Meet up, or making a connection between people Slang term for courtship, especially of short duration A one-night stand Casual relationship or casual sex.
How social networks lead college students to define, perceive, and participate in “hooking up “showed that while everybody is talking about it, no one is exactly sure what it means.
They found that while majority of participating students were familiar with the phrase “hooking up,” there was no consensus about what “hooking up” actually entailed.
Over half described a hookup as involving sex, nine percent described it as not including sex and about one-third said it could be ambiguous as to whether or not “hooking up” had to involve sex. In other words, hooking up could mean anything from kissing.
Despite the ambiguity of the term “hookup, students reported that they had discussed theirs with friends in the previous four months.
Over a third reported at least two hookups during the school year, indicating that these liaisons — however the students defined them — were common. Still, the students “greatly overestimated the pervasiveness of hookups within the general student culture.
Based on these results, the gossip around “hooking up” may make the practice seem more common than it is, causing students to engage in potentially risky behavior because they believe everyone is doing it.
The study concluded by attempting to finally define “hooking up” as entailing certain sex acts “between two people who are not dating or in a serious relationship and do not expect anything further.”
Why Define It?
In theory, they would all have a better idea of what exactly their peers meant when they reported a weekend hookup. But is pinning down the definition actually useful?
What if there are advantages to leaving the meaning ambiguous?
“If you say casual sex, then I know exactly what you are saying. It’s a way for them friends to communicate about it but without having to reveal details.”
The fact that participants were divided along gender lines when it came to reporting their hook up experiences comes as no surprise. Men vs. women said they hooked up in the last year, and “males expressed more favorable attitudes toward hookups.
Whether you agree with the interpretation or not, the ambiguity surrounding what “hooking up” means enables both men and women to round up or round down their experiences.
The vagueness of the term could help both men and women dodge the judgments others might make about their sexual behavior.
Disclaimer: The information on this POST is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional advice. The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this article is for general information purposes / educational purposes only, and to ensure discussion or debate.
Thank you …. The suspended middle ground between relationship and casual hookup — it’s not a stage that can last. Whether you’ve been hanging out with your intimate hookup for two months or two years, it’s eventually going to force itself one of two ways. It’s going to try and fit into one of the two boxes — a relationship or a more casual thing.
It can be near impossible to know what to call the person you’re “seeing” (read: sleeping with) but not really “dating”).
Are they your taboo?
Your date?
Your “special friend?”
The difference between casual hooking and casual relationships can be super #confusing and couple specific.
If your life resembles a hookup-turns-to-LTR rom-com (like Friends With Benefits or No Strings Attached), you may have seamlessly transitioned from sleeping with someone here and there, to going to their work parties and being featured on their *public* Instagram (that’s dating, right?).
But if your life is anything like mine, “Sleeping with Someone for Four Months without ever dating, so you have No Clue What’s Happening” would undoubtedly be a lengthy chapter in your memoir.
Do you want to add a word or two?
Both casual relationships and hookups are designed to stay compartmentalized and not have the burden of commitment on either partner. A causal relationship is a physical and emotional relationship without the commitment, labels, or demands of a committed relationship. A casual hookup is a sexual relationship that only exists for fulfilling sexual needs.
Whether you slept with a cutie one time and have no intentions of doing it again or you plan on getting frisky often but are set in keeping things purely physical, you may be clear on the fact that you’re in a casual hookup situation.
Usually it is a purely sexual/physical relationship where there are no relational strings attached, A casual hookup can be a relationship based in getting it on with a taboo, without any other expectations.
This is a hookup buddy— a person in your life you can text at any hour (typically late night) and hookup. You know each other well enough for sex or to hookup but you don’t typically date or make plans. If you have no interest in going to the museum with your ~special friend~ or meeting their mom, having a casual hookup could be a sexy and fun way to get your physical needs met.
Of course, navigating a strictly hookup situation can get a little sticky if one party starts to want more than the physical stuff.
The difference for hookups is that sometimes one partner is hoping that the relationship evolves into something beyond just sexual satisfaction.
Still, if you and your friend are clear on what you want from your sexy time together, keeping your relationship purely physically may be ideal for you.
Your comments….
Of course, if you slept with a cutie and then kind of kept sleeping with them (without talking about your long-term plans with them) or if you’re ultimately interested in more than just sex — it may be hard to establish exactly what the heck is going on.
Usually, in any kind of ‘relationship,’ you are doing more together than just hooking up or being physical.
A causal relationship is one in which the obligations that the couple have to one and other may be looser (i.e. don’t attend family holidays, work events, or anything else ‘couple-), but there are moments when you spend time together outside just hooking up.
If you like to go on dates but you’re not trying to be exclusive, or if you enjoy spending time together but haven’t established anything more than that, you may be more in the “casual dating” territory.
This is a dating relationship that doesn’t have to lead to anything. You and your companion enjoy activities and spending time together but are not trying to take the relationship ‘to the next level.
Of course, ‘the next level’ means something different for everyone.
If you’ve only been in more hookup situations, going on a literal “date” could be a step.
If you’ve been “casually seeing” someone, asking to be exclusive could take things to a new level.
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