ABSTRACT
Hookup culture prescribes frequent sexual contact between multiple individuals, all of whom claim no romantic intent. These sexual encounters themselves are referred to as “hookups,” and the act of engaging in such an encounter is described as “hooking up.” Scholars place the emergence of a hookup culture and decline of a dating culture on college campuses somewhere around the late 1980s or early 1990s. College student’s hookup for physical pleasure, out of a desire for non-romantic emotional closeness, because of lack of availability of partners for long-term relationships with whom to have sex, or simply to fit in. The literature on hooking up would also benefit from a better understanding of the emotional life of students in hookup culture. The chapter offers historical context for understanding the emergence of hookup culture in higher education, reviews the basics of what we know, and make suggestions for future research.
