Study Says Young Adult Casual Sex Encounters May Have Universal Rules

In-depth conversations with 900 young adults have led Canadian researchers at the University of Ottawa to conclude that casual sex is becoming more typical in relationships, but even so, those relationships have some generalized "rules" of behavior.

The terms used by young adults in the study range from a fling to a friend with benefits to a one-night encounter, with several variations in between, according to recent posts. Each type of sexual relationship has its own kind of norms that seem to be known and accepted by young adults. For example, staying on to sleep is not acceptable following a late-night get together just for sex; and if two people are "friends with benefits," they will be expected to continue communicating after a casual sexual encounter.

Published in an article in The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, researchers believe young adults may be extending their adolescent period into their 20s through these types of non-committal sexual relationships, as well as slowing their pace toward marriage.

Other findings of note include researchers’ speculation that one out of two young adults who have moved on from college may be participating in a friends with benefits relationship. Some casual sex encounters may not actually include the act of sex itself, but rather extended sexual behaviors or favors. The physical and emotional risks associated with casual sex were not included in the study questions.

The rules seem to exist to give a sense of expectation to both parties and to lessen risks of emotional rejection. In many of the encounters, interview participants said follow-up communication to end the sexual relationship wasn’t necessary, but instead, an abrupt cease in texting conversations was enough. Females had a higher likelihood of forming an emotional attachment in a casual sex relationship than did males, even though the rules for the relationship seemed clearly understood by most young adults.