Not just men, women are also more attracted to younger romantic partners: Study

The study explored the age preferences of men and women in romantic partners. Both showed a preference for partners who were slightly younger than them.

A study's results suggest that age preferences in romantic partners might be more complex and nuanced than previously thought. Published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in December 2024, the study of 4,500 blind dates found that both men's and women's actual attraction to partners after a blind date didn't always match their previously stated preferences.

The study examined whether people were attracted to older or younger partners. (Freepik)

What did the study find?

The researchers wanted to test a common assumption in mating research: that men are typically attracted to younger women, and women prefer older men. They found that men tend to prefer partners who are slightly younger than them. Contrary to some common assumptions, the study found that women also showed a preference for partners who are slightly younger than them, although the preference was not as pronounced as men's.

“A key takeaway is that women say they are attracted to older men, but they actually appear to be (slightly) attracted to younger men. This is very surprising given that women say they want an older partner in nearly every study that has ever been conducted. In fact, the daters’ stated preferences for the partner’s age didn’t seem to affect how they felt about these partners one bit,” study author Paul W Eastwick, a professor of psychology at the University of California at Davis and co-host of The Love Factually Podcast told Psypost.org.

More about the study

The researchers analysed data from 6,262 participants who signed up for Tawkify, a US-based matchmaking service designed to help people find long-term partners. Participants were mostly middle-aged and belonged to different races, incomes, and relationship histories. After each blind date, both individuals rated how much they enjoyed the date, how romantically attracted they were to their partner, and whether they wanted to go on a second date.

Interestingly, participants had previously indicated their preferred maximum age for a partner. However, matchmakers sometimes paired them with people older than their stated limit if other traits seemed like a good match. The findings revealed a small but consistent trend: both men and women were slightly more romantically attracted to younger partners. Across three different measures — romantic attraction, overall impression, and willingness to go on a second date — youth was linked with higher ratings.

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