Did that Saturday-night fling put a spring in your step? Feeling good after a one-night stand might explain why 50 to 80% of young adults in the US have flings.

But how good you feel afterwards depends a lot on your mood before you hooked up, a US study found.

Mood
If you’ve been feeling great, a hook-up involving intercourse can actually leave you depressed and lonely afterwards, the study of young university students reported.

But if you’re feeling blue to begin with it has the opposite effect. A fling involving intercourse lifted the spirits of students who felt lonely and depressed beforehand.

An improved mood could be why depressed students were more likely to have flings. Hooking up during the school year might have helped them cope with the stress of a difficult semester, suggest researchers.

Solution
A great one-night stand may lift your spirits, but it won’t be a long-term solution for depression or loneliness, researchers warn.

A quick fling won’t get to the root of the problems that caused depression and loneliness. It seems being aware of your reasons for wanting a one-night stand and your expectations is the best way to prepare for how you’ll feel afterwards.

Photo: Flickr/Toni Blay
 

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Have you ever had a one-night stand? How did it make you feel?