Hooking Up Graduates From College

Sex without commitment, also known as hooking up, has been common for years on college campuses. And now, as those college kids graduate and get jobs, hooking up is replacing dating in the real world, too, NPR reports. "Going out on a date is a sort of ironic, obsolete type of thing," says a Boston 25-year-old.

Part of the reason: People are marrying later and don't feel the need to find a serious relationship right away. "My first few years out of college was about trying to get on my feet and having a good time," the Boston woman said. Social networking sites also make casual encounters easier. But some worry that casual sex doesn't teach intimacy or prepare young people to settle down with one person.