When One Shouldn’t Have Sex

 
When you're having a super-stressful day, it's normal to turn to chocolate, a glass of wine, or a friend you can vent to. But if you happen to turn to sex (hey, we all cope differently!), you might want to be careful. Women who tend to have higher desire when they're sad or anxious are also more likely to
engage in risky sex at that time, according to a new study in the Journal of Sex Research.

The findings are based on self-reports from 929 women and 1,054 men. Not surprisingly, women were less likely than men to report being in the mood when they were sad, anxious, or stressed. But among the women who did get a libido boost when frazzled, they were more likely to have riskier sex. These women were more interested in sex with any partner and more likely to scout for one at a club or party. Essentially, taking home that random from the bar seemed like a great idea to women who were feeling frantic and frisky.

Safety concerns aside, stress sex doesn't always come with great side effects. Women who reported higher desire when stressed or anxious also had a stronger tendency to engage in sexual behavior they later regretted. And that regret was obviously associated with feeling worse post-sex.

So does that mean you can't have sex unless you're in a good mood? Of course not. But it does suggest that if you tend to be more in the mood when you're stressed, you'll want to be extra wary of the casual hookups you pursue then. The next time you're going through something stressful and feel like going home with that Chris Hemsworth-lookalike at the bar, take a second to think of how you'll feel in the morning. Try running through these four questions to ask yourself before hooking up with someone, and you may just be able to prevent yourself from waking up with one hell of an emotional hangover.