Myth 1: The Hookup Culture Is Everywhere

These days, pretty much everyone’s having séx while dating, right? Wrong! “The hookup culture is more urban legend than reality,” says Walsh. A recent National Survey of Family Growth study showed one quarter of college students are vírgins, she offers. “If you take that 25 percent off the market, and then you look at what’s left over, you have this belief that most people are having more séx than they are,” explains Walsh. “Men included! Since the perceptions exist, many women feel pressured to have séx well before they’re ready.”
Makes sense, right? But what about all of the women you know who speak openly and vividly about their séxual escapades? “It’s the talk that’s damaging, because it normalizes the practice,” insists Walsh. “These women engage in risky behavior because they think everyone is doing it.” Walsh offers an interesting analogy for what she feels is the “high supply séxual economy” we live in today: “I believe, when it comes to séx, there are two distinct dating markets: One ‘sells’ bulk séx at a low price, and that price could be the cost of a drink or a well worded séx, and the other sells séx to a very narrow market. And these are women who charge a high ‘price’ for séx, and that price can be love, attention, care or commitment. And, I like those ones.”

Myth 2: Séxual Chemistry Helps Relationships

When women are debating casual séx, many will say séxual chemistry is an important deal breaker for them. But, does it really determine whether your relationship will thrive or fail? Walsh says no-way. “Many women believe that jumping into bed very early in a relationship is the best way to test séxual compatibility,” she says. “I’m sure that men created this myth! If this theory were true, the people who did not test their séxual chemistry before committing to each other would therefore have shorter less happy relationships.”

Walsh says a recent study she examined looked at 2,000 couples and when they committed to each other. The results showed that the better the séx early on, the worst the relationship outcomes later, and the more volatile those relationships were. “It’s because séx confuses the brain,” Walsh explains. “As soon as you get that rush of dopamine, you are not making good choices. You are not deciding if this is going to be a good partner for you, you are now diluted with feelings that he must be a good partner. Science says hot séx too early in a relationship is a prescription for disaster.”

Myth 3: Women Have Séxual ‘Needs’

Women have their séxual “needs,” just like men do, right? Wrong again! Walsh says wanting séx is less physical and more psychological where women are concerned because they have very different séxual needs than men. “We respond to séxual opportunity,” she explains. “When we see a cute guy that we like, everything sort of turns on for us. But when women breakup from a séxual relationship, they are less likely to replace it with pornógraphy and masturbatión like a guy would.”

For women, Walsh insists that feeling turned on by a man has an important psychological component. “It’s often an extension of their emotional need for companionship,” she explains. “Some research has found that women often desire to be desired, and that’s a whole lot different than a biological desire for any séx with anyone.” Still need more proof? Walsh compels you to ask yourself this, "Why haven't drug companies been able to come up with a drug that enhances a woman's séxual libído, only men's?" Touché.

Myth 4: Séx Leads to Love and Longevity

There are many important and valid reasons to wait to have séx with a man you deeply care for, but here’s one that’s often overshadowed: Good séx doesn’t make him care for you any more than he did before you do it! “Slightly more than half of women in their 20s believe that a séxual hookup can be a stepping stone to a serious relationship, but the research shows something entirely different,” says Walsh. “Having séx early on in a relationship, good or bad, is bad for the relationship. I found a study that showed that if you have séx within 30 days of meeting somebody, you have an 88 percent chance of breaking up within one year. Eighty-eight percent! But if you wait 31-90 days, you’ve got a one in four chance you’re going to be together a year later. Just like that, it rises 25 percent.”

We know what you’re thinking: What about the men who insist that intimacy will bring them closer to a woman? Are they full of it? Yes! “The more séxual partners a man has had, the more he perceives diminished attractiveness in each new mate,” says Walsh. “Therefore, séx does not lead to love for a man. If a guy is a player, séx leads to disdain for you, because he’s looking for something that doesn’t exist, and he thinks he’s going to find it by more séxual conquests. Men fall in love because of trust, not séx!”

Myth 5: Promiscuity Can Be Turned Off

Did you know that sleeping around now can and will create trouble for you when you decide to commit or marry? Real talk! Faithfulness is a learned behavior. “Many of the women I’ve spoke with told me that they’re just hooking up because they’re auditioning mates but they’re confident that when they commit they can be faithful,” reveals Walsh. “Again, the research doesn’t support this! These women are training their bodies to be future cheaters. We can train our body for almost anything. The only way to train for monogamy is either to abstain from séx, or be monogamous.”