Latest news with #Eastwick
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Turns Out Women Like Dating Younger, Too, A New 'Major' Study Shows
When it comes to dating, the prevailing belief is that men prefer to date a bit younger, while women go for men a few years older. Global marriage stats back that up, showing that men, on average, are 4.2 years older than their wives in mixed-gender marriages. When asked about their preferences, men and women tend to confirm these assumptions, too. The problem is, past studies have mostly looked at self-reported or online behavior and not considered what happens in the real world. Plus, a lot of studies tend to focus on college students' preferences, simply because of who's available to participate in research at a university. But a 'major' new study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that when people actually go on dates, men and women prefer to date younger. Up until now, 'there have been remarkably few studies that capture how adults who are ostensibly seeking a long-term partner feel about potential romantic partners they have met face-to-face,' said study author Paul W. Eastwick, a professor of psychology at the University of California at Davis and co-host of the 'Love Factually' podcast. Given that, when Eastwick heard that Tawkify ― a matchmaking site that sets up dates ― wanted to partner with him to analyze its data, he jumped at the chance. 'It was this amazing opportunity — given the diversity of ages in their sample — to see how a partner's age really impacts first impressions,' the professor told HuffPost. The data Eastwick and his co-authors got their hands on included 6,262 registered Tawkify users, most of whom were middle-aged and diverse in terms of race, income and relationship history. Prior to sending them off on dates, daters were asked about their preferred maximum age for a partner. Like standard good matchmakers, Tawkify took those preferences into account, but they also took some liberties, pairing daters up with people who were older than their stated age threshold if they seemed like a good match. On average, men were paired with women who were four years younger than they were. But there was a range, Eastwick said, from the man being seven years younger than the woman, to the man being 12 years older than the woman (98% of the dates fell within this range). 'This range was determined by the matchmakers' decisions and the nature of the pool they were working with,' he explained. After going on blind dates, each dater was asked to rate how much they enjoyed their date, how attracted they were to the other person and whether they wanted to pursue a second date. The idea was to compare the daters' stated preferences with their actual post-date feelings. What did Eastwick and his team discover? In all three categories ― enjoyment, attraction and interest in a second date ― youth was linked to higher ratings. 'Men say they are attracted to younger women, and that was true: They were slightly more eager to go on a second date with women who were younger than them,' he said. 'The women said they are attracted to older men, but they, too, were slightly attracted to younger men.' The 'true surprise,' Eastwick said, was that the magnitude of the preference for youth was about the same (r = .10 or so, if you're mathematically inclined) for men and women alike. 'This is very surprising given that women say they want an older partner in nearly every study that has ever been conducted,' he said. 'I am inclined to trust this current data, though, in part because only a single other study has ever captured how a partner's age actually affects women's attraction, and they found something similar to what we find.' So what gives? Why do women say they're into older men and then report that they are more interested in the younger men they met? Eastwick thinks women may be underestimating the appeal of younger men ― 'an appeal that comes to the fore when they meet face to face.' 'I think there may be an important difference in what people say they want in the abstract and what appeals to them in the moment when they go on in-person dates,' he explained. Did the researchers note anything different in queer pairings versus straight ones? In the large sample ― 6,262 registered Tawkify users ― there were 100 dates between two men and 100 dates between two women. Given that relatively small number, researchers could't glean anything conclusive about any differences in queer people's preferences. The study was also confined to first dates. Who knows if the appeal of youth lasts into a third date. 'We really don't know what happens from date two and beyond,' Eastwick said. 'It would also be interesting to randomly assign dates with respect to age. The matchmakers are not assigning dates randomly, of course.' Gen Z Is Particularly Weird About Relationship Age Gaps. Here's Why. Women Who Are Still 'Hot' In Their 40s Would Like A Word With You I'm 63. She's 22. Here's What Most People Get Wrong About Our Marriage.
The Independent
27-01-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Study finds both men and women are attracted to younger partners – even if they don't know it
Men and women are equally attracted to younger partners, even if they don't consciously realise it, new research has found. A study from the University of California, Davis, found both sexes tend to slightly favour younger individuals when dating. The study involved around 4,500 people participating in blind dates through a US dating site. The platform matches individuals based on shared interests and the desire for long-term relationships. Lead author Professor Paul Eastwick explained: "After a blind date, participants were slightly more attracted to younger partners, and this trend was equally true for men and women." This finding challenges common assumptions that men in established relationships are typically older than their female partners. Women also often express a preference for older partners. However, Professor Eastwick noted, "women's preferences on the dates themselves revealed something else entirely." The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, highlights a disconnect between stated preferences and actual attraction in dating scenarios. Age gap relationships have also been shown in popular culture. In Babygirl, Nicole Kidman plays a high-powered chief executive who has an affair with a much younger intern. 'A lot of times women are discarded at a certain period of their career as a sexual being. So, it was really beautiful to be seen in this way,' Kidman told The Hollywood Reporter. 'From the minute I read it, I was like, 'Yeah, this is a voice I haven't seen, this is a place that I haven't been, I don't think audiences have been.' My character has reached a stage where she's got all this power, but she's not sure who she is, what she wants, what she desires, even though she seems to have it all. And I think that's really relatable.' The study looked at people of all ages, with daters ranging from 22 to 85, who were using the US-based matchmaking company Tawkify. Around half of daters were men and half women, and most people were set up on mixed-sex dates. The researchers also looked at whether women with higher incomes might be inclined to choose younger partners. However, they found very little evidence that income – either their date's or their own – influenced these women's (slight) preference for youth, the researchers said. The study did not look at whether romantic attraction on a first date led to longer-term relationships. Prof Eastwick said his study showed that 'men and women find youth a little more appealing in initial attraction setting – whether they know it or not.'
The Independent
27-01-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Men and women equally attracted to younger partners, research finds
Men and women are equally attracted to younger partners, new research suggests. Even if they do not realise it, both sexes tend to slightly prefer younger people when going on a date, according to the study from the University of California, Davis. The research was carried out on around 4,500 people who went on a blind date via a US dating site which matches people based on their interests and who are looking for long-term love. Professor Paul Eastwick, lead author on the study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, said: 'After a blind date, participants were slightly more attracted to younger partners, and this trend was equally true for men and women. 'This preference for youth among women will be shocking to many people because, in mixed-gender couples, men tend to be older than women, plus women generally say they prefer older partners. 'But women's preferences on the dates themselves revealed something else entirely.' Men and women find youth a little more appealing in initial attraction setting - whether they know it or not Professor Paul Eastwick, University of California, Davis The study looked at people of all ages, with daters ranging from 22 to 85, who were using the US-based matchmaking company Tawkify. Around half of daters were men and half women, and most people were set up on mixed-sex dates. The researchers also looked at whether women with higher incomes might be inclined to choose younger partners. However, they found very little evidence that income – either their date's or their own – influenced these women's (slight) preference for youth, the researchers said. The study did not look at whether romantic attraction on a first date led to longer-term relationships. Prof Eastwick said his study showed that 'men and women find youth a little more appealing in initial attraction setting – whether they know it or not.'
