80 years old and 12 years old never works out well.....
Posted on 07/15/2023 7:32:23 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
When a friend opts to date someone who is old enough to be their parent, a common response is to see if the decision passes the “half their age plus seven” test. The rule, whose origins remain mysterious, has been passed down through generations as a way of justifying or, more commonly, pouring scorn on other people’s couplings. It’s fine for a 22-year-old to go out with an 18-year-old. It’s not ok for a 38-year-old to go out with a 23-year-old, however a 26-year-old would be fair game. The older you get, the wider the permissible age gap: a 50-year-old can venture as old as 86.
That’s the theory. In practice, research conducted by Christian Rudder, co-founder of OKCupid, a dating website, suggests that when it comes to age gaps, men and women have slightly different ideas. While female users look for men roughly the same age as them (or perhaps a year or two older) men prefer women in their early twenties, regardless of their own age. While women prefer a small and constant age gap, men are so hooked on the idea of a nubile young partner that they prefer a larger age gap the older they get.
Are men searching wisely? In theory there are plenty of reasons to favour a small age gap. The ability of both members of a couple to sing a favourite childhood television theme tune could bond them together, at the risk of irritating those nearby. And sharing the joy of getting a free bus pass at a similar time, or saving money from combining big birthday parties, is clearly attractive.
Some economists have wondered whether smaller age gaps between partners could have wider, societal benefits, as they might help to narrow the gender earnings
(Excerpt) Read more at economist.com ...
IT’s VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND A CAUSAL LINK BETWEEN AGE GAP AND LIKELIHOOD OF DIVORCE.
From the Article :
Could a smaller age gap also make couples more likely to stay together? In 2014, the Atlantic claimed that “a five year age difference makes a couple 18 percent more likely to get divorced, compared to a couple born on or around the same year.” While the study cited – which polled American couples and ex-couples – did show an association between divorce rates and age gaps, it did not prove a causal link. Something about the kind of person who opts into a marriage with a large age gap could be driving the higher divorce rates, rather than the age gap itself.
A bright young thing considering a silver fox should also take heart from a study by Britain’s Office of National Statistics. It did not find a strong link between age gaps and divorce rates in England and Wales, though there was some evidence that women marrying later than 30 who were more than ten years older than their spouse were more likely to divorce.
Half their age + 7
Mick Jagger says the formula is modified by the amount of money the man has.
RE: Half their age + 7
That’s in the very first paragraph of the article.
“a couple to sing a favourite childhood television theme tune could bond them together,”
Yeah, that’s something we do together all the time.
Women are unhappy men have a wider dating range than they do as they get older. Specifically that they can date signficanfly younger women, while the older women can’t attract significantly younger men, or many men around their own age.
Voltaire thought 40 (guy) and 18(girl) was ideal.
‘On training a wife’
80 years old and 12 years old never works out well.....
Great topic. Of course there are many other more important factors. On difference in age, it’s more about being in the same generation. Plus many say women mature faster than men. My best GFs (and a wife) have been 7-12 years younger and same Gen.
“”Shared faith and values and understanding of the nature of marriage and family are more important.””
VERY important and you proved it. Something not considered at a young age...but I’ve always said, people don’t make the best choices or decisions (intelligent) until they are age 25 and then I raise it to 35 when I see what 25 brought some people..Who knows - I’m capable of continually raising the age..Some NEVER get there!
I heard this rule originates from France, whose people are supposed to be more sophisticated and "expert" about romantic relationships.
My aunt married a widower-we’re talking a long time ago- 27 years older. They were happy until he died about 20years later. She never remarried.
It does seem women are jealous of men’s wider dating/marriage age range. It’s just one more thing. Yawn. As a woman i imagine that if men were jealous of something women could do that they can’t, they’d keep quiet about it.
When Mrs. Hoagy 62 and I got married, I was 36 and she was 24. We just celebrated our 25th anniversary.
Oh boy. Thread fraught with peril.
I always had the 5-year rule. No more or less than 5 years from my age.
The truth is not just do the generations understand each other better, but the logistics both old and young. Old father, young mother....nah. Also more likely that theolder one will have more trouble keeping up with the kids (I know I do). Then there is the senior years. The much older one is much more likely to die well before the younger spouse, leaving them alone, struggling, etc.
I know it has worked but we’re talking averages here.
Nope, I’ll stick to my rule.
They can, actually, if all they want is sex. Many younger men will happily accept a "quickie" from a halfway decent looking woman of almost any age.
But most older women don't want quick, no-commitment sex (however much they might deny it). They want an alpha man who brings good looks AND status, and wealth, and commitment, and a whole laundry list of other attributes. Which most young men (and most men) can't provide.
I assume most of you have heard the joke about the Husband Store?
Older women are frustrated because the few older men who check all the boxes (status, wealth, good looks, etc.) can take their pick of women, and usually opt for a younger model.
He’s moved on to toddlers now.
MY Dad when I got married and we were both 19, “You can MARRY him, but you’re going to have to finish RAISING him.”
Truer words were never spoken!
Hmmmm! We are 15 years apart (me older) and we’ve been married 36+ years and together nearly 40 so.................🤣👍
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