Harvard 'Safe Sex' Recommendations A Welcome Surprise For Casual Daters

No kissing, no worries.

Harvard 'Safe Sex' Recommendations A Welcome Surprise For Casual Daters

Image: Health Mag

2020 has been a year of ups and downs. Trees burning down, racism flaring up, economies turning down, sales of PPE way up… It’s been fairly bleak.

Another bleak downturn has been in people’s sex lives. Social distancing has meant that hookups and casual dating have ground to a standstill. And as much as it’s socially responsible, virtual dating sucks. No-one wants to admit it but it’s bloody awful. It just doesn’t work. For those who haven’t been lucky enough to self-isolate with a cutie, it’s been a rough time.

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Love in the time of quarantine

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As restrictions ease around the globe, the first thing on many people’s minds has been how to get back in the saddle. But we can’t just jump onto Tinder, all guns blazing – having casual sex carries a significant risk of COVID-19 transmission. Things aren’t going to be the same as they were pre-pandemic.

But it’s not all bad news. A recent study by Harvard researchers reveals the do’s and don’ts of casual dating in 2020.

The study reaffirms that sex is an important part of normal, healthy human life and that there’s serious mental health benefits to hooking up during a pandemic. While sexual contact remains risky, the study suggests that wearing masks, avoiding kissing, showering before and after sex, and thorough cleaning can help prevent any potential spread of the coronavirus.

In other words: everything you were already doing, plus a mask…

Depending on how much of a germaphobe you are, the whole ‘no kissing’ thing might also be a shame. But we’re betting many casual daters will cope just fine without the old slurp off…

 

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Of course, even sleeping with someone you’re self-quarantining with is not devoid of risk. The study also relates that while virtual dating carries basically no risk of infection, there’s a potential risk of “screenshots of conversations or videos and sexual extortion” to occur.

The biggest takeaway from this study is that it’s more important than ever to practice safe sex. Do the right thing, and you can get back to booty calling like you were before. Hopefully you’ve used this time in lockdown to come up with some decent Hinge prompts and pickup lines.

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