“Hooking up” has become a catch-all phrase in our culture to describe casual romantic or sexual activity. Despite the pervasiveness of the phrase, however, no one (lay people or relationship scientists) has a solid, agreed-upon definition for exactly what it is. What specifically does “hooking up” entail? A recent review article1 sheds light on this question.
Researchers have noted that the term “hookup” is intentionally vague2 so that people can maintain or inflate their reputations. For example, after a potentially embarrassing sexual encounter with a not-so-hot partner, someone might use the vague word “hookup” to downplay the depth or intensity of the experience, rather than reveal exactly what he or she did. Conversely, when someone feels pride after hooking up with a really hot partner, that person might want others to think he/she went further (physically) than they actually did. Thus, people can benefit socially from the vagueness of the term “hookup.” Despite the fact that a majority of young adults surveyed (between 70% and 80% in nearly all studies) report having hooked up at least once in their lives,1 not everyone means the same thing when they talk about their experiences. You may have faced this in your own life; when a friend tel