Can Hook-Ups Hurt You?

Is canoodling really fun and fancy-free? Or does it put the “risk” in frisky? The debate rages on.

First, how would you define a hook-up? 

For working purposes, let’s call it an intense physical interaction between two people, without either, as one male friend delicately puts it, “catching feelings.” But can women live by no-strings-attached rules, and, if so, is it good for us?

Dr. Melissa Holmes, author of the upcoming book Hook Ups, Hang Ups and Holding Out, claims getting physical before becoming committed causes women to put the cart before, well, their hearts.