Science Says Having Casual Sex Is Actually Pretty Dangerous

Can more casual sex increase your risk of getting sexually assaulted? Well, according to a new study, the answer is yes.

Before you get all mad at me, please know NOBODY IS SAYING GETTING SEXUALLY HARASSED IS YOUR FAULT FOR HAVING MORE SEX.

In fact, the researchers behind the study don't even believe that.

After surveying heterosexual men and women around age 18, researchers found that adolescents who have sexually harassed others have also happened to have more casual sex than others.

Similarly, EurekAlert! reported those who have sexually harassed others also fantasize more about casual sex and don't seem to have any issues with the concept in general.

But the inclination toward casual sex isn't only found in people who have sexually harassed others. The study found that people who have been sexually harassed by others also feel a greater inclination for casual sex.

When asked whether or not their findings are intended to "blame the victim," one of the study's lead researchers Mons Bendixen, exclaimed, "Absolutely not! We're trying to understand the psychological mechanisms that underlie harassment."

Although the researchers haven't explored this possibility yet, the link between sexual harassment and casual sex could literally just be a result of the fact that people who have more casual sex are exposed to more sexual partners.

This, in turns, ups someone's odds of having an encounter with someone who could potentially sexually harass them.

Through this study, researchers are ultimately trying to reduce instances of sexual harassment. So in order to achieve their goal, they first have to understand the psychological mechanisms behind what drives it.

In the study, 60 percent of the 1,326 boys and girls in their survey admitted to being sexually harassed in the last year, while 30 percent of the girls and 45 percent of the boys admitted that they themselves had sexually harassed another person at least once.

Those numbers alone speak for themselves. This is obviously a predominant issue and something needs to be done.

At the end of the day, the major takeaway from this study is that the risk for sexual harassment is imminent for both genders. So engage in as much casual sex as you want to, but approach it safely, and most importantly, don't sexual harass other people.

Citations: A preference for casual sex increases risk of harassment (EurekAlert!)