Why Men Are Better At One-Night Stands

Lots of things happen. Whether with friends, foes or beer-goggles in tow, one-night stands happen. Nowadays, it’s a pretty common occurrence and fairly socially acceptable to sleep with someone the once. Yet there are the stereotypes of men being able to pull a one-night stand off easily, and women struggling. How do men and women feel the morning after? Do they differ?

In a word: yes. And it isn’t in favor of the ladies, either. 80% of men leave the tryst whistling, happy with themselves and already formulating the unbelievable replay for the buddies. Only roughly 54% of women walk away from a one-nighter physically satisfied, with no intention of further contact with the man. Many shuffle home on the Walk of Shame the next day, trying to cover up the sex kitten outfit that looks out of place at 7 am.

There’s a reason for these seemingly opposite reactions: oxytocin. Having sex releases a ‘bonding’ emotion in women, opening up their trust and maternal instincts. They can get attached, not because of genuine feelings, but because of the chemical release. A chemically-induced affection, in other words. Not to mention there are about 8 days per month in the womanly cycle when women feel randier than usual, thanks to hormones. Yet two more things to can chalk up to that good old frenemy, female Biology. ‘Mother’ Nature? Really?

Guys, you have to cut your one-night stands some slack. Think of it as the female version of publicly embarrassing full-masts, or beered-up non-masts. Something that can’t be helped. Be a little more understanding when a woman goes a little freaky at the missing (yet always promised) phone call next time she sees you. Her chemical trust actually believes you at the moment of utterance, though her head is giggling and her heart isn’t involved.

When going into a one-night-stand on either side of the gender line, don’t fool yourselves. Most men consider it a one-off, not even date-able material. Most women do it only when feeling vulnerable, and would never consider the man under normal circumstances. And both lower their standards when randomly hooking up. Which means that it was a hiccup hookup, not a date. It’s almost always not a repeat offender.

Don’t misunderstand. Of course one-nighters can be incredibly fun and a great way to scratch that itch. But overall, women don’t do it any and every opportunity they have, because they feel disappointed. No, women don’t want to marry a one-night stand and have babies together, but they might be dealing with a chemical hangover of bonding and feeling used. With the man as the target of their venom. Something to keep in mind the next time you’re toying with the idea of pulling a one-nighter.