Some one-night stands can last forever – study
LONDON: One-night stands have a reputation – and having too many of them can give you a reputation.
But a University of Iowa study suggests that having one-off sex at the end of the night might not be a relationship killer – it’s how you handle the situation in the morning that makes the difference.
Sociologist associate professor Anthony Paik surveyed 642 adults in Chicago and concluded that relationships that start with a spark and not much else are not necessarily doomed from the get-go – what matters is how both partners feel about a potential relationship.
While the “average relationship quality” was higher for individuals who waited until things were serious to have sex, early sex was not to blame for the disparity. When Paik factored out people who weren’t interested in getting serious, he found no real difference in relationship quality.
That is, couples who became sexually involved as friends or acquaintances and were open to a serious relationship ended up just as happy as those who dated and waited.
Partners
People with higher numbers of past sexual partners were more likely to form hook-ups and to report lower relationship quality.
Paik said they began to favour short-term relationships and found the long-term ones less rewarding.
It was also probable that people who were predisposed to short-term relationships were screened out of serious ones because they didn’t invest the time and energy to develop long-term ties.
The research showed that plenty of people date even if they aren’t interested in a long-term relationship. It was a bit surprising, Paik said, since dating fell under the romance category, while “friends with benefits” and hook-ups did not.
“In the casual dating category, some people think they’re headed for a long-term relationship, but there are also people who are only in it for sex. It basically brings ‘players’ and ‘non-players’ together.
“As a consequence, it raises the question of whether casual dating is a useful institution.
“This paper would suggest not really, because it doesn’t screen out the non-romantic types.” – Daily Mail