Poll: Most Think Men Would Jump At The Chance For A Risk-free One-night Stand
WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ (CBS) – No matter how happy you are in your relationship, most Americans say that most men would jump at the chance to have a risk-free one-night stand.
The poll, which was conducted by Monmouth University, surveyed more than 1,000 Americans about their romantic relationships in advance of Valentine's Day.
While the overwhelming majority of those in relationships said they were extremely satisfied with their current relationship (58%) and many said they were very satisfied (30%), a full 7-in-10 (or 71%) of those say that most men would jump at the chance of a one-night stand if they had the opportunity and there was absolutely no chance of getting caught. On the other hand, fewer than half (45%) believe women would do the same.
"Though a lot of relationship research shows that men and women are much more similar than different, men's greater likelihood of accepting a seemingly consequence-free sexual encounter is consistent with research showing that men are higher in sociosexuality, which means they are more easily able to differentiate between sex and love," explains Dr. Lewandowski, a professor and chair of psychology at Monmouth University who researches romantic relationships.
And that wasn't the only takeaway from the research. Overall, married people were more likely to report being extremely satisfied with their relationship (61%). They were also more likely to say their partner's happiness was very important to their own happiness (60%).
When asked about Valentine's Day, 42% said they usually go out for the holiday, while 13% do something special at home. Ten percent reported they do mark the event, but what they do to celebrate changes each year. Most people in a relationship (40%) also reported they'd prefer a night on the town, and women (25%) were more likely than men (15%) to want a gift.
"Couples should take advantage of any chance they get to date or have a 'night out' together," Dr. Lewandowski said. "The trend that younger couples are more likely to do this is a little discouraging because doing new and interesting things is even more important in established relationships where the newness of being together has worn off. Saying you're going to do something new can be anxiety provoking ('What if you don't like it?'), but research shows that these activities help you grow as a person, which improves relationship quality."
