Casual sex was once a social taboo. Those who took partook in it were shunned and thought to be low class. Not that those views stopped anyone from doing it. They just kept it secret. As years passed and society became more knowledgeable about human sexuality, casual sex became less of a no-no. People were less concerned with having occasional casual sex and more concerned with their happiness and the rest of their life. There are a lot of fun reasons to engage in casual sex but the best one of all may be because it boosts your self-esteem.
A recent study of the sexuality of college students in the United States during a nine-month period revealed several interesting facts about casual sex. Researchers concentrated on three factors:
• Overall Sexual Activity- penetrative sex with casual acquaintances, in particular
• Emotional States – this is referring to the self-reported instances of depression, self-esteem, anxiety, life satisfaction, and contentment
• Sociosexual Orientation Inventory – the pertains to the researcher’s system of scoring. It is based on questions relating to sexual experience such as “Is it OK to have sex without love?” – See example here –
The purpose is to judge the level of acceptance of promiscuity.
The results were indicative of the benefits of casual sex. The majority of which are bestowed upon those who rated high on the sociosexual orientation inventory. What this all boils down to is that the people who enjoy having casual sex find casual sex the most gratifying. Cornell and New York University conducted the study funded by a variety of nonprofit organizations. It was published in the Social Psychological and Personality Science, a peer-reviewed journal.
An interesting point to this study, although not entirely surprising is that more women were uncomfortable about sex without love than men. The study could not decisively report whether the effects of casual sex were good or bad. The reports were a mixed bag. The answers to the Sociosexual Orientation Inventory questions were the greatest indicator.
There are several reasons having casual sex makes you feel more self-confident. The most influential reason is how attractive you feel. The thrill of the hunt turns into a massive ego boost when the woman you’ve been hunting is just as attracted to you. Even more that she is willing to drop everything in her world for a few hours with you, even though there will be no strings attached. That is often a big deal for women. As the study showed, there is a large portion of women who feel sex without marriage is wrong. While they do not represent all women, that prevailing thought is still present in many women of the current and past generations. Knowing that you can invoke the passion and interest it requires to have casual sex in a woman is a huge ego boost.
Having a casual sex relationship allows you to leave the stresses of a romantic relationship behind and concentrate on the rest of your life. Having a great casual sex partner who wants the same thing you do is empowering. Relationships like that give you the best of both worlds. It is having a best friend you can also enjoy sex with. There isn’t much better than that. Having the freedom to come and go as you please is very liberating and a big boost to your self-esteem.
Another way casual sex can boost your self-esteem is the happiness and acceptance factor. Having casual sex opens up your world for more friendships and larger life experiences. You see relationships in another way and the women you are with become more three dimensional. You also feel more accepted in your newer and larger circle of friends. Casual sex becomes a way to enjoy friendships even deeper and allows you a bigger advantage in your life.
Having casual sex has a lot of benefits. Getting a big ego boost is just one of them. As the study showed, however, a lot depends on each individual person. Some people have deeply-rooted anxiety about casual sex. This can be related to a religious background or a strong moral upbringing. Although the times are changing, not everyone is onboard. The bottom line is if you enjoy casual sex, run with it.