Reviewed by Psychology Today Staff. The personality measure known as sociosexuality is predictive of which individuals may be more inclined to engage in casual sex. People higher in measures of sociosexuality are more interested in short-term relationships, have more sexual partners, and are less interested in commitment.
In surveys, people who report engaging in more casual sex say their motivations are seeking pleasure, learning about their sexuality, and improving their self-esteem. International research finds that people who are high in measures of narcissism also tend to be high in sociosexuality and more likely to seek one-night stands and short-term relationships, to pursue sex with people already in a relationship, and to cheat on their own partners.
Not necessarily. In other words, wanting casual sex with many people does not preclude wanting love and relationships. Research on users of the app many see as primarily geared toward hookups find that many users are actually hoping that their connections will lead to being in a long-term relationship.
Many young people who engage in hookups focus on risks such as pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases or pregnancy. Contrary to assumptions, most young people who engage in a hookup do see each other again; in fact, in one survey, two-thirds of college students in a committed relationship reported that it began as a hookup. In general, slightly less than one in five hookups lead to no further contact, while nearly a quarter lead to a continued romantic involvement, whether exclusive or not, and nearly one in three people reported maintaining friendships with a hookup partner.
What type of person would agree to have sex with a stranger? The differences were primarily about perceived physical safety risks and the risks of pregnancy or social stigma, but when those concerns were addressed in surveys about theoretical hookups, women were still less likely to agree, a sign of their generally higher level of discomfort with casual sex.
