Hookup culture is a fairly new term for a fairly new situation. The modern world offers an unprecedented amount of opportunities for different relationships and casual encounters that empower people to experience their sexuality and relationship
options without committing to traditional variants, such as becoming engaged or married. Nowadays, people can hook up and date so openly, without facing ostracism, without the fear of judgment. Still, hookup culture offers a new kind of
freedom, so it's worth exploring a little more. Here are three fascinating facts about hookup culture.
Hookup culture began in the twenties and developed in the sixties.
Even though hookup
culture is reaching new heights today, it began a while back. Although hookups were probably always happening throughout human history, the twenties supplied more opportunities for it to happen. Young people suddenly had more chances to
interact without being chaperoned, by going to a movie theater, for instance. So, it was in the twenties that the seeds for modern hookup culture emerged.
In the sixties, the sexual revolution happened, impacting the attitudes that
people had on sex. Hookups no longer seemed as necessarily related to marriage or long-term relationships, and relations outside of marriage became socially accepted.
Bad relationships are far worse than bad hookups.
While a bad hookup can be very bad, it usually stays a one-time affair, of course, not referring to situations of violence or assault. However, a characteristic of a hookup is that it usually is occasional and doesn't force the partners
to commit to anything they don't want. If the hookup didn't go right, it's unlikely it will go beyond that.
However, a relationship is something that lasts longer. So, any bad characteristics or problems are stretched out over time
and repeated. A bad hookup may be the cause of acute stress, but a bad relationship leads to chronic stress and depression.
Not everyone is into hooking up
While more than 90% of college students report that they think over
90% of their peers engage in hookups, this usually doesn't reflect the truth. Hookup culture is very present and very much an option, but not everyone chooses to engage in it.
Studies suggest that about one-third of students do
not engage in hookups, about 20% are regularly participating in it and the rest do so occasionally. So,
hookup culture
is a reality, and most people on college campuses prefer to
participate in it. However, it's not yet a universal reality.