Relationships3 min(s) read
Published 14:45 07 Apr 2026 GMT
Women reveal surprising reason they regret one night stands more than men
Women are reportedly more likely to regret a one night stand than a man is - and a new poll has revealed why.
How long a person waits to sleep with their partner can be a deeply personal decision - some people like to give it at least a few weeks or months, while others are happy to get freaky on the first night.
For some, these relationships can last for decades, while others might part ways after a single night of passion.
However, casual sex isn't for everyone, and a new survey has found that women are more likely to regret those one night stands than men are.
An international online survey of 1,075 people asked them to rate their satisfaction from one night stands and there was a clear reason why women were less satisfied than men - because they didn't orgasm.
According to the survey, levels of regret were low across the board, but women were more likely to regret it than men.
The reasons stated were down to a lack of orgasm, intoxication, and concern for their reputation afterward.
University of Innsbruck researchers wrote in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior: "Decisions about sexual experiences are among the most common causes of regret in humans.
"Women showed systematically higher regret than men across the entire distribution of heterosexual one-night stand experiences."
However, around half of the people polled did not regret their experience at all, and many others felt neutral about it.
Three quarters of participants admitted to drinking alcohol before the encounter, and it was seemingly only heterosexual encounters women regretted, with them reporting no difference to men in regret level when it came to same sex partners.
The researchers explained: "Sexual satisfaction emerged as the strongest mediator, with orgasm achievement playing the critical role.
"The gender difference in regret after heterosexual one-night stands was fully explained by… sexual satisfaction, heteronomy (feeling pressured), intoxication, and reputational concern.
"The statistically significant gender difference in regret was moderate in size, and… analysis revealed that about 70 per cent of women’s most recent heterosexual one-night stand experiences resulted in higher regret than men’s average experiences."
They mentioned that one-off sexual encounters tend to prioritize male pleasure, and that open communication could help to lessen the orgasm gap between the two genders.