Gallery • 2 Photos

Olivia Sieff

When junior Tess McQuillan described her first date, the first words that came out of her mouth were, “it just kind of happened.”

“It was freshman year and we went sledding at Browndale Park. I thought just as friends, but as the night went on it turned into a blur, and I suddenly realized we were kissing,” McQuillan said.

McQuillan isn’t alone in her relationship pattern; many teenagers and young adults aren’t sure how to define the line between dating and a hookup.

The Echo conducted a survey of 388 students and found 39.2 percent of students had hooked up in the last year.

Health teacher Allison Luskey said she agrees hookups are common occurrences among high schoolers.

She said the rise of hookups and casual relationships portrayed in the media are factors that attribute to the rise of hookups between teens.

“I don’t blame students for hooking up,” Luskey said. “Sex and acts leading up to sex are not necessarily seen as part of a deep relationship in the media; instead it’s shown as ‘that’s so great now I’m moving on,’ not a healthy relationship.”

Luskey said what the media doesn’t show is as important as what it does.

“We don’t see communication. We don’t see a couple work through struggles. We don’t see the emotional closeness many times, that’s why we need to speak up and say that what we see in the media is not realistic,” Luskey said.

According to the American Journal of Psychology, casual hookups have shown a negative effect on students’ mental health. 

However, contrary to these findings, 62.3 percent of students surveyed by the Echo said they think it’s healthy for students to hook up, while only 37.3 percent of students think it is not.

Luskey said she believes the act of hooking up can be influenced by multiple factors, including the use of alcohol and the decrease in interpersonal interactions through technology.

“I think the hookup culture is hiding behind something else. It may be that a person is hiding behind alcohol or their cell phone,” Luskey said. “We are lacking in face-to-face communication, which is a powerful thing that can deepen relationships. It’s also something we are hardwired for.”

Senior Eddie Diaz and his girlfriend have been together for almost five years, and said having open communication is key in maintaining a healthy relationship.

“I equate a relationship more to being best friends, and obviously other stuff comes with that,” Diaz said. “Every couple goes through a stage where things are hard, but that is what tests if you can stay together or not. Being able to reason with them and understand them is just as important as being there for them.”

Diaz said a partner makes life’s challenges more manageable.

“I hit a run where I was depressed and she was always there for me,” Diaz said. “It made me realize the important things in a relationship.”

Now, Diaz and his girlfriend call each other every morning and night so they can talk about how their days were. He said this is much more meaningful for him than just a hookup.

The numbers show not all Park students are looking for long term companionship. Many believe hooking up is a healthy option. But according to McQuillan, it leaves more to be desired. She said a solid relationship requires more than just the physical; a solid friendship is just as important.

“If you want a legit relationship, you need a friendship or some sort of background with the other person,” McQuillan said.