Contrary to traditional beliefs, both men and women prefer younger partners, according to a recent study. This finding contradicts prior research suggesting that men prefer younger women while women prefer older men.
Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the research used data from more than 6,000 adults aged 22 to 85, who participated in close to 4,500 blind dates through Tawkify, a matchmaking service. The scientists analysed the data from the blind dates trying to answer whether a partner’s age influences attraction differently for men and women.
Paul Eastwick, the study’s lead author is a psychology professor at the University of California, Davis. He stated that the results would likely surprise many people. This is because men are typically older than female partners in romantic relationships and women often express a preference for an older partner.
However, in actual real-life interactions, women did not show a preference for older men. This may be the case because women’s stated preferences may reflect social norms rather than their true desires in an attraction setting, the authors of the study suggest.
The gender differences in relationship formation in comparison to initial attraction however may depend on various factors. First, men have historically had more influence on choosing a partner, leading to the common pattern of older men partnering with younger women. Furthermore, while the study found that initial attraction to a younger partner is equal for both genders, long-term relationship formation often follows a different pattern. There are a few practical factors that may explain why this is the case. Older men may have more financial security, making them more attractive as long-term partners. Additionally, people at different life stages may have misaligned priorities that impact a potential long-term relationship.
The perception that women are also attracted to younger partners has existed before. This concept has been portrayed in various popular culture productions. For instance, The Idea of You represents this dynamic. In the film, a divorced art gallery owner in her 40s, played by Anne Hathaway, enters a romantic relationship with a much younger musician, played by Nicholas Galitzine.
“Many men found the women who were older than them to be appealing. So if more people went on dates where the woman was older than the man, I bet you’d start to see more of these ‘age-reversed’ couples,” said Eastwick.
Eastwick also explained that the people who participated in the study chose the younger of two potential partners 55% of the time. He elaborated that this effect is subtle and not easily noticeable but becomes important when observed in a dataset.
