Men Prefer Younger Women And Have Low Acceptance For Older Ones, Says Study
If I had a penny for each time a man’s behaviour was justified by someone saying women mature faster than men, I’d be so rich RN. And I would really love that money because why shouldn’t I make some money out of being forced to be the mature one? Is that even scientifically correct? Psychology Todays says girls mature faster than boys, during childhood and adolescence. We tend to “optimize brain connections” earlier, which is the reason why girls are better at certain cognitive and emotional areas. However, what justifies the leeway men get when they are proper adults? Well, this is the reason I don’t prefer going for a younger man because I feel like I am baby-sitting. Of course, the maturity level cannot be completely generalised.
Most women prefer men their age or slightly older for long-term relationships and we admit that. Men on the other hand, say they love themselves an older woman but most of them go for younger ones, says a recent study. Why this discrepancy? Maybe they still lack in optimizing some brain connections and could do with some emotional and cognitive improvement.
“We test whether real online-user mating behavior corresponds with expectations from both the sociobiological and social perspectives and explore the age differentials that individuals opt for when searching for a mate and how this evolves relative to the user’s age and gender,” the study authors wrote.
For this, the researchers collected data from a dating app and analysed 197,519 invitations users sent each other. Due to lack of availability, the research was conducted only on heterosexual connections.
The study found that men strongly prefer younger women or of their own age. If they go older than maybe just a tad bit. What’s funny is that when the men are younger, they feel slightly more open to older women. However, as they grow older, they stop preferring women older than them.
“Within this perspective, academics argue that men are looking for a fertile partner with quality care potential and, thus, find young women the most attractive. Women are at their fertility peak in their early 20s, and the younger they are, the higher the likelihood they will survive labor and be able to physically care for their offspring,” says the study. “However, only a few studies have looked at preferred partner age intervals or partner preferences in relation to age. In those that have, men seemed to consider female partners up to 10 years their junior but only about five years their senior,” the report adds. So they want someone on the basis of their fertility levels and they have no issues dating a significantly younger woman but frown if the tables are turned? Ugh, all the more reason to like Jason Momoa who married a woman much older and didn’t give two hoots about evolutionary theories.
The study adds that as men get older they get even more ambitious with age and go for women much, much younger. “Young women have a prominent position in online dating sites and are heavily approached by men of all ages with digital trace data showing that men often go below their stated age preference when messaging single women. As men age, they avoid contacting older women and grow more ambitious in contacting even younger,” the study reported. In fact, while they claimed they were okay with slightly older women, they rarely ever contacted them. “This could also explain why women, at the end of their fertility window, have trouble finding suitable partners and experience the so-called “marriage squeeze”,” the study points out.
Women on the other hand, didn’t prefer younger mates in their 20s but as they got in their 40s, they were okay with going for someone slightly younger. “Perhaps older women are aware of the marriage squeeze and believe they have more chances with a younger partner who might be attracted to their experience and status. Alternatively, they may be more economically independent than younger women and may not be drawn to older partners because they already have their own resources,” the study says.
ALSO READ: Priyanka Chopra Asks Why No One Cares About The Age Gap When The Guy Is Older And She’s Got A Point
I mean, does intelligence have no control over evolutionary tendencies? What’s the point of being human if we can’t rationalise? There are several celebrity couples in which the woman is older and they seem quite happy. Maybe we should at least try to break free from the social and cultural norms that we are conditioned with. Being aware of this is a good way forward.
In fact, having a partner way older than you is actually bad for your health, ladies. Says not me but a study! Why should we marry early because of age homogamy and hypogamy? It’s high time we start putting our cognitive abilities to some use.
