"Casual sex isn't inherently harmful but for some people, overlooking personal needs or emotional boundaries can take an emotional toll. Despite the promise of freedom and easy intimacy, hookups don't always feel empowering and for some women, they can lead to unexpected feelings of depletion. DW spoke to several women from North America, Europe and parts of Asia who spoke of hookups that gave feelings of short-term confidence but also made deeper intimacy harder."
"Heather, a 40-year-old woman from the US, describes this tension as leaving her feeling "empty, sad, and temporarily empowered, but always craving more." When engaging in casual sex, she regularly tried to turn off her emotions, which felt like "cutting off a part" of herself. Her description of the negative side of hookup culture is consistent with a little-researched condition called postcoital dysphoria (PCD), where people report negative emotions like tearfulness, sadness, or irritability after sex."
"In a 2020 study, women reported experiencing these symptoms after consensual sexual activity or masturbation some said the feelings occurred only after orgasm and described feeling drained or emotionally off in the hours or days afterward. Men also report PCD, but historic stigma around female sexual autonomy and personal expectations has seen some research surveys report as many as three in four women emerging from casual encounters with the condition."
Casual sex can provide short-term confidence or freedom but can also overlook personal emotional needs and boundaries, causing emotional costs for some people. Some individuals experience feelings of emptiness, sadness, or craving more connection after hookups, and may try to suppress emotions during encounters. A condition called postcoital dysphoria (PCD) describes negative post-sex emotions such as tearfulness, sadness, or irritability, sometimes occurring after orgasm. A 2020 study found women reporting these symptoms after consensual sex or masturbation, describing feeling drained or emotionally off. Men can also experience PCD, and stigma and expectations may increase prevalence among women. Sexual desire often interacts with a need for emotional closeness, producing mixed motivations and outcomes in hookup experiences.
Read at www.dw.com
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