Hookup Culture on College Campuses: Centering College Women, Communication Barriers, and Negative Outcomes

The majority of college students feel that their lives are dominated by the hookup culture, or a sexual culture of non-committed sexual encounters. However, college students are actually participating in this culture in much smaller numbers than they believe their peers to be, pointing to a culture that is driven by perception rather than clear communication or healthy desire. This article provides a comprehensive review of the literature on this subject, with particular emphasis on the challenges to communication that exist within hookup relationships with the understanding that this may contribute to the negative outcomes experienced by students. As women tend to experience the negative outcomes of hookup culture at higher rates than men, their experiences are centered within this literature review