Most notably, individuals of both sexes are willing to openly discuss the topic and advertise their acceptance and experiences of hooking up. In one sample of undergraduate college students, both men and women had nearly double the number of hookups compared to first dates ( Bradshaw, Kahn, & Saville, 2010). Dating for courting purposes has decreased (but certainly not disappeared) and sexual behavior outside of traditional committed romantic pair-bonds has become increasingly typical and socially acceptable ( Bogle, 2007, 2008). Among heterosexual emerging adults of both sexes, hookups have become culturally normative. Over the past 60 years, the prioritization of traditional forms of courting and pursuing romantic relationships has shifted to more casual “hookups” ( Bogle, 2007, 2008). Hooking up- brief uncommitted sexual encounters among individuals who are not romantic partners or dating each other- has taken root within the sociocultural milieu of adolescents, emerging adults, and men and women throughout the Western world. In the current review, we examine and explore these patterns in sexual hookups. Popular culture is simultaneously representing aspects of actual contemporary sexual behavior and providing sexual scripts for emerging adults. These incorrect beliefs of peer sexual norms are in part influenced by students’ perceptions of media and the influence of media on peers ( Chia & Gunther, 2006). Other studies have shown that college students believe their peers are substantially more sexually permissive than was actually the case ( Chia & Gunther, 2006 Reiber & Garcia, 2010). In terms of a more permissive uncommitted sexual content, 20% of sexual intercourse cases involved characters who knew each other but were not in a relationship, and another 15% involved characters having sex after just meeting ( Kunkel et al., 2005). In a 2005 Kaiser Family Foundation report about sex on television, media was highlighted as the primary basis for emerging adults’ opinions about sex, consistent with their result of 77% of prime-time television programs containing some sexual content ( Kunkel, Eyal, Finnerty, Biely, & Donnerstein, 2005). Research on media portrayals of sexual behavior has documented this pattern as well.
As an example, the lyrics above, from the chart-topping pop song Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) by singer–songwriter Katy Perry highlight someone’s Friday night partying, presumably including casual sex, alcohol, and a piecemeal memory of the nights events. The themes of books, plots of movies and television shows, and lyrics of numerous songs all demonstrate a permissive sexuality among consumers. Popular media representations of sexuality demonstrate the pervasiveness of a sexual hookup culture among emerging adults. Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) ( Perry, Gottwald, Martin, & McKee, 2011) We suggest that researchers must consider both evolutionary mechanisms and social processes, and be considerate of the contemporary popular cultural climate in which hookups occur, in order to provide a comprehensive and synergistic biopsychosocial view of “casual sex” among emerging adults today. We argue that contemporary hookup culture is best understood as the convergence of evolutionary and social forces during the developmental period of emerging adulthood.
We reviewed the current literature on sexual hookups and considered the multiple forces influencing hookup culture, using examples from popular culture to place hooking up in context.
A review of the literature suggests that these encounters are becoming increasingly normative among adolescents and young adults in North America, representing a marked shift in openness and acceptance of uncommitted sex. However, these encounters often transpire without any promise of, or desire for, a more traditional romantic relationship. Hook-up activities may include a wide range of sexual behaviors, such as kissing, oral sex, and penetrative intercourse. “Hookups,” or uncommitted sexual encounters, are becoming progressively more engrained in popular culture, reflecting both evolved sexual predilections and changing social and sexual scripts.