Sex buddies may be an option for divorced women who don't feel like getting emotionally attached.

You've been hurt once and now you want to take it slow. You don't want to get emotionally involved but you have sexual needs, so you decide to find "a friend with benefits."

Most men will eagerly accept a no-strings attached sex buddy. After all, men are biologically programmed to separate sex from love. The male body produces up to 100 times more of the sex hormone testosterone, making the male sex drive spontaneous, selfish, urgent and in the words of psychoanalyst Dr. Michael Bader, "ruthless" and driven to achieve sexual satisfaction at all costs.

Women, on the other hand, have difficulty compartmentalizing sex and love. It's not that women don't engage or can't enjoy casual sex — they certainly do — under certain circumstances. But women are much more likely to become emotionally invested during casual liaisons, imbuing them with romantic notions and visions of a shared future.

So how do you protect yourself from getting hurt?

First, stay away from men who you feel an instant attraction to- chances are these types of men subconsciously appeal to your "love map", or your prototypical romantic ideal developed in your formative years. These sorts of men will automatically trigger your desire for attachments and will not make good "sex buddies".