The 26th January just happens to be National Spouses Day. But worry not if you don’t have a significant other, for new research shows that casual sex is just as good for you mentally as having sex when you’re in a relationship.
The Journal of Sex Research recently published a study suggesting that the positive short-term effects of sex are the same in and out of relationships. So, even without Mr or Mrs Right in the picture, sex still makes you feel awesome.
The scientists conducting the study actually set out to show that girls had bad feelings about sex outside of relationships (vs. doing it when they’re in one), and viewed casual sex more negatively than guys did. Guess what? They were proven wrong.
Some recent studies suggested that women are less likely to have orgasms in casual sex than in sex with a regular partner. This can make the mistake of equating “liking sex” with “having orgasms.” For, according to many women, even not having an orgasm with a partner on a given night doesn’t necessarily rule it out as great sex.
Anyway, according to the study, sex made women feel physically satisfied nearly 93 percent of the time, feel a thrill or rush 78 percent of the time, and feel better or cheered up 67 percent of the time on days they had sex. It also made them feel more attractive 45 percent of the time. These stats were virtually the same within and without relationships.
Consequence-free sex?
The study did show, however, that women were more likely to experience guilt and health worries when they didn’t use protection, which is fair enough. So, the easy solution here, ladies, is to keep a pack of condoms in your bag and not to forget your birth control. Planning ahead means you’ll protect yourself, and lessen the potential of post hook up guilt and the chance of unwanted pregnancy or disease.
The conclusion of the research was that the potential positive and negative outcomes of casual sex are not mutually exclusive: If you’re the type of person who enjoys engaging in casual sex, then hooking up can boost your self-esteem and life satisfaction. But if you’re not that kind of person, then it won’t.
In other words, science says do whatever the hell you want. Whatever makes you feel good. Amen to that.