Both men and women prefer younger partners: Study

Blind dates reveal true preferences.

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In mixed-gender couples, men are usually older than women. It’s often thought this happens because men prefer younger partners and women prefer older ones, but there isn’t much data from studies where people meet and rate their attraction to each other in person.

A new study from the University of California, Davis, found that both men and women are slightly more attracted to younger partners. This conclusion came from analyzing 4,500 blind dates of people seeking long-term relationships.

The study included participants aged 22 to 85, revealing that women also preferred younger partners on dates.

Researchers also analyzed data from over 6,000 blind dates set up by the matchmaking company Tawkify. Most participants reported having an upper age limit for their preferred partners, but this did not affect their actual choices.

‘Happy wife, happy life’, suggests the study

The study also found that income did not significantly influence wealthy women’s preference for younger partners.

The study did not explore whether initial attraction on a first date led to longer-term relationships.

According to Paul Eastwick, UC Davis professor and lead author, these findings suggest that men and women find youth slightly more appealing in initial attraction settings, whether they realize it or not.

Journal Reference:

  1. Eastwick, Paul W., No gender differences in attraction to young partners: A study of 4500 blind dates, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2416984122
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