IANS

London, Jun 30: Women are not comfortable with fleeting sexual encounters and feel "used" after one-night stands, according to a study.

The 1960s sexual revolution, that apparently freed women for casual encounters, has not been able to dent their conservatism, said Anne Campbell of Durham University (UK), who led the study.

The study found that, after a one-night stand, women were overwhelmed with negative feeling - that they had somehow let themselves down - and were worried about the potential damage to their reputation.

Women also found casual sex less satisfying and, contrary to belief, did not seem to consider the experience as a prelude to long-term relationships.

"What the women seemed to object to was not the fleetingness of the encounter but the fact that the man did not seem to appreciate her. The women thought this lack of gratitude implied that she did this with anybody," Campbell explained.

For women, finding partners of high genetic quality is a stronger motivator than sheer number they mate with, and it is commonly believed that they are willing to have casual sex when there is a chance of forming a long-term relationship.

"In evolutionary terms women bear the brunt of parental care and it has been generally thought that it was to their advantage to choose their mate carefully and remain faithful to make sure that their mate had no reason to believe he was raising another man's child."

Campbell surveyed 1,743 men and women who had one-night stands. They were asked to rate their positive and negative feelings the next morning.

Overall, women's feelings were more negative than men's. Eighty percent of men had overall positive feelings about the experience compared to 54 percent of women.

Men also reported greater sexual satisfaction and contentment following the event, as well as a greater sense of well-being and confidence about themselves.

The findings of the study have been published online in the latest issue of the journal Human Nature.