One Night Stands: The Science of the Feelings Behind the Deed

OnsOne night stands: an inevitable lifestyle that one must (safely) partake in AT LEAST once in their lives? Or is it something that brings about too many complications?

Let’s dig into the science behind the feelings associated with engaging in the ever so popular phenomenon: one night stands.

The Morning After- How do you feel?

In one of my earliest articles, I went into vivid detail about how love is similar to being addicted to cocaine-aka it’s one hell of a drug. The side effects of falling in love coincide with smoking crack: enhanced mood, heightened sex drive, increased confidence and impaired judgment that can influence decision making at night, leading to guilt in the morning.

Anne Campbell, a psychologist at Durham University in England, surveyed more than 3,300 people between the ages of 17 and 40 with about 50% of both men and women admitting to partaking in a one night stand.

Her research indicated that although women like to claim they are capable of having no strings attached sex, almost half of them can’t: 80% of men had overall positive feelings while only 54% of woman were happy. Most of these women, instead, felt: “regret at being used”, “cheap and easy”, “horrified afterward” and “degraded”.

Poor Mental State Leading to Casual Sex?

One night stands are an easy way to release all the built up sexual tension composed in one’s body, therefore, it makes complete sense that one would more likely partake in it if: they’re mentally unstable, following a break up, looking for a quick fix to be happy temporarily, etc.

The Journal of Sex Research surveyed 10,000 people and it was reported that those who had thoughts of suicide or more depressive symptoms as teens were likely to engage in casual sex as young adults- this goes for both genders.

Does a Hookup Gene Exist?

DRD4- The hookup gene

Justin Garcia and his research team at the State University of New York at Binghamton surveyed 181 young adults, asking about their sexual history and testing them for a gene called DRD4, which is associated with compulsive, risk taking behaviors such as partying and gambling-which are two environments high in one night stands.

43 out of the 181 possessed the gene and those individuals “report a greater categorical rate of promiscuous sexual behavior [one night stands and more than 50% increase in changes of sexual cheating]”.

What indicates they’re more likely to be sexually liberating? Face and Hips.

Attractive feminine women and more masculine looking men are judged for not desiring a serious, monogamous relationship, reported by a 2008 British study.

A medical doctor and associate professor surveyed 148 women between the ages of 18 and 26 on their hip circumference and their sexual history. He found that more wide-hipped women were more prone to engaging in one night stands. Women with hips at least 0.8 inches wider than other women admitted to one-night stands accounting for three out of every four of their past sexual encounters.

Men Less Picky, Women More Choosy

A study published in Human Nature revealed that when men were asked to “go out with”, “go home with” or “go to bed with” a female, men were more prone to agreeing, regardless of how attractive the lady was. In contrast, women were much more selective-they only accepted the “go home with” or “go to bed with” requests from an exceptionally attractive man than from either a “moderately” attractive or “slightly” unattractive man.

We’d love to hear about your take on one night stands and, if you’d like to share, your personal experiences with them and the whirlwind of emotions that came about. Once again, are they an inevitable lifestyle that one must (safely) partake in AT LEAST once in their lives or something that brings about too many complications?

Xoxo,

Chrissy

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2014/06/16/one-night-stands-5-shocking-facts-about-the-science-of-hooking-up/

http://healthland.time.com/2009/08/11/the-science-of-one-night-stands/

Edited by Ranine Swaid.

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