Sexual Hookup Culture: A Review

Abstract

“Hookups,” or uncommitted sexual encounters, are becoming progressively more engrained in popular culture, reflecting both evolved sexual predilections and changing social and sexual scripts. Hook-up activities may include a wide range of sexual behaviors, such as kissing, oral sex, and penetrative intercourse. However, these encounters often transpire without any promise of, or desire for, a more traditional romantic relationship. A review of the literature suggests that these encounters are becoming increasingly normative among adolescents and young adults in North America, representing a marked shift in openness and acceptance of uncommitted sex. We reviewed the current literature on sexual hookups and considered the multiple forces influencing hookup culture, using examples from popular culture to place hooking up in context. We argue that contemporary hookup culture is best understood as the convergence of evolutionary and social forces during the developmental period of emerging adulthood. We suggest that researchers must consider both evolutionary mechanisms and social processes, and be considerate of the contemporary popular cultural climate in which hookups occur, in order to provide a comprehensive and synergistic biopsychosocial view of “casual sex” among emerging adults today.

The Tridimensional Structure of Sociosexuality: Spanish Validation of the Revised Sociosexual Orientation Inventory

“…According to Schmitt (2005), the most replicated finding is that men have a less restrictive orientation towards sociosexuality than women. Many studies corroborate this statement (see García et al, 2012;Lippa, 2009;Simpson & Gangestad, 1991) but some studies warn that these differences exist in attitudes and the desire but not in behavior (Mesko et al, 2014;Penke & Asendorpf, 2008). It is considered that, in a competitive market with similar ratios of men and women, expectations and desires will hardly correspond to the real number of partners.…”

“…The incremental validity of the third component of the SOI-R, Desire, with respect to the other two components already present in the SOI was evaluated with hierarchical regressions. CFA and ESEM analyses were performed with Mplus 7 (Muthén & Muthén, 1998-2012; the rest of the analysis with R 3.3.1. (R Core Time, 2016).…”

Casual Sex and College Students: Sex Differences and the Impact of Father Absence

“…Thus, we would expect sex differences in both motivations and emotional reactions to casual sexual relations. Although some studies report substantial intersexual overlap in expressed motivations and reactions to casual sexual relations, some significant sex differences persist (Garcia et al 2012;Kenrick et al 1993;Townsend and Wasserman 2011). For example Garcia and Reiber (2008) found that compared to men, women hooked up more frequently with partners they knew and women were more likely to hope for traditional romantic relationships.…”

“…Recent research has focused on the importance, frequency, and circumstances surrounding casual sex, or hooking up, among college students (Garcia et al 2012;Roberson et al 2015). Although many college students engage in longer-term sexual or romantic relationships, up to 80 % of college students report engaging in some casual sexual encounters (Garcia and Reiber 2008;Gute and Eshbaugh 2008).…”

Asociación entre múltiples parejas sexuales y el inicio temprano de relaciones sexuales coitales en estudiantes universitarios

“…Sexo casual, que se define como encuentros sexuales sin compromiso en individuos que no son pareja "formal", esta forma de encuentros sexuales entre los jóvenes se ha convertido en una norma cultural (García, Reiber, Massey y Merriwether, 2012). En Estados Unidos en estudio de 221 estudiantes universitarios tanto hombres como mujeres reportaron que los encuentros sexuales casuales casi son el doble de los encuentros sexuales con sus parejas formales (Bradshaw, Kahn y Saville, 2010).…”