{{Short description|Human sexual practice}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2016}}[[Image:Scuola di fontainebleau, presunti ritratti di gabrielle d'estrées sua sorella la duchessa di villars, 1594 ca. 06.jpg|thumb|250px|Gabrielle d'Estrées's rouged nipple is tweaked by her sister, the Duchess of Villars, circa 1600.<ref name=Hagen>{{cite book|last=Hagen|first=Rose-Marie|title=What Great Paintings Say, Volume 2|year=2002|publisher=Taschen|location=Köln|isbn=978-3-8228-1372-0|page=205|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OWe3lPyY_GIC|author2=Rainer Hagen|access-date=2015-10-22 }}</ref>]] thumb|250px|Man engaged in oral nipple stimulation {{Spoken Wikipedia|Oral_stimulation_of_nipples.ogg|date=2010-10-20}} thumb|250px|Oral nipple stimulation '''Nipple stimulation''' or '''breast stimulation''' is stimulation of the breast. Stimulation may be by breastfeeding, sexual activity, an indirect non-sexual response, or kissing the nipple. As part of sexual activity, the practice may be performed upon, or by, people of any gender or sexual orientation. It may occur with the use of fingers, orally, such as by sucking or licking, as well as by use of an object.
Nipple stimulation may produce sexual excitement, and '''nipple erection''' can be an indicator of an individual's sexual arousal. Adult women and men report that breast stimulation may be used to both initiate and enhance sexual arousal,<ref name=levin>{{Cite journal |doi = 10.1080/14681990600674674|title = The breast/Nipple/Areola complex and human sexuality|journal = Sexual and Relationship Therapy|volume = 21|issue = 2|pages = 237–249|year = 2006|last1 = Levin|first1 = Roy J.| s2cid=219696836 }}</ref> and a few women report experiencing orgasm from nipple stimulation.<ref name="Kinsey"/><ref name="Boston"/>
==Development and anatomy== Male and female breasts, nipples and areolas develop similarly in the fetus and during infancy. At puberty, the male's breasts remain rudimentary but the female's develop further, mainly due to the presence of estrogen and progesterone.<ref name=levin/> Smaller female breasts, however, are more sensitive than larger ones.<ref name=levin/>
==Physiological response== Breasts, and especially the nipples, are erogenous zones. Nipple stimulation may result in sexual arousal, and erect nipples can be an indicator of an individual's sexual arousal. The individual's sexual partner may find such erection erotically stimulating.<ref name="Levin">{{Cite journal| last1 = Levin | first1 = R. | last2 = Meston | first2 = C. | doi = 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2006.00230.x | title = Nipple/Breast Stimulation and Sexual Arousal in Young Men and Women | journal = The Journal of Sexual Medicine | volume = 3 | issue = 3| pages = 450–454| year = 2006 | pmid = 16681470 | citeseerx = 10.1.1.421.7798 }}</ref> A survey in 2006 found that sexual arousal in about 82% of young females and 52% of young males occurs or is enhanced by direct stimulation of nipples, with only 7–8% reporting that it decreased their arousal.<ref name="Levin"/>
The stimulation of women's nipples from suckling, including breastfeeding, promotes the production and release of oxytocin and prolactin.<ref name="Sherwood">{{cite book|author=Lauralee Sherwood|title=Fundamentals of Human Physiology|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn=978-0-8400-6225-3|page=619|date=2011|access-date=August 12, 2017|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jl4rLDuewo4C&pg=PT619}}</ref><ref name="Symonds">{{cite book|author=E. Malcolm Symonds |author2=Ian M. Symonds |author3=Sabaratnam Arulkumaran |title=Essential Obstetrics and Gynaecology E-Book|publisher=Elsevier Health Sciences|isbn=978-0-7020-5475-4|page=37|date=2013|access-date=August 12, 2017|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uUU5AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA37}}</ref> Besides creating maternal feelings, it also decreases a woman's anxiety and increases feelings of bonding and trust.<ref>{{cite web |last=Razgaitis |first=Ellen J. |last2=Lyvers |first2=Ashlee N. |title=Physiologic Mechanism of Nipple Stimulation |url=http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/716623_4 |access-date=2010-11-20 |publisher=Medscape Today from WebMD}}</ref><ref name="pmid19482229">{{Cite journal|vauthors=Lee HJ, Macbeth AH, Pagani JH, Young WS |title=Oxytocin: the Great Facilitator of Life |journal=Progress in Neurobiology |volume=88 |issue=2 |pages=127–51 |date=June 2009 |pmid=19482229 |doi=10.1016/j.pneurobio.2009.04.001 |pmc=2689929}}</ref> Oxytocin is linked to sexual arousal and pair bonding,<ref name="Lovejoy">{{cite book|author=David A. Lovejoy|title=Neuroendocrinology: An Integrated Approach|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-0-470-01568-1|page=322|date=2005|access-date=August 12, 2017|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cy1a-eNeQnIC&pg=PA322}}</ref> but researchers are divided on whether breastfeeding commonly incites sexual feelings.<ref name="Neville">{{cite book|author=Margaret Neville|title=Lactation: Physiology, Nutrition, and Breast-Feeding|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-1-4613-3688-4|page=358|date=2013|access-date=August 12, 2017|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hNvTBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA358}}</ref> Nipple erection during sexual arousal or breastfeeding are both caused by the release of oxytocin.<ref name="Neville"/> Nipple erection is due to the contraction of smooth muscle under the control of the autonomic nervous system,<ref name="Moini">{{cite book|author=Jahangir Moini|title=Anatomy and Physiology for Health Professionals|publisher=Jones & Bartlett Publishers|isbn=978-1-284-09035-2|page=568|date=2015|access-date=August 12, 2017|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UdKVBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA568}}</ref> and is a product of the pilomotor reflex which causes goose bumps.<ref name="Patton">{{cite book|author=Kevin T. Patton|title=Anatomy and Physiology - E-Book|publisher=Elsevier Health Sciences|isbn=978-0-323-31687-3|page=186|date=2015|access-date=August 12, 2017|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ko2bBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA186}}</ref>
Breast stimulation can also be achieved by external devices, including various sex toys. App controlled nipple lamps made by companies like Lovense allow vibrations adjusted according to personal liking through an app.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Griggs |first=Malia |date=2022-02-17 |title=The Erogeneous Zone We Don’t Talk About—or Touch—Enough |url=https://www.glamour.com/gallery/best-nipple-stimulators |access-date=2026-02-04 |work=Glamour |language=en-US}}</ref>
Few women report experiencing orgasm from nipple stimulation.<ref name="Kinsey">{{cite book|author=Alfred C. Kinsey |author2=Wardell B. Pomeroy |author3=Clyde E. Martin |author4=Paul H. Gebhard |title=Sexual Behavior in the Human Female|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=978-0-253-01924-0|page=587|date=1998|access-date=August 12, 2017|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JHWHCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA587|quote=There are some females who appear to find no erotic satisfaction in having their breasts manipulated; perhaps half of them derive some distinct satisfaction, but not more than a very small percentage ever respond intensely enough to reach orgasm as a result of such stimulation (Chapter 5). [...] Records of females reaching orgasm from breast stimulation alone are rare.}}</ref><ref name="Boston">{{cite book|author=Boston Women's Health Book Collective|title=The New Our Bodies, Ourselves: A Book by and for Women|publisher=Simon & Schuster|isbn=978-0-684-82352-2|page=575|date=1996|access-date=August 12, 2017|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JFI4AQAAIAAJ|quote=A few women can even experience orgasm from breast stimulation alone.}}</ref> Before Komisaruk et al.'s functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) research on nipple stimulation in 2011, reports of women achieving orgasm from nipple stimulation relied solely on anecdotal evidence.<ref name="Smith">{{cite book|author=Merril D. Smith|title=Cultural Encyclopedia of the Breast|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-0-7591-2332-8|page=71|date=2014|access-date=August 12, 2017|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qrCCBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA71}}</ref> Komisaruk's study was the first to map the female genitals onto the sensory portion of the brain; it indicates that sensation from the nipples travels to the same part of the brain as sensations from the vagina, clitoris and cervix, and that these reported orgasms are genital orgasms caused by nipple stimulation, and may be directly linked to the genital sensory cortex ("the genital area of the brain").<ref name="Smith" /><ref name="Lehmiller">{{cite book|author-first1=Justin J.|author-last1=Lehmiller|title=The Psychology of Human Sexuality|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-118-35132-1|page=120|date=2013|access-date=August 12, 2017|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pQRgAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT120|author-link=Justin J. Lehmiller}}</ref><ref name="Komisaruk">{{Cite journal|author1-link=Barry Komisaruk|author1=Komisaruk, B. R.|author2=Wise, N.|author3=Frangos, E.|author4=Liu, W.-C.|author5=Allen, K.|author6=Brody, S. |title=Women's Clitoris, Vagina, and Cervix Mapped on the Sensory Cortex: fMRI Evidence |journal=The Journal of Sexual Medicine |year=2011|doi=10.1111/j.1743-6109.2011.02388.x|volume=8|issue=10|pages=2822–30 |pmid=21797981 |pmc=3186818}}</ref>
In ''Patterns of Sexual Behavior'', a 1951 analysis of 191 traditional cultures, the researchers noted that stimulation of the female breast by the male before sex "seemed absent in all subhuman forms, although it is common among the members of many different human societies."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Clellan S. Ford and Frank A. Beach |url=https://archive.org/details/patternsofsexual0000clel_d2x3 |title=Patterns of Sexual Behaviour |date=1965 |others=Internet Archive |pages=70}}</ref>
==Psychological response== Studies have shown that nipple erection can significantly impact people's perceptions of and behavior towards women. A recent psychological study found that the presence of nipple erection can influence people's views of a woman's intelligence, morality, and sexuality.{{cn|date=October 2025}} Another study found that men are more willing to help women with erect nipples, which could indicate that men view women with nipple erection as more sexually attractive and approachable.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Burch|first1=Rebecca L.|last2=Widman|first2=David R.|year=2022|title=The point of nipple erection 2: The effect of nipple erection on intended and expected altruism|journal=Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences|volume=16|number=2|pages=147–156|url=https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2021-20307-001|access-date=2023-02-03|doi=10.1037/ebs0000239|language=en|url-access=subscription}}</ref>
==See also== {{Portal|Human sexuality}} *Breast fetishism *Contraction stress test *Erotic lactation *Fingering (sexual act) *Mammary intercourse
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Sex}} {{Human sexuality}}
Stimulation Category:Oral eroticism Category:Sexual acts