Strictly Casual

What research tells us about the whos, whys, and hows of hookups

Zhana Vrangalova Ph.D.

Can Renouncing Promiscuity Help You Find Monogamous Love?

Most people prefer to date nonpromiscuous partners. But what if someone puts their promiscuity behind them and fully commits to monogamy?

How Many People Are Really Interested in Threesomes?

What do young people think about threesomes? Have they had one? Would they? A new study with Canadian undergrads answers these questions.

How Pleasurable is Oral Sex With Hookup Partners?

New study finds that women enjoy receiving oral as much as men do, but men like giving it more. And for both sexes, oral is more fun with more committed partners.

Are Friends With Benefits as Satisfied as Married People?

Casual sex is vilified as unsatisfying and harmful. But a new study suggests that friends-with-benefits relationships are as sexually satisfying as long-term relationships.

Do Promiscuous People Really Have Fewer Friends?

Promiscuity is highly stigmatized in our culture and we often believe that promiscuous people are socially ostracized and lonely. But while slut-shaming can be a serious problem and promiscuous people suffer more interpersonal discrimination and victimization, a new study shows they actually have more friends and feel less lonely.

How to Make People More Accepting of Polyamory?

As alternative relationships become ever more present in the public eye, a new study suggests that all that added information and critical evaluations of monogamy may make people more accepting of consensually nonmonogamous lifestyles.

Does Wanting Casual Sex Really Mean Not Wanting Love?

If someone loves one-night stands, do you automatically assume that they don't like long-term relationships? Yeah? Well, you shouldn't.

Are People in Open Relationships Happier?

Many believe that people in open relationships are less healthy and happy than people in monogamous relationships. A new study adds to the evidence that it may in fact be the opposite.

Do Sex Workers Have More Mental Health Problems?

A frequent assumption is that sex workers have more mental health problems than the general population. This Swiss study shows that depends on what kind of sex work they do.

Are Bisexuals Really Less Monogamous Than Everyone Else?

Bisexuals are often stereotyped as incapable of commitment and monogamy. Surprisingly little research has examined this question. A new study suggests they may be less enamored with monogamy, but quite capable of commitment.

What Type of Casual Sex Are People Really Having?

When people talk about sex outside of a relationship, a one-night stand with someone you just met is usually the first thing that comes to mind. It is the most iconic image of casual sex, and perhaps the most uncomplicated, clear-cut case of it. But it’s also the rarest form of casual sex.

Who’s More Stigmatized: Swingers or Polyamorists?

Consensually non-monogamous relationships are all stigmatized compared to monogamous ones. But some types of nonmonogamy are stigmatized more than others.

After a Hookup, a Wide Range of Emotional Reactions

People often think of hooking up as black or white, with people either loving or hating it. A new study suggests that things are more complex, and that there are four patterns of post-hookup emotional reactions: "Happy Hopefuls", "Content Realists", "Used and Confused", and "Disappointed and Disengaged".

What Do People Really Think of Alternative Relationships?

Openly non-monogamous relationships are becoming ever more visible. Does this awareness translate into greater acceptance? A series of recent studies suggests that, in the minds of most people, consensual nonmonogamy - and the people who engage in it - are far inferior to monogamy.

Why Men and Women Hook Up Today

There is a widespread belief that men want to have sex for fun, whereas women want to have sex for love. The logical extension is that women don’t really want casual sex, and if they do engage in it, they’re probably doing it in hopes it will be more than just casual sex. So how much truth is in this for contemporary young people?

After Casual Sex, Do We Feel a Rush or Regret?

Many believe that casual sex often begets regret, especially for women. How much truth is in that statement? This piece reviews the evidence from half a dozen studies over the past decade.

Which of Us Craves Casual Sex More?

It is not surprising that more attractive people have more casual sex. But is that simply because they have more opportunity, or do they actually desire it more? The findings are somewhat different for men and women.

Is Casual Sex on the Rise in America?

Hooking up seems to be everywhere and many fear it has overtaken dating and created a culture of sexual no-rules-free-for-all. A new study of a nationally representative sample of young adults from 1988 to 2012 suggests that dating is alive and well, shifts toward casual sex are much more modest, and current youth are NOT having sex with more partners than before.

Who's Really Interested in Alternate Relationships?

When it comes to relationships, sexual and emotional monogamy is the norm in our culture. So how much people approve of consensually (or openly) non-monogamous relationships? How interested are people in such arrangements? And how willing to engage in specific types of non-monogamous behaviors? A new study answers these questions.

Would You Have a Threesome with Two Opposite-Sex Partners?

Threesomes and other forms of group sex are ever more visible in the public sphere, yet little research examines people’s interest in and experiences with different group sex configurations. A new study provides insight into women’s desires for a threesome with two men, and men’s desires for a threesome with two women.

Are Lesbians Less Into Casual Sex Than Hetero Women?

While gay male casual sex seems to be everywhere, we hear very little about casual sex among lesbian women. A recent study confirms limited prior evidence that lesbians are no different from heterosexual women in how much they desire, approve of, and engage in uncommitted sex.

Is Our Sexual Double Standard Going Away?

Everyone knows there is a double sexual standard: Women are judged more harshly than men for engaging in the exact same sexual behaviors. But is this really true of current generations of young people? Two recent studies shed some light on how much the double standard has a grip on contemporary college students and whether this has changed over the last 20 years.

Is Casual Sex Hazardous to Your Mental Health?

People fear that hooking up leads to depression or low self-esteem. Now a study suggests that it’s not WHETHER you have casual sex that impacts your mental health, it’s WHY you do.

What Happens After Friends-With-Benefits?

Friends-with-benefits (FWBs) are quite popular among U.S. college students—about 60% report at least one FWB at some point in their life. Most of these relationships end without turning into long-term romantic affairs. So what happens after FWBs?

In Hookups, Alcohol Is College Students' Best Friend

It's no secret that casual sex often goes hand-in-hand with alcohol. But how common is drinking before casual sex exactly? And are we talking just a couple of drinks or getting so wasted you have no absolutely no memory how you ended up naked in a stranger’s bed the next day? A new study sheds some light on these questions.