Love on the hook
By Ariel Lee and James Yu Sept. 25, 2024
Love comes in several forms: warmth, affection and in recent years, thirsty midnight hookup requests over Snapchat. In essence, hookups are uncommitted sexual encounters that entail the sexual physicality of a long-term relationship without the assurances of one, despite the original intimate nature of intercourse. This version of romance, with relationships subsided as awkward bonds, nicknamed “situationships,” “friends-with-benefits” or a continuous “talking stage,” contrast the original norm, which included having a long-term relationship and genuine love for one another, often dating for marriage. However, as hookup culture erodes the traditional connection between commitment and physical affection, many have started to question the morality of the practice.
Social media and dating apps provide a less nerve-wracking and convenient way to begin relationships, bypassing the potential struggle of setting schedule-fitting quality time together and decreasing the awkwardness and fears of rejections. Recent developments in the stages of life for teenagers and young adults are also attributed to the rise in hookups. For example, in a 2012 issue of a scientific journal titled “Review of General Psychology,” researchers analyzed sexual hookup culture and deduced that adolescents are drawn to hookups as a method to engage in sexual activity, while avoiding the commitment associated with relationships as a result of the lowering age of puberty and the rising average age of marriage. Indeed, since young adults have the freedom to engage in sexual relations, but are usually not in the right phase to settle down into a marriage yet, hookups are utilized as an outlet for sexual exploration.
“Hookup culture is so normalized in our generation, leading people to forget how intimate and sacred sex truly is and honestly it disgusts me how some people could just casually sleep with anyone. It also has ruined the true meaning of love, as people who participate in it are usually not interested in being in a committed relationship, which could lower their self-esteem and cause them to develop a bad perspective of love,” Junior Nhi Ly said.
Specifically, college students are the largest participants in hookup culture, with approximately 60% to 80% of American college students involved, per The University News. Additionally, a study from the American Psychological Association (APA) found that 70% of people from ages twelve to twenty-one are sexually engaged in hookups.
“Hookups are a natural consequence of society’s expectations for the youth to mature at a much faster rate than in the past. If teenagers continue to be expected to mature into adults, then both teenagers and young adults will continue to participate in adult activities,” Junior Timothy Song said.
Furthermore, social media rapidly accelerated the spread of hookup culture with the launch of dating apps like Tinder and Bumble. Pew Research reported that 30% of Americans and almost 50% of college students used these apps, which made finding possible hookup partners nearly an effortless process. However, with the normalization of hookups over the past few decades, numerous consequences arose as a result; An APA survey discovered that 82.6% of hookup participants reported that they regretted it and felt a loss of self-respect.
Moreover, hookup culture pressured numerous people into sexual situations against their will; the same APA survey found that an estimated 78% of unwanted sexual encounters occurred from hookups. Additionally, The Journal of Sex Research deemed that the shallow nature of hookups—involving all of the intimacy of love without the love itself—has increased depression rates.
“Currently, finding a partner is increasingly challenging because more people are looking for short casual relationships instead of something deeper. Physical intimacy should stay primarily within the bounds of relationships, where it can be practiced simultaneously with emotional attachment,” Sophomore Emma Huang said.
Ultimately, with hookup culture incentives and sexual exploration, many are eager to avoid committed relationships to keep their short-term options available. Until long-term romance is prioritized over temporary pleasure, hookups will remain ingrained within popular culture.
About the Contributors
Ariel Lee
staff writer
Ariel Lee is a 10th grader, who likes to read books and watch Disney movies and TV shows in her free time.
James Yu
Sports editor
James Yu is a Junior at Leland High School and Page Editor for the Sports Section. He loves listening to music and reviewing the newest releases as Music Columnist. Outside of Journalism, he enjoys debating for the debate team, hanging out with friends, and sleeping.
Isabella Zhu
staff writer and artist
Isabella is a staff writer and artist, and this is her first year in Journalism. Isabella is deathly scared of running, but does cross country anyways. Her favorite things to do outside of journalism are eating, walking, and sleeping.
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