Your One-Night Stand Could Become a Relationship...Really!
Hey, Happy Monday! Today in love studies, we find that random hookups can lead to a long-lasting relationship (if that's what you want). According to new research from the University of Iowa, the key to having a serious relationship is actually wanting a relationship, and it doesn't matter so much whether you start out slow or jump in the sack straight off, as long as you both want the same thing. Well, what do you know?
"We didn't see much evidence that relationships were lower quality because they started off as hookups," said Anthony Paik, an assistant professor in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. "The study suggests that rewarding relationships are possible for those who delay sex. But it's also possible for true love to emerge if things start off with a more Sex and the City approach, when people spot each other across the room, become sexually involved, and then build a relationship."
Paik surveyed 642 heterosexual adults in Chicago, so we're guessing this study applies pretty well to New Yorkers too. And, yes, he said Sex and the City.
Interestingly, while relationship quality was higher for people who waited until they were "serious" to have sex (just like your mom and Patti Stanger warned you), having sex early didn't preclude your relationship from becoming serious. When Paik factored out people who weren't interested in getting serious in the first place, he found no real difference in relationship quality.
Which just proves the point that the first (maybe even the only) step to having a relationship is wanting a relationship, and finding someone who wants a relationship too. At the same time, the biggest clue to someone not wanting a relationship is their habit of going around and making out like a rabid horndog with random people all the time, so...be forewarned. Choose wisely, preferably pre-tequila shots. After that, you're on your own.
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