# Is it possible for a Human to be non-sexual? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 5, 2004, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-be-non-sexual/248880 "2004-06-05T23:50:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2004, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-be-non-sexual/248880/21 "2004-06-07T12:10:04Z")
> [@Askia](#): > > Isn’t it odd that you never see **bizzwire’s** and **Pablito’s** wives in the same place at the same time? It’s almost as if… nah. That’s cause she’s also married to me. We’re married to Replicants, which does explain a lot… :rolleyes: Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2004, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-be-non-sexual/248880/22 "2004-06-07T18:02:00Z")
Wasn’t **Isaac Newton** celibate his whole life? Not sure if that makes him “non-sexual”… ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2004, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-be-non-sexual/248880/23 "2004-06-07T19:06:09Z")
It seems to me that there are a lot of non-sexual people. The real question is: are there non-sexual people who do not have either a hormone imbalance or a traumatic experience in their past which has made sex distasteful? In other words, can one be naturally non-sexual? ---
**Author:** ![nocturnal\_tick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3d9bf3/32.png) [@nocturnal\_tick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nocturnal_tick)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2004, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-be-non-sexual/248880/24 "2004-06-07T20:16:54Z")
If we are just talking about people who never acted on physical attraction, then surely Keats would be considered non-sexual. But of course anyone who has read his works would see him for the horny little devil he was so he doesn’t count. So as for being entirely devoid of attraction to any of the sexes? Probably not. It is possible that without any genitalia there are no hormone driving physical “animal” attraction, but in today’s society I would say that a person would be taught to find a companion who offers security and, well companionship. They may not love them, but they have an attachment to them. Does that count? ---
**Author:** ![Pablito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@Pablito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pablito)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2004, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-be-non-sexual/248880/25 "2004-06-07T22:14:10Z")
> [@nocturnal\_tick](#): > > If we are just talking about people who never acted on physical attraction, then surely Keats would be considered non-sexual. But of course anyone who has read his works would see him for the horny little devil he was so he doesn’t count. But don’t forget that Keats died at a ridiculously young age, something like 26?, so maybe he just needed more time for his libido to break out and do something. And everyone else, I’m happy to report that I was referring above to my EX-wife, so I’m blissfully alleviated of being forced to live in the non-sexual state. ---
**Author:** ![Cyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@Cyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyn)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2004, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-be-non-sexual/248880/26 "2004-06-07T23:26:48Z")
With Prader-Willi syndrome, there is late-onset or incomplete puberty, low testosterone/estrogen levels and infertility in both the male and female, so, yes, it is possible for a human to be non-sexual. Cyn, OB/GYN RN ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2004, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-be-non-sexual/248880/27 "2004-06-08T00:40:24Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Wasn’t **Isaac Newton** celibate his whole life? Not sure if that makes him “non-sexual”… Aside from a possible teenage romance, it’s true that Newton had no obvious romantic or sexual attachments. However, even without going to the Freudian extremes of Frank Manuel - who argued, amongst other things, that he had an unconsumated homosexual infatuation with Nicolas Fatio de Duillier - it’s clear that Newton was sublimating a hell of a lot. If nothing else, there’s the notebook he kept as a student wherein he repremands himself for having sinful thoughts. Probably celibate, but equally probably not non-sexual. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2004, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-be-non-sexual/248880/28 "2004-06-08T01:03:59Z")
If not Newton, how about another famous example, Immanuel Kant? Or did he just not get any because he bored the piss out of any potential partner? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2004, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-be-non-sexual/248880/29 "2004-06-08T04:56:11Z")
IANAdoctor, but most of the antidepressants taken today have list libido-suppressant as a possible (or likely) side-effect; Prozac in particular has a reputation for inducing bed-death in many of the patients who take it. IIRC, the popularity of Wellbutrin stems largely from its not having that effect; it might even enhance the patient’s libido. Caveat: patients’ experiences on these meds vary all over the bell curve. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2004, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-be-non-sexual/248880/30 "2004-06-08T06:02:14Z")
I wonder how many people would be interested in it if a drug were found to _make_ people non-sexual (assuming there were no hideous side-effects). Probably not many people, really, but you never know. Wasn’t it **Roland Something-or-other** who recently asked whether or not a doctor would chemically castrate him so he wouldn’t have to deal with unsatisfiable sexual feelings? Think of the productivity gains! You’d become a genius, like George on that episode of Seinfeld! ---
**Author:** ![scm1001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@scm1001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scm1001)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2004, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-be-non-sexual/248880/31 "2004-06-08T09:58:13Z")
the asexual website [http://ofa.cjb.net/](http://ofa.cjb.net/) has an interesting list of (assumed) famous asexuals Sophocles, Queen Elizabeth I, Edward Heath, Cliff Richard, George Bernard Shaw, Dame Barbara Cartland, Frederich Nietzsche, Ralph Nader, Salvadore Dali… hey most of these are from England. I wonder if there is a connection? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![APB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@APB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2004, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-be-non-sexual/248880/32 "2004-06-08T11:22:06Z")
> [@scm1001](#): > > the asexual website [http://ofa.cjb.net/](http://ofa.cjb.net/) has an interesting list of (assumed) famous asexuals…Dame Barbara Cartland So we’re to assume that her three children were the result of virgin births? To say nothing of the fact that her first husband divorced her on the grounds of infidelity. ---
**Author:** ![scm1001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@scm1001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scm1001)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2004, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-be-non-sexual/248880/33 "2004-06-08T12:17:05Z")
> [@APB](#): > > So we’re to assume that her three children were the result of virgin births? To say nothing of the fact that her first husband divorced her on the grounds of infidelity. Lets not let the facts get in the way! She wrote so many books that I am suprised that she had time for anything else. From the site "She wrote her first book at the age of 21 and specialised in romantic novels which contained no sex and in which the beautiful, innocent heroine was swept off her feet by the tall, handsome hero to get married and live happily ever after. "Cartland, who received dozens of marriage proposals in her youth, was the product of a more innocent age. She once described how she had become engaged to a dashing young man: “‘I said to my mother: “I think you had better tell me how you have babies” – I had no idea at all. When she told me, I broke off the engagement at once!’” Its on the web. Must be true! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2004, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-be-non-sexual/248880/34 "2004-06-08T12:29:09Z")
> [@scm1001](#): > > the asexual website [http://ofa.cjb.net/](http://ofa.cjb.net/) has an interesting list of (assumed) famous asexuals > > Sophocles, Queen Elizabeth I, Edward Heath, Cliff Richard, George Bernard Shaw, Dame Barbara Cartland, Frederich Nietzsche, Ralph Nader, Salvadore Dali… > > hey most of these are from England. I wonder if there is a connection? 😉 Yeah, but in fairness, I don’t think Nietsche or Ralph Nader ever had to beat the ladies off with a stick. And didn’t Queen Elizabeth I have a kid? If I remember right, that was before the days of artificial insemination . . . ---
**Author:** ![nocturnal\_tick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3d9bf3/32.png) [@nocturnal\_tick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nocturnal_tick)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2004, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-be-non-sexual/248880/35 "2004-06-08T12:36:16Z")
Elizabeth I did not have any children, which is why the throne went from the Tudors to the Stuarts after her death. Whether though it means that she did not miscarry or have stillbirth or cot death etc. I don’t know. _one quick search later_ [http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon45.html#](http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon45.html#) Queen Elizabeth I did not marry, nor have any children. But there is a rumour going around that a hush, hush birth took place for one Princess Elizabeth though. :dubious: :eek: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-be-non-sexual/248880.md?page=1)