Studies have found partners with more than a 10-year gap in age experience social disapproval. But when it comes to our own relationships, both men and women prefer someone their own age, but are open to someone 10-15 years their junior or senior.
"Half-your-age-plus-seven" rule
An often-asserted rule of thumb to determine whether an age difference is socially acceptable holds that a person should never date someone whose age is less than half their own plus seven years.
An age gap of 10 years or more is considered a big difference. When one person has a decade more life experience than their partner, the couple might be incompatible. You're likely to have different circles of friends, different interests, and different life goals.
The truth is, there is no ideal or appropriate age gap in a relationship. Whether it's a 20 year age gap relationship or a 5 year age gap relationship, there will be both challenges and benefits to your situation.
Even 5-7 years usually get by without a second glance. As the difference inches closer to 8 years or more, though, most people begin to see the difference in age as a more significant one, and one that has the potential to be more problematic or worrisome.
It has been found6 that people in age-gap relationships live longer. This is potentially due to differential fertility, the ability of the younger partner to care for the older partner into old age and economic security.
Stereotypes aside, many women cite maturity, wisdom, and financial stability as good reasons to date men who are older. But is there too much of a good thing?
Romantic couples with a large age gap often raise eyebrows. Studies have found partners with more than a 10-year gap in age experience social disapproval. But when it comes to our own relationships, both men and women prefer someone their own age, but are open to someone 10-15 years their junior or senior.
Couples with an age gap of 1 to 3 years (with the man older than the woman) were the most common and had the greatest levels of satisfaction. Relationship satisfaction decreased slightly for couples with age gaps of 4 to 6 years and continued to decrease for couples with an age gap of 7 or more years.
“When there is a significant difference in age, like 10 to 15 years or more, life experiences can be vastly different.” In relationships with a large emotional maturity gap, the more mature partner could end up carrying a heavier emotional load in the relationship, leading to exhaustion and potentially a breakup.
The rule suggests the younger person in a relationship should be older than half the older person's age plus seven years in order for the relationship to be socially acceptable. For example, the youngest a 26-year-old person should date is 20. The beginnings of the rule are murky.
It is completely normal. It is not a big age gap and both are legally of age, both the age of consent and the age of majority.
Typically, young people like the experience and maturity of older men. After years of dating around, older guys tend to know what they want. Or, they might be interested in older men's security, refined look, or their sexual experience.
Legally and morally in terms of the rules of society, you are A/OK so no need to worry about her being “too young” for that part of it. The thing about dating a 19 year old when you are 24 is that she is 19, and you are probably going to need an extra degree of patience at times.
Adults who build stable and trusting relationships with a child under 18 for the purpose of sexually assaulting the minor are considered groomers. As such, you could face state and federal charges for child grooming if the alleged victim is under 15.
What do you call a girl who is attracted to older guys? Gerontophilia is the primary sexual attraction to the elderly. A person with such a sexual preference is a gerontophile or gerontosexual.
Gertrude Grubb Janeway (USA, b. 3 July 1909), was 18 when she married 81-year-old Union Civil War veteran, John Janeway on 9 June 1927 – an age difference of 63 years.
Power, money, and biology may play a role in initial attraction to older men, but that illusion doesn't last. The notion that men get more attractive with age is not exactly true, according to developmental psychologist Michelle Drouin says.
The “creepiness rule” states that the youngest you should date is “half your age plus seven.” The less commonly used corollary is that the oldest you should date is “subtract seven from your age and double it.” According to this rule, society should accept a 50 year old man dating a 32 year old woman.
Relationships with a big age gap can work if you're willing to put the effort in. There are times when they can seem more difficult because of generational differences; so, it's important to common interests and goals. If your values are aligned, it doesn't really matter if there is a large age gap.
Here is what older men want when dating older women:
Smile – Smiling makes people more approachable. Make Him Feel Like a Man – He's not your best girlfriend in pants. Don't Play Games – No one has time for drama. Don't Be Too Serious – A good sense of humor is sexy.
The statistics speak for themselves. An incredible 56% of women state they prefer to date a guy older than them – and 45% of those women want their man to be between 5 and 15 years older than they are! Those are some pretty good odds. But to make a safe bet, you need to learn a bit of female psychology.
A 21 year old is not a child, anyone who considers them as such needs to rethink their logic. A 21 year old is an adolescent/ very young adult who still has maturing to do. Legally you are a man at 18, but you become a fully grown man at age 25–26 when your Brain is fully mature.