Autoeroticism

Autoeroticism, autosexuality, or self-gratification is the sexual practice of stimulating oneself, especially one's own body through accumulation of internal stimuli.

For sexual interests that involve imaging one's self in another physical form, see Erotic target location error.

The term was popularized toward the end of the 19th century by British sexologist Havelock Ellis, who defined autoeroticism as "the phenomena of spontaneous sexual emotion generated in the absence of an external stimulus proceeding, directly or indirectly, from another person". In simpler terms, autoeroticism could be described as any form of sex requiring only one person.

Though the terms autoeroticism and masturbation are often used interchangeably, they are not synonymous as not all autoerotic behaviors are masturbatory. Nocturnal emissions, sexual fantasies, and sexual arousal to 'sexually-neutral' stimuli (music, scenery, art, risk, spiritual reverie, etc.) are also examples of autoeroticism, as they can be triggered autonomously.

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