It's no secret that dating is practically extinct on college campuses. If someone does ask another on a date, the rare occurrence seems monumental. From the people I have talked to, women want to go on dates, but the idea that college kids "just don't do that anymore" is stopping men from asking.

So what's the alternative? Hooking up. Hooking up has become the norm. Go to a frat party, get drunk, sleep with a guy, wake up, and leave, suppressing all the shame and guilt that accompanies your actions from the previous night by hanging with friends and drinking even more. The vicious cycle seems to go on forever, rewiring your brain one hookup at a time to desire that and confuse lust with love. Not to mention the dissatisfaction that both men and women feel about hookups.

In Freitas, "Sex and the Soul," she recounts:

"She embraced it as if it were 'the best ever,' just a normal part of the college experience. She thought she was supposed to like it, but to be honest, she actually hated it. Her fellow classmates nodded their heads in silent agreement…. We're not happy with the hookup culture, they said. We feel a constant pressure to do things that make us unsettled."

So why then do we all settle for something we know is below us? In their book, "How To Find Your Soulmate Without Losing Your Soul," Jason and Crystalina Evert dive deep into the why.

"Maybe he'll commit. It's just for fun. I don't want a committed relationship anyway. It makes me feel wanted."

All of these responses are things we tell ourselves and others, downplaying our guilt and shame from our actions, and continuously making ourselves act in a way that is contradictory to our design as humans.

"The reason why hooking up has become so prevalent is because it preys upon the weakness and fear of both men and women. Men often fear commitment, and women often fear that having high standards will lead to loneliness."

It's sad, but it's true. How many women have lowered their standards in an attempt to feel loved by someone they knew couldn't live up to them? How many men have curved commitment by hooking up?

The depressing reality of hook-ups is that it always leaves us more lonely and sad than before the encounters. We are created in God's image and likeness and when we stoop to hooking up we forget that we are worth more than our bodies. We have more to offer someone than just our bodies. We are body and soul. God created us to give love and receive love.

"By means of the hook-up, a woman trains herself to avoid what is essential to love… sacrifice, patience, trust, and exclusivity."

Hook-ups speak the opposite of love. If requires no commitment, no sacrifice, no dying to oneself for the good of the other. Do yourself a favor, raise your standards and hang up on hookups.