Sexual Hookups Among College Students: Sex Differences in Emotional Reactions

The purpose of the study was to test four predictions derived from evolutionary (sexual strategies) theory. The central hypothesis
was that men and women possess different emotional mechanisms that motivate and evaluate sexual activities. Consequently,
even when women express indifference to emotional involvement and commitment and voluntarily engage in casual sexual relations,
their goals, their feelings about the experience, and the associations between their sexual behavior and prospects for long-term
investment differ significantly from those of men. Women’s sexual behavior is associated with their perception of investment
potential: long-term, short-term, and partners’ ability and willingness to invest. For men, these associations are weaker
or inversed. Regression analyses of survey data from 333 male and 363 female college students revealed the following: Greater
permissiveness of sexual attitudes was positively associated with number of sex partners; this association was not moderated
by sex of subject (Prediction 1); even when women deliberately engaged in casual sexual relations, thoughts that expressed
worry and vulnerability crossed their minds; for females, greater number of partners was associated with increased worry-vulnerability
whereas for males the trend was the opposite (Prediction 2); with increasing numbers of sex partners, marital thoughts decreased;
this finding was not moderated by sex of subject; this finding did not support Prediction 3; for both males and females, greater
number of partners was related to larger numbers of one-night stands, partners foreseen in the next 5 years, and deliberately
casual sexual relations. This trend was significantly stronger for males than for females (Prediction 4).