Hookup culture is alive and fledgling, and it’s little wonder why. The very thought is attractive: contact someone, agree on an encounter, hook up, and then forget about it the next day, no strings attached. Career-dedicated men and women may not be into the idea of having a demanding emotional relationship, preferring casual hookups for just a taste, little knowing that they can also leave a bitter aftertaste. If you are lucky enough to have a positive experience, it could heat up your bedroom and leave happy memories. However, the downsides are many, and there is a great chance that the experience may not be all that it is made out to be. Here are just some considerations to keep in mind:
1. STD scare
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First and foremost, there is a great risk of catching STDs. You do not know the person you are hooking up with from Adam, and you can never be too sure if they are disease-free or not. The encounter is brief, but you may be saddled with a pernicious problem that might take a while to resolve. Sometimes even for a lifetime, if you contract HIV through a casual hookup.
2. No emotional connection
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You may be at a party, get drunk, and, in the heat of the moment, agree to hook up with someone. This means you will hardly remember much anyway if you were drunk and nothing momentous happened. Humans are hardwired to connect on an emotional level with a person they become intimate with. Although the whole hookup culture is based purely on satisfying physical urges, you do invest emotionally, and this is bound to hurt you in the long run.
3. Swimming along the tide
Everyone is doing it. It is considered hip and cool. If you do not do it, there is something seriously wrong with you. If you think this way, you should really have your head examined. Given the limitless amount of guys on the prowl for an easy lay, girls going down this path are inviting themselves to be exploited for their emotional vulnerability and instability.
4. Feeling used
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When you agree to a casual hookup, if you both aren’t clear on the objective of the encounter, then one of you will end up feeling used. Add this to the emotional energy expended, which makes for a very bad combination for mental peace.
5. What happens next?
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Do you promise to contact each other again and take it to the next level, or act as if you never met? After the excitement of the hookup dies down, you realize you feel emptier inside than ever and that the hookup had not been emotionally fulfilling. You could just as well have gone out and had a cup of coffee.
6. All hookups don’t lead to relationships
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Some people think that a casual hookup could be the start of a wonderful relationship that will endure. True, sparks may fly between you at first. However, when you get to know the person a little bit more outside the bedroom, you may find they are not at all what you expected. Moreover, you might even be disappointed in yourself for hooking up with a person you might not even have given a second look at.
7. Not able to maintain emotional distance
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It does take a certain level of maturity and balance for both parties to know what they are letting themselves in for when they agree to a casual hookup. If you maintain a certain emotional distance, chances are, the hookup might not leave any scars; but isn’t that keeping yourself away from true happiness as well? What is the point then, besides perhaps to prove your skills to someone?
If all you are looking for is physical intimacy, then a casual hookup may be a short-term solution. But even then, it takes some sort of emotional understanding for such encounters to truly be enjoyable. On the whole, it makes more sense to establish a working, long-term relationship than have flings that go nowhere.
Featured image source: Pixabay, under Creative Commons License
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