What is it about?
When men and women meet each other on blind dates, how do they feel about partners who are younger vs. older? We found that both men - and women - preferred dates to the extent that they were younger, and this trend was just as powerful for both genders.
Featured Image
Why is it important?
The man is older than the woman in the average mixed gender couple. We have long assumed that this pattern exists because men are attracted to younger women and women are attracted to older men. This study - the first of its kind with middle aged daters - casts doubt on this explanation.
Perspectives
We need to reconsider the origin of the ubiquitous age difference in couples. There are many reasons why men end up with younger women - perhaps there are structural explanations (e.g., older women leave the dating market altogether) - and these possible explanations need to be examined more thoroughly, in real-life dating and relationship settings.
Paul Eastwick
University of California Davis
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: No gender differences in attraction to young partners: A study of 4500 blind dates, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, January 2025, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2416984122.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
