Dating Site Says Perfect Age Gap Between Men & Women Is 6 Years
While being a cougar may be a trend among middle-aged women (at least according to TV), a new survey has found that ladies actually prefer men who are six years their senior.
WhatsYourPrice.com, a dating site that lets singles buy and sell first dates, conducted a five-month study to determine the ideal age gap between a man and woman. After looking at the price of more than 100,000 first dates on their website, they determined that a six-year age difference-the man being older than the woman-was most ideal for singles.
The company's CEO attributes this to different levels of maturity, which makes a lot of sense. Common wisdom says that women mature faster than men, at least in terms of wanting commitment.
If you're a guy who digs women who are more than six years younger, there is still some hope for your cradle-robbing habits. Do you have money? The study found that men can bridge the age gap-they just have to dig into their pockets to do it. On WhatsYourPrice.com, men who wanted to date women more than 10 years younger needed to pay 13 percent more for the date in order to gain female interest (please see the helpful information graphic above). And as the men age, that number only increases-a man who has 40 years on a woman will have to pay 400 percent more to attract her.
A few things need to be considered when taking these findings into account. First, the people involved in this study were users of a dating site in which money plays a big role. Second, online dating is based largely on first impressions. Getting a message online from a man 40 years older than you is, for most women (I don't know about you!), pretty creepy. But if he throws the promise of a fancy dinner your way, you may change your tune. At least, if you're a subscriber to this website.
But this six-year age difference may actually hold outside of the realm of online dating. As we age, the importance of our age seems to matter less, especially in terms of dating. At 16, dating someone even two or three years older was a big deal - and often looked down upon in society. But when you're 28, dating a 34-year-old is completely normal.
How young is too young and how old is too old for you when dating?
Written by Kait Smith for YourTango.
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