Do you think dating someone your age or close to your age leads to a healthier and happier relationship?

[Anonymous]

I've recently dated few girls who are 6-8 younger than me and often there's a lack of understanding and harmony between us and things fall apart quickly. Contrary to girls who are my age or 1-2 years younger that I've dated in the past with whom things seem to just click effortlessly and the understanding was there from the start and honestly I just felt happy being around them. You might ask if things were perfect why did those relationship end? Well, it was mostly my fault as I was young and stupid back then and didn't know how to fix things or let go of my ego.. had I known the things I know now back then I'd never let go of such relationships and I'd probably be happily married by now. Nevertheless, do you think dating people of your age or generation is easier and is more likely to result in a happy long lasting relationship?

[Haha456]

I think that most people tend to get along better with those their own age because they tend to have more similar levels of maturity, perspective on life, easier to relate since they are in similar stages of life. However, it is still possible for chemistry to happen between two individuals of drastically different ages. I fell for a 46 yr old single dad when I was 24. But due to the 22 yr age difference, I did not pursue.

Reality is, by the time I am 40, he will be a 62 yr old senior citizen. I don't think I would want to stay married to him any more by the time we hit that age. I'm not interested in getting remarried at 40.

Statistics also show that large age gap couples tend to have higher divorce rates, bigger decreases in marital satisfaction after the first 6-10 years, and their marriages tend to be less resilient under times of financial stress.

Personally, I would not recommend marrying anyone significantly older because this alone leads to a lot of consequences, being married to a senior citizen while I am still young and full of energy and spending the remaining 20-30 years dying all alone. If this is something that you think you can tolerate, go for it. If you have any doubts, do not do it.

[HighValue]

If it did, most people would still be with the first person they were with in high school.

In reality the majority of the time it is not the case. Having compatible morals, compatible long term life goals, and having a few things in common that you both enjoy doing together matter far more than the age being close or not.

[Asker]

That certainly isn't the case for me, pretty much all the younger girls I dated were just meh... plus I'm not talking about ending up with the first person... You can end up with a person that you meet in your late 30s or 40s who's the same age as you.

[Juan4574]

My girlfriend is 15 years old.