Old people can practice the art of calming le titties, a 20-year study shows that hook up culture in college is exactly the same as it has always been. Through out history, ladies and gentlemen alike, have gone through their ho phase exactly the same way. Who else is sick of reading countless culture pieces on how millennials are boning each other instead of going steady—like, is it me or is no one I know actually getting laid that often?
Let’s get real Sociological Images’ Lisa Wade debunked this theory when she found that while two-thirds to three-quarters of college students admitted to hooking up (anywhere from kissing to intercourse with someone who is not your bae) only “40 percent [of those students] did it three or fewer times total (less than one hookup a year); 40 percent did it between four and nine times (one to two hookups a year); and 20 percent did it ten or more times.” Yeah, the kids are so crazy!
Sandra L. Caron’s 20-year study of 5,000 college students shows, “The incidence of a student having five or more partners has remained relatively unchanged … Today’s college students may think they’re unique, but the data shows that the incidence of ‘hooking up’ -– or what used to be referred to as ‘casual sex’ -– has remained steady.”
There’s always been this belief that every generation is “crazier” than the last, the reality is that newer generations, like ours, have just become more exposed. Once left to our vices in the comfort of our own home, after the invention of the TV you could now see teenage girls swooning over Elvis’ gyrating crotchal region. Today you can see how us young people think and feel on Twitter. Young people having sex is nothing new, the only difference is that most of us stopped pretending our sexuality didn’t exist until marriage.
What’s most notable, according to Caron’s study, is that millennials are actually more responsible now: more of us practice safe sex. Couple that with sociologist Elizabeth Armstrong’s research, who studied freshman at the University of Indiana for a year, most millennials would rather be in relationships than constantly on the prowl. We’re not so crazy.
“In light of the recent explosion of research concerning the hookup culture on college campuses, it is important to note that sexual behavior among contemporary college students has not changed greatly over the past two and a half decades. The alarmist concerns that ‘easy sex is rampant on college campuses today’ are not justified,” University of Portland researchers, Martin A. Monto and Anna G. Carey, wrote.
Having sex in college is only marginally easier because you have more prospects available to you. People who aren’t interested in hooking up don’t suddenly become nymphomaniacs and the ones that are interested still aren’t going to sleep with people they normally wouldn’t want to. The prospect of sex may seem enticing but it doesn’t suddenly transform who an individual is and what their personal values are.
Guess what? People have been enjoying sex since humans have had libidos! Our parents did it and their parents did it. Now can we all get off our high horses and let people do whatever they think is best for them? No sex! All the sex! Some of the sex! Get it, bbs.
Our Generation Is Not More 'Promiscuous' Than The Ones Before
