To Read Erotica At Least Once — Here’s Why" and found all five of her reasons truly spot on and just had to share them with you. Here’s the link to the article, but I’ve summarized all five of her salient points and added my own thoughts below.
First, she says, erotica arouses your imagination. It gets the mind going, which in turn gets the body going. Many men and women, too, are aroused by the eye. But often, we are just as aroused by our mind’s eye. The next time you and your partner are ready for some sex play, take a few moments to read some erotica together first. It will be almost as if you’ve stepped right into the pages of some steamy tale!
Second, Stephanie says, erotica helps us live vicariously. When we read erotica, we get a small taste of an experience that we may never experience for ourselves, such as a threesome or group or sex with someone of the same gender. I have a friend who recently lamented to me that her previous relationship with her ex was devoid of sex, which is one of the reasons he is now her ex! But before they divorced, she read a lot of erotica because she wanted to experience what it would feel like, at least in some small way, to be desired, like the women in her novels.
Third, she points out that reading erotica is good for mental health. Erotica can help us relieve depressing or stress-filled anxieties and give our minds a much-needed break from reality. Not only that, and I found this particularly insightful, but a York University study suggested that those who read erotica had higher levels of empathy than those who didn’t. Think about that. Reading the nasty indulgences of two adults getting it on can make you a more likable, attractive person, someone others want to be around. Who wouldn’t want that?
Fourth, erotica helps us to explore our own sexuality safely. Erotica can also be educational. Reading about how two people are having sex helps us visualize ways we can have sex and encourages us to think of making love differently. We may think, “I never thought of doing it that way,” or “I would love to have sex there too!”
Finally, reading erotica builds anticipation. The best sex makes us wait. It doesn’t rush. It lingers, teases, and grows little by little until we finally climax into a gigantic release of built-up sexual tension. And all of that waiting is what makes the sex so good. The longer the tease, the more the waiting, and the bigger the orgasm. That’s what erotica does. It makes us wait. We have to read through several pages or sometimes chapters before we get to the good stuff.
If you’ve never read any erotica, put aside all the shameful reasons others have slammed you with and take up Stephanie Weaver’s five good reasons to do so. Your mind and body, and spirit will thank you.
An absolute classic. And one of my favorites!
