Romance is full of stereotypes. Conventional wisdom holds that men chase youth, while women seek older, more established partners. But a new study flips this script, revealing a surprising truth. When it comes to initial attraction, both men and women are slightly more drawn to younger partners at virtually the same rate — whether they realize it or not.
“This preference for youth among women will be shocking to many people,” said Paul Eastwick, a psychology professor at the University of California, Davis, and the study’s lead author. “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.”
