Hollywood Good

Jonason's latest paper, "Positioning the Booty Call Relationship on the Spectrum of Relationships," analyzes the dynamics of modern dating. He has conducted numerous studies, and concluded that the binary dichotomy of "hookup versus commitment" is obsolete. An increasingly popular third category blends the two. "Booty calls are a compromise between men's and women's ideals," Jonason says. "The booty call relationship gives the guy easy access to sex, and gives the woman a steady partner."

But it's not that simple. Women care more about personality, which you already knew ("a woman's personality is not particularly important to the guy," according to science), but not at the beginning of the booty call relationship. Physical attractiveness is the primary motivator for both partners — ten times more often than personality — but women develop emotional attachments over time, which of course complicates everything. This is why "booty call partners usually don't hold hands and kiss — they're trying to minimize confusion," Jonason says. "Hand-holding and kissing are important for a one-night stand because it establishes a dynamic, but the whole point of a booty call is that it excludes 'tie signs.'"

What it lacks in tenderness, a booty call makes up for in "freakiness." People are hesitant to reveal their fetishes (such as anal sex) to someone they meet at a bar, but "you can explore your sexuality over time with a booty call partner," Jonason says. Surprisingly, strangers have more post-coital conversations — booty call partners head straight for the door — and you'll receive more oral sex from a girlfriend or wife. Perhaps monogamy isn't so bad after all.