Durham, UK. Some ardent proponents of the sexual and feminist revolutions claimed women would be free to enjoy casual sex just as men always had. Yet, women report negative feelings after one-night stands, suggesting they are not well adapted to fleeting sexual encounters.  Findings from a new study appear in Human Nature.

 

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The morning after the night before: Affective reactions to one-night stands among mated and unmated women and men. Anne Campbell. Human Nature 19(2) 157-173. doi: 10.1007 / s12110-008-9036-2. DOI 10.1007/s12110-008-9036-2. ISSN 1045-6767 (Print); 1936-4776 (Online)

 

To test the theory, a total of 1743 men and women who had experienced a one-night stand were asked to rate both their positive and negative feelings the following morning, in an internet survey. 

 

Reports by males were generally positive.

Overall, women’s feelings about one-night stands were more negative than those of me, with almost half of the women reporting negative feelings .

Professor Campbell says this is evolution at work. "In evolutionary terms women bear the brunt of parental care and it has been generally thought that it was to their advantage to choose their mate carefully and remain faithful to make sure that their mate had no reason to believe he was raising another man's child.

 

"Recently, biologists have suggested that females could benefit from mating with many men - it would increase the genetic diversity of their children, and, if a high quality man would not stay with them forever, they might at least get his excellent genes for their child." However, she said that if women were designed by evolution for short-term relationships, they would enjoy them more, and the survey suggested this was not the case. "Basic emotions guide us down pathways that have been advantageous for our ancestors," she says.

 

"What the woman seemed to object to was not the briefness of the encounter but the fact that the man did not seem to appreciate her," said Campbell. "The woman thought this lack of gratitude implied that she did this with anybody."

 

Campbell says that although women do not rate casual sex positively, the reason they still take part in it may be due to the menstrual cycle changes influencing their sexual motivation. Indeed, during the ovulatory phase (between days 10 to 18 of their cycle), women report increased sexual desire and arousal, with a preference for short-term partners.

 

The morning after the night before: Affective reactions to one-night stands among mated and unmated women and men. Anne Campbell. Human Nature 19(2) 157-173. doi: 10.1007 / s12110-008-9036-2. DOI 10.1007/s12110-008-9036-2. ISSN 1045-6767 (Print); 1936-4776 (Online)

Abstract

Benefits to females of short-term mating have recently been identified, and it has been suggested that women have evolved adaptations for this strategy. One piece of evidence supporting such a female adaptation would be that women find the experience of a one-night stand as affectively positive as men. Individuals (N = 1,743) who had experienced a one-night stand were asked to rate aspects of their “morning after” feelings (six positive and six negative). Women were significantly more negative and less positive than men. Although women did not especially view these relationships as a prelude to long-term relationships, they felt greater regret than men about having been “used.” Extra-pair copulations were rated more negatively, but not less positively, than singles’ experiences. There was no interaction between gender and mated status on positivity or negativity. Although, in terms of subsequent affective response, women do not seem well adapted to casual sexual encounters, it may be important to distinguish impelling sexual motivation preceding intercourse from later evaluations of the event. Menstrual cycle changes may also be important in altering the strength and target of sexual motivation.

 

 

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