You should be proud and excited after a hot and heavy night of pleasure but this is not usually the case according to an article published in the Journal of Sex Research. This article says that after casual sex, most people have negative attitude, lower self esteem and the levels of anxiety and depression are presumed to be very high. This is according to a new study.

Approximately 3,907 students were assessed by researchers from 30 different institutions across the U.S. where the students between the ages of 18 and 24 were given a survey with reference to their risky habits on an individual level. The habits included casual sex and various mental health aspects. It was found out that the men and women who had had casual sex in the past week had high levels anxiety, depression and negative wellbeing.

“I would like to put emphasis on this as just co- relational,” says author of the study, Melina Bersamin, PhD and professor of child development at State of Sacramento. “It’s not clear what causes what. It could be either way. It could be that anxious and depressed students seek casual sex relationships...More research needs to be done.”

Hooking up can either be fun, carefree and sexy or you can be left feeling like crap, it all depends with the circumstances. You need to take responsibility to ensure it brings you just bliss and nothing else and Kristen Mark, PhD, MPH, an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky suggests that  asking yourself a few questions will give you exactly that. She says that it will make you understand the emotional consequences of a potential roll in the hay.

You need to figure out exactly what you want out of it. If you are hankering for just some spine tingling night, then go for it but if your expectations are something more solid and longer, you need to communicate with your casual partner to avoid disappointments which may lead to depression and anxiety if the expectations are not met, says Mark. You need to assess your emotional status before having casual sex. You need to ask yourself if it’s out of depression and anxiety that you want to have sex with the hope of having an orgasm to lift your spirit. “This is a bad move which may make things even worse in the end,” says Mark. Negative well being is more related to emotional needs than physical needs and casual sex will not help you connect to others emotionally.

You have to ask yourself about the status with your casual partner. Mark says that you should make sure your hook up is a respectful partner who won’t give you grief like when you ask them to put on a condom or in case you change your mind. Make sure is a person who won’t make you feel bad. Ask yourself of any other reason(s) that will make you regret this. Be honest with yourself and if you have had bad experiences in the past with all this, then no-strings attached flings may just not be the kind of thing for you.