Rebound Sex — It Works!

In research so seemingly common-sense it's mind-boggling, a group of psychologists have found that, yes, a lot of people have "rebound sex" following a breakup. The primary motivations for this rebound sex are trying to get over or get back at one's ex. Scientists came to this not-so-shocking conclusion by tracking the sex lives and emotional responses of 170 undergraduates at the University of Missouri. All of the participants had gotten out of a committed romantic relationship in the previous eight months.

During the first four weeks of the study, 35 percent of these students had sex with someone in order to cope with negative feelings and "rebound" from their previous relationships. People who had been dumped were more likely to have rebound sex than those who'd done the breaking up. In addition, 25 percent of the students said they had "revenge sex" in an attempt to get back at their exes. Those who had been dumped were also more likely to have revenge sex.

"People really do use sex as a way to get over or get back at their ex-partner in the aftermath of a breakup," study author Lynne Cooper told Live Science. The study called these behaviors "maladaptive," i.e. not a good way to deal with your shit.

The study called these behaviors "maladaptive," i.e. not a good way to deal with your shit.

But by five months post-breakup, participants who'd been dumped were no more likely to still be having revenge or rebound sex than those who did the dumping, so it seems like everything works out all right. Sometimes you've just got to screw someone right out of your heart, folks.

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