Tantalolagnia

Updated: FEBRUARY 15, 2016

Tantalolagnia is a condition which causes people to feel sexually aroused when they are teased.

The term is derived from Tantalus, the name of a Greek king who was punished for his crimes by being presented with fruit and water which would recede from his touch when he reached out for it, and the Greek word lagneia, meaning coition or lust. Tantalus also provides the root for the word tantalize, which is closely related to the word tease. Lagnia is a common suffix used to denote fetishes.

More About Tantalolagnia

People with tantalolagnia may enjoy masturbating or having sex while a partner teases them. This teasing is often sexual in nature, although this is not always the case. For a person with tantalolagnia to achieve sexual gratification, they must typically be teased over a sustained period of time. People with tantalolagnia may enjoy verbal and physical humiliation, as practiced by some people in BDSM relationships. Tease and denial and tie and tease games may appeal to people with tantalolagnia.

Tantalolagnia is a fairly harmless sexual fetish. Most people with this condition learn to achieve sexual gratification in appropriate ways and embrace tantalolagnia as a part of their sexual identity. However, if tantalolagnia starts to interfere with a person’s personal or professional life, psychoanalysis, hypnosis, and some types of therapy may help them manage the condition.