In 'age gap couples,' who is happier, the older one or the younger one? Is there a difference between men and women?
Although there are couples with a significant age difference between them, there are not many psychological studies on couples with such an age difference. Therefore, a research team at
The relationship between age-gap relationships/dating, sexual function, relationship satisfaction, sexual self-efficacy and well-being: Sexual and Relationship Therapy: Vol 0, No 0 - Get Access
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/14681994.2025.2506088
Age Gaps in Relationships: Which Partner Is Happier? | Psychology Today
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-asymmetric-brain/202506/age-gaps-in-relationships-which-partner-is-happier
In today's world where people meet in a variety of ways, couples with an age difference are not that uncommon, but the question of whether or not both partners in a couple with an age difference are equally happy, or whether one partner is happier than the other, is not well understood from a scientific point of view.
The research team conducted an online survey of 126 people in relationships with partners with an age difference of about 7 to 10 years, measuring their relationship satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, sexual functioning, and financial perceptions. The subjects themselves were aged between 18 and 50, and included both heterosexuals and homosexuals.
Using advanced statistical modelling to analyse the data, we found that heterosexual men in relationships with women seven or more years younger were significantly more satisfied in their relationships than men in relationships with women seven or more years older.
The study also found that gay men in relationships with men seven years younger reported higher relationship satisfaction than men in relationships seven years older. Interestingly, the study did not find a similar effect for women, suggesting that women may experience the same level of relationship satisfaction regardless of whether their partner is older or younger.
On the other hand, when it comes to sexual satisfaction, both heterosexual and homosexual men and women were observed to be significantly more satisfied when dating younger women than older women. Men dating younger women were found to be more preoccupied with their own sexual function and had higher levels of
The research team also looked at perceived financial stability in their relationships, and found that heterosexual women and gay men in relationships with older men perceived their relationships to be significantly more stable, whereas heterosexual men and gay women in relationships with older women did not have the same perceptions.
Psychology Today concluded: 'Taken together, these findings make it easy to answer the question of whether younger or older partners are happier. Research shows that older partners, not younger ones, are overwhelmingly more satisfied across multiple aspects of their relationships, especially for men.'
in Science, , Posted by log1h_ik