Mar 8, 2018
Ever wondered how women really feel about one night stands?
A collaborative study of Norwegian and American college students by professors at UT Austin and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology looked into what exactly turns people on and off from casual sex. The researchers surveyed 929 Norwegians and 524 Americans (all heterosexual), asking them different questions about their last sexual encounter and how they felt about it afterward.
Part of the study aimed to explain the sociological and religious differences between Norwegian and American students. The study’s authors picked those two populations under the assumption that Norwegians were generally more secular and sexually liberated, and would have different attitudes than comparatively conservative Americans.
SHE’S MORE LIKELY TO REGRET IT THAN YOU ARE
American women are more likely to regret casual sex than men, the study found: 49.6 percent of women regretted their last casual sex encounter, compared to 35.3 percent of men. (Heads up: Here are some of the sex positions women secretly despise.)
According to the study, men’s likelihood of regretting casual sex was about half that of women — and men were 3.5 times more likely than women to regret passing up on a hookup. (Looking for advice on how to make first-time sex even better? Check out these tips.)
RELIGIOUS PEOPLE WERE LESS CONCERNED ABOUT MISSING OUT ON A HOOKUP
The researchers found that respondents who scored higher in terms of “religiosity” were more likely to regret having casual sex.
Among people who reported being religious, men were still more likely than women to regret passing up casual sex — and less likely to regret it if it happened. However, the study found that people who were more religious were significantly less concerned in general about missing the chance for a hookup.
