Both Men and Women Prefer Slightly Younger Dates
Women sometimes said not to set them up with a younger man, then enjoyed the date.
Andrew Huberman · Science of Attraction, Compatibility & Romance | Dr. Paul EastwickOn first dates arranged by a paid matchmaking service, both men and women were slightly more likely to want to see the person again when that person was younger.
Paul Eastwick, a scientist who studies dating, examined thousands of dates among people seeking long-term relationships. The men in the pool were four years older than the women on average, so most dates paired an older man with a younger woman.
The stereotype says men favor younger partners and women favor older ones. Instead, men favored younger women only slightly, and women did the same, even though some had said not to set them up with younger men.
The matched couples had the same four-year gap too, and the pool had that gap to begin with. The age gap is not created by who wants a second date after the first date. It may come from who joins the pool or from later on, and the researcher does not know which.
Questions people ask
How strong was the preference for younger partners?
Small. Younger partners got a slight bump in second-date interest from both sexes, not the strong preference often portrayed in popular culture. Eastwick stressed it was not a gigantic effect.
Does this mean age does not matter in lasting relationships?
This study only looked at interest after one matchmaker-arranged date. It did not test what keeps couples together, so this is general context, not a finding from this study.
Why do we still often see older-man, younger-woman couples?
Partly because of who is available. In this pool, searching men were already about four years older than searching women, so even neutral choices produced couples with that gap. Social norms and later relationship decisions may add to the pattern.