A study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, examined 528 undergraduate students over the course of nine months to see how hooking-up influenced four aspects of their wellbeing: Self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and physical health symptoms. Using something called, self-determination theory (SDT), Zhana Vrangalova, who is a sex writer, educator, and the author of the study, predicted that the type and level of motivation for a hookup was a determining factor in how someone felt after.

The idea behind SDT is that if we do things for the “right” reasons, we feel good. If we do the exact same thing for the “wrong” reason, then we don’t.

“Right,” or autonomous, reasons for hooking-up include things like sexual desire, physical attraction, experimentation, and novelty. Surprisingly, this study found that hooking-up for these reasons had no bearing on the participants’ well-being.

All that said, studies have shown that on average, people feel more positively after hooking-up than negatively. Casual sex has many benefits too: It can offer sexual pleasure, enhanced self-confidence, empowerment, freedom, and can add an element of adventure to our lives, so it’s certainly worthwhile. Thing is, if you can decrease your chances of bad feelings after a casual lay with just a bit of self-reflection, why wouldn’t you? Read more via New Now Next