Heterosexual activity between only one male and one female is by far the most common type of sociosexual activity. stated that they "expect that in all cultures the vast majority of individuals are sexually predisposed exclusively to the other sex (i.e., heterosexual)" and that there is no persuasive evidence that the demographics of sexual orientation have varied much across time or place. In their 2016 literature review, Bailey et al. Main article: Demographics of sexual orientation Some object to usage of the term straight because it implies that non-heteros are crooked.
It is now simply a colloquial term for "heterosexual", having changed in primary meaning over time. Henry's book concerned conversations with homosexual males and used this term in connection with people who are identified as ex-gays. One of the first uses of the word in this way was in 1941 by author G. The term straight originated as a mid-20th century gay slang term for heterosexuals, ultimately coming from the phrase "to go straight" (as in "straight and narrow"), or stop engaging in homosexual sex. The word can be informally shortened to "hetero". Hyponyms of heterosexual include heteroflexible. In LGBT slang, the term breeder has been used as a denigrating phrase to deride heterosexuals. The word "heterosexual" was listed in Merriam-Webster's New International Dictionary in 1923 as a medical term for "morbid sexual passion for one of the opposite sex" however, in 1934 in their Second Edition Unabridged it is defined as a "manifestation of sexual passion for one of the opposite sex normal sexuality".
The abstract noun "heterosexuality" is first recorded in 1900. The colloquial shortening "hetero" is attested from 1933. The noun came into wider use from the early 1920s, but did not enter common use until the 1960s. The terms were not in current use during the late nineteenth century, but were reintroduced by Richard von Krafft-Ebing and Albert Moll around 1890. The term heterosexual was coined alongside the word homosexual by Karl Maria Kertbeny in 1869. The current use of the term heterosexual has its roots in the broader 19th century tradition of personality taxonomy.
Hetero- comes from the Greek word ἕτερος, meaning "other party" or "another", used in science as a prefix meaning "different" and the Latin word for sex (that is, characteristic sex or sexual differentiation). The term heterosexual or heterosexuality is usually applied to humans, but heterosexual behavior is observed in all other mammals and in other animals, as it is necessary for sexual reproduction. There is considerably more evidence supporting nonsocial, biological causes of sexual orientation than social ones, especially for males. Although no single theory on the cause of sexual orientation has yet gained widespread support, scientists favor biologically-based theories.
Scientists do not know the exact cause of sexual orientation, but they theorize that it is caused by a complex interplay of genetic, hormonal, and environmental influences, and do not view it as a choice. Across cultures, most people are heterosexual, and heterosexual activity is by far the most common type of sexual activity. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to persons of the opposite sex it "also refers to a person's sense of identity based on those attractions, related behaviors, and membership in a community of others who share those attractions." Someone who is heterosexual is commonly referred to as straight.Īlong with bisexuality and homosexuality, heterosexuality is one of the three main categories of sexual orientation within the heterosexual–homosexual continuum. Heterosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction or sexual behavior between persons of the opposite sex or gender.