Rebound sex is not just a myth or a concept in films. Researchers of a new study found that people actually indulge in revenge sex after a split to get over their ex.
There's a popular phrase that goes "Get over someone by getting under someone else." University of Missouri put this phrase to test to see whether it actually works. While they weren't able to determine whether after-split sex actually worked to get over someone, they found that many people have actually tried out the method.
"Consistent with popular beliefs about rebound and revenge sex, having sex to cope with distress and to get over or get back at the ex-partner were elevated immediately following the breakup and then declined over time, as did the probability of having sex with a new partner," the study read.
One hundred and seventy college students who had gone through a recent breakup were recruited to participate in the study. Over the course of eight weeks, the participants underwent various surveys and interviews and were even asked to fill out a weekly journal. After analyzing all this data, researchers noted that one-third of the participants indulged in rebound sex within four weeks of ending their previous relationship.
People who were dumped and those who were in longer relationships were more likely to indulge in this kind of sex compared to people who dumped their partners or were part of shorter relationships. The study also revealed that most individuals indulged in revenge sex to deal with the anger and stress associated with a breakup.
Researchers noted that while rebound sex may provide a temporary solution to a split, it is not beneficial in the long run.
"For some people, having sex with a new partner is a healthy and necessary part of moving on. However, the fact that those who reported the use of sex to cope with or get over the relationship loss continued to have sex with new partners even after eight months suggests that, for at least these individuals, this behavior signified a lack of recovery and an inability to move on," the researchers said, according to NY Times Daily.
Study researcher Lynne Cooper, a psychologist at the University of Missouri, said that she decided on conducting a study on this topic because when she "Googled" rebound sex, she was surprised at the stuff about the topic that was available on the Internet. Despite information regarding rebound sex, there was no scientific data available and hence, Cooper decided to conduct the study to see how many people indulged in revenge sex and why.
"I've always been interested in how people cope with adverse events in their lives, and how the ways they choose to cope with these adverse events affects their recovery and, ultimately, their well-being," Cooper said to LiveScience.
The researchers were not able to determine whether this actually helped people get over heartbreak but they did find out that such people usually had sex with strangers and continued to doing so for a long period of time.
"It suggests that people who are using these strategies are, in fact, more likely to take sexual risks, and that they may be having greater difficulty in moving on and establishing a new relationship," Cooper said.
There's a very thin line between casual sex and rebound sex, yet the two are completely different because people indulging in these two types of sex have two very different mindsets. Casual sex is done more for pleasure while rebound sex has more to do with getting over someone or getting back at someone.
Recently, a survey was conducted which suggested that couple mostly engage in sex when the clock strikes 7:37 every Saturday evening!
