New study debunks common dating myth: 'A meaningful mismatch'

A new study claims to have debunked a common dating myth, the results released just in time for Valentine's Day.

The study tested the theory that women are naturally drawn to older men when dating.

Instead, the study found that both women and men are more likely to be attracted to younger partners, at least in the initial stages of relationships.

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The study, conducted by the University of California, looked at 6,000 single men and women aged between 22 and 85 who were seeking long-term relationships.

They were sent on more than 4,000 blind dates arranged by a matchmaking company.

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Researchers looked at whether couples wanted a second date, and found both women and men were more likely to if the partner were younger.

The study didn't follow the couples to see the outcome of these relationships, but did conclude that, at least in the initial stages, women also preferred younger partners.

It has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The study concluded that there may be "a meaningful mismatch between what women say they prefer and what they actually prefer, at least in a first-date setting" as the women generally expressed a "preference for a partner who is a few years older".

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Professor Paul Eastwick of the University of California, Davis, who led the new study, told The Times: "After a blind date, participants were more attracted to younger partners, and this trend was equally true for men and women.

"This is very surprising, given that women say they want an older partner in nearly every study that has ever been conducted."

He said before this study "I think anyone would have assumed that the average age difference in couples means that men are initially attracted to younger women and women are initially attracted to older men".

Evolutionary theories suggest men choose younger partners due to the increased chance of reproducing, while women chose older men because they may be better providers of said offspring.

The study also noted that in mixed-gender couples, men are older than women on average, which could suggest women ultimately end up with older partners.

In Australia, the age gap between men and women when they first marry has narrowed from 2.3 years in 1980 to 1.8 in 2000 and now 1.4 years between 2019 and 2021, according to the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS).

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