The Gender Gap in One-Night Stand Regret: Evidence from Heterosexual and Same-Sex Encounters

This research examined gender differences in regret following one-night stands. While women consistently report higher regret than men after casual sexual encounters, the experiential factors contributing to this gap remain untested. We conducted a cross-sectional international survey with 1044 participants (649 females, 395 males; more than 40 nationalities) who retrospectively evaluated their most recent one-night stand. Most participants evaluated their one-night stands neutrally to positively. Crucially, the gender gap in regret emerged predominantly in heterosexual one-night stands, suggesting the phenomenon stems from relational dynamics rather than inherent gender characteristics. Structural equation modeling revealed that sexual satisfaction-particularly orgasm achievement-was the strongest mediator of gender differences, accounting for approximately 49% of the indirect effect. Decision heteronomy, intoxication, and reputational concerns also significantly contributed to the gender gap. Intoxication exhibited a U-shaped relationship with regret, reflecting stronger increases in regret at higher levels of intoxication. Sexual satisfaction strongly mediated gender differences even when controlling for emotional stability and intoxication. Contextual factors (e.g., prior familiarity with the partner, occurrence context) did not notably contribute to regret. The effects were similar for Germans, Austrians, US Americans, and Italians as well as for college students and non-students. The results indicate that enhancing experiential quality through mutual satisfaction and autonomous decision-making offers the most promising path toward enhancing the positive outcomes of single sexual encounters.