By Laura Erdall

It’s last call at the bar and a guy eyes a girl from across the room. Both are extremely attracted to one another and after just a few minutes of meaningless conversation, the girl invites him back to her place for more than just popcorn and a DVD movie. It happened. They were makin’ whoopee, knocking the ball out of the park, getting nookie; whatever you want to call it, they did it.

The question revolves around what should happen next. Should he stay the entire night, or assume she doesn’t want him around and dip out like a jerk? Is it polite to exchange numbers even if you both know you’ll never see each other again?

What is the proper thing to do after a one-night stand? Ideally, it’s never a good idea to leave without announcing your departure, however, check out should be before noon in order to avoid running into the roommates. Researcher Anne Campbell, a psychologist at Durham University in England, conducted a survey with more than 3,300 respondents between the ages of 17 and 40 where more than half reported having a one-night stand, and evenly split between men and women. Now, sadly, women are going to have more negative thoughts the morning after sex rather than men. Women may feel “cheap” or “used” when a man would rather go make a sandwich instead of cuddle. This is because of the higher levels of oxytocin in women. Even though both men and women have this hormone, according to Susan Kuchinskas, who writes a blog about oxytocin, she says that “estrogen seems to increase the calming and bonding effects of oxytocin, while testosterone seems to mute them. That’s why women tend to feel more attached after sex than men do.”

So, unfortunately ladies, some of your emotional struggles are beyond your control. All in all, if you ever stumble into a one-night stand, make sure you’re being safe but also enjoy it, and make the person you’re with feel comfortable and wonderful for the time being.