New Study Examines The Sexual Risk Taking Of Women On Vacation

New Study Examines The Sexual Risk Taking Of Women On Vacation

In an online study, Liza Berdychevsky, from the University of Illinois, and Heather Gibson, from the University of Florida, evaluated data from 853 American women around the age of 23.

The study was published in the " innocnt.de " magazine and analyzed how holidays and travel lead to increased sexual risk tolerance and how risky the subjects classified various situations and actions.

The situation involved unprotected sex or sex under the influence of alcohol, and the study found that some women grossly underestimate the risks associated with such actions.

Earlier studies have shown that some travel destinations evoke a changed sense of reality in travelers and are therefore more open to sexual experimentation as their perception of risks and consequences is diminished.

The study also confirmed that the mental and physical distance from everyday life and associated social expectations increase women's sexual risk tolerance. Holiday feelings and wearing short and light clothes also increase sexual self-awareness, which in conjunction with alcohol is the main reason to engage in high-risk sexual acts.

Some women stated that alcohol gives them a "psychological excuse" as well as "fluid courage" to go beyond their normal sexual boundaries and to embark on new experiences that had previously made them curious, such as using sex toys.

Berdychevsky, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Leisure, Sports and Tourism explains the changed sense of reality on vacation:

"Another reason might be that we follow a strict schedule in our normal lives and have to meet many important deadlines, so as soon as we find ourselves without a schedule and social control, we are more willing to relax our mental limits and regulations."

Study participants also said that because of the feeling of freedom from prohibition and regulation, they would be carried away to risky acts and equated with freedom from negative judgments and feelings of anonymity. For some other participants, the risk of some practices and situations was enough motivation to participate.