Hooking up. Friends with benefits. Casual sex. No matter what you call it, this kind of relationship is about one thing. But is spending plenty of "no-strings-attached" quality time in the bedroom really enough?
Are you kidding yourself to think that getting it on with a guy, but not getting much else, is all you need or want? Common questions these days, given how accepted this kind of purely physical pairing has become for women.
A study in the Archives of Sexual Behavior found that Whether it's because a woman would rather put more time and effort into her job than into a relationship or because with this particular guy she's really only interested in getting naked, the sex -only setup can be fulfilling. Casual sex works "when you're in a good place with your job, social life, and personal life, and all that's missing is sex," says Desiree Dean, author of The Sex MANual.
Sasha, 36, who works for a tech company in Portland, was looking to fill that void when she met a hot-looking, confident guy one night. Andrea, 36, a graphic designer in Los Angeles, found the same kind of single-purpose man after the breakup of a serious live-in relationship.
Along with providing you with someone to regularly get horizontal with, these partnerships can give you space to explore your sexuality, says Sari Cooper, a certified sex therapist and licensed psychotherapist based in New York, "while having enough time to devote to your job or education.
