Source: Sasin Tipchai

One night stands often get a bad rep, portrayed as shallow. But they can’t be all bad otherwise you would see public campaigns to stop people engaging in them. I joke! In this post, we will examine some of the positive social science literature surrounding one night stands, giving you some great theoretical positions to throw out in debates with conservatives.

The Benefits of One Night Stands

One night stands would be looked at as taboo in the UK if it wasn’t for the prevalence of Casual Sex. Casual Sex, in this case, will be defined as consensual sexual activity that occurs between two people, outside of a committed long-term relationship. Whereas a one night stand is engaging in one-off sexual intercourse with a person.

A lot of research has focused on the negative aspects of one night stands. But there is an emerging field which examines how drunk sex is a valued part of contemporary nightlife. It provides an avenue for sexual explorations within specific ‘ sexualized territories’ where playful deviance is legitimated (Fjaer & Pedersen, 2015; Redmon, 2003).

Pedersen et al (2017) set out to discover some of the pleasures of drunken one night stands, and examine how specific environments facilitated sides of our sexual self.

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Drunken One Night Stands often imply time-out and lack of control, and are often recounted as ‘crazy’ and ‘wild’ in a humorous fashion (Pedersen et al, 2017).

Pedersen et al (2017) found sexual exploration to be closely linked to alcohol. It was desirable on a night out for the individuals in their study to look at, and flirt with beautiful people whilst out. It was not only the possibility that such interactions could lead to sex but also good memories and experiences. Once one person had experienced a success one-night stand situation, they were more likely to pursue the same situation with others in the future.

Even when participants didn’t recall the sexual intercourse as being amazing. They recalled feeling excited in the moment and even ‘cool’ (Pedersen et al, 2017). Bars, festivals, and feasts were examined as environments where circumstances could lead to a one-night stand. But, considering this article was published in 2017 they happened to overlook the internet.

With the proliferation of people meeting on the internet, it only ups the chances that more people would use this as a means to access casual relationships and one-night stands. Just One Night Stands, for example, is one such site, which aims to link people together who are only seeking one-night stands. Researchers, whilst putting out great work. Are doing themselves an injustice by not looking to how the internet, has changed the environments which permit one-off encounters.

So if you’re looking to meet people who are simply looking for one night stands without going to Tinder. Check out, Just One Night Stands, to skip the bars, skip the pubs, and create the same effect with a different method.

By Shaneka Knight

Instagram: Shanekaakknight

Facebook: Shaneka Knight

The Sociological Mail will not make money from you signing up to this site. This is a Collaboration Post with Just One Night Stands.

References

Pedersen, W., & Sandberg, S., & Tutenges, S. (2017). The pleasures of drunken one-night stands: Assemblage theory and narrative environments. International Journal of Drug Policy, 49. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0955395917302645 [Accessed 19th of May 2019].

Fjaer, G. E., & Pedersen, W., & Sandberg, S. (2015). ‘I’m Not One of Those Girls’: Boundary-Work and the Sexual Double Standard in a Liberal Hookup Context. Gender & Society, 29(6). Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0891243215602107 [Accessed 19th of May 2019].

Redmon, D. (2003). Playful deviance as an urban leisure activity: secret selves, self-validation, and entertaining performances. Deviant Behaviour, 24(1). Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10639620390117174 [Accessed 19th of May 2019].

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