Flings: How healthy are they?
By Campus Kiss
September 12, 2007
 So it is another school year, and everything feels fresh and new. New classes, teachers, and for some of us—new partners or lovers. For many young students, it is their first real experience away from home, and all the excitement of freedom can lend to new romantic experiences as well. Frosh week in particular is known for being the week that people first hook up. But how healthy are these hook ups?
Defining Flings
According to the free online dictionary, a fling refers to as “a brief sexual or romantic relationship.” The key word here is “brief” and refers to the short amount of time the interaction is taking place. However, a fling also refers to some kind of sexual exchange between those involved.
Flings usually last a weekend, or sometimes even a couple of weeks. If it is shorter, and occurs in one day, then it is often referred to as a “one night stand.” If contact between the individuals lasts longer (such as a month or more), this relationship can be called a “friend with benefits” situation.
There is no specific time frame dedicated to these labels, but generally this is the difference between a fling and other kinds of relationships.
Research and Flings
According to an article published on the website livescience.com, a person’s facial features can say a lot about the kind of partner they will be.
Heterosexual women are known to decide what kind of relationship they want based on a man’s jaw line. For example, research has been found that men who have square jaw lines and well-defined brow ridges are often seen as good short-term partners for women, whereas men who have more feminine features are seen as better long-term partners. It was found that men who were more typically masculine looking were considered to be more competitive, as likely to put less effort into parenting.
 Men who had more feminine features were considered to be better parents, husbands and harder workers. Therefore, typically masculine men were seen to be better for flings and short-term relationships than long-term.
According to a study done by UCLA, muscular men are much more likely to have short-term affairs and multiple sex partners than thin men. Another study of undergraduate males asked men to rate themselves and their sex lives. It was found that the self-identified muscular men had more sexual partners, and they were twice as likely to have had brief flings or one-night stands with women.
All of this behavioural research has been criticized in the scientific community, however there maybe some truth to it since there is evidence of mate selection in the animal kingdom which is very similar. Aggressive males are known for priding themselves with more partners than passive men. This is an interesting new way to think about flings.
The Downside of Flings
The most obvious downside to having a fling is the fact that it is short term. There is no sense of commitment, and stability can also be a problem because that the person you are with so casually may not be around for much longer. If you are the kind of person who likes to have relationships that last longer than a month, then a fling is likely not for you.
Flings are intended to be casual, but if you start to fall in love with a person, or want them to take on any kind of significant role in your life, then you will be headed for disappointment. Often at the first sign of commitment or intense emotion, your fling partner could be gone and you may be left to grieve the loss of the fun you had with them.
The Benefits of Flings
 Even though flings are not typically seen as a positive thing, they can be. If flings are experienced by two communicative people who are open to each other about their expectations and emotions do not get involved, then it can be very beneficial for both parties. There are many benefits to a happy sex life, which I will not go on about here, however flings can teach you more than you know.
Learning how to tell another person what you want out of a relationship is one benefit of having a fling. If you don’t want to get hurt when having a fling with someone, you will need to increase your communication and assertiveness skills.
Also, flings are good for people who are not interested in a serious long term relationship, but they are looking for a fun companion to share their time with. Or if you are a sexual person and do not have time to be in a long-term relationship this can also be beneficial.
Flings are not for everyone. And there are lots to take into consideration when being involved with them (practicing safer sex, learning how to manage your emotions and not get too attached to them, etc). It is good to know what you are getting yourself into before you jump into a fling with someone.
So if you have hooked up with someone over frosh week then maybe you should think about what you want out of the relationship. If you find yourself in a fling but want a relationship, then there will be issues down the line sooner than later. And if that is the case, perhaps you should just stick to the only kind of flings that will not emotionally hurt you. That place is known as Flings Chicken and Taters located at 561 Wyandotte Street East where you can get all the chicken and taters you can eat without having to deal with any relationship issues.
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