Science Reveals the Perfect Age Difference for a Strong Relationship, and It’s Smaller Than You Might Think

Some people say that age is nothing more than just a number and it doesn’t matter if you really love each other. But what if this is not really true and based on age, you can make a prediction of how long or short a certain relationship will last?

Nobody has a clear understanding of how a successful relationship really works, but scientists seem to have found the determining factor. According to the research done in one of the most trustworthy research facilities in the US — Emory University in Atlanta, there is a mathematically calculated perfect age difference that can increase your chances of having a successful long-term relationship. We at Bright Side decided to learn more about this.

The point of the study and statistics

3,000 people took part in the study. All of them had been married at least once. The scientists found a funny connection: the higher the age difference, the higher the risk of breaking up. Of course, we can’t be sure and there are definitely exceptions, but the results can at least explain the conflicts that couples have at different stages of life. This is because partners tend to have very different interests and goals.

The researchers shared more detailed statistics that say that the risk of breaking up for couples with more than 5 years of age difference is 18%. If the age difference is 10 years, the risk increases dramatically — up to 30%. And for couples with 20 or more years of age difference, the predictions are really negative because the risk of breaking up is 95%.

Researchers looked into not only the age parameters but also into having children before marriage, having a common child, the duration of courtship, the expenses from the wedding, education, and many other factors. By the way, if the partners have a huge difference in education, the risk of breaking up is 43%.

Now, to the main point: scientists also found the perfect age difference — it is one year (in fact, people of the same age and with an age difference from 1 to 3 years are also in this group). These are the couples that have the highest chance of staying together — the probability of breaking up is less than 3%.

Of course, we wonder why this happens. Most likely, it’s because their life goals and values are really different. People with a significant age difference see the world in very different ways and the chances that their hobbies and dreams are similar are really low.

The conclusion

Like we said before, of course, there are exceptions. And the numbers are not everything, it’s just some data that shows a certain tendency but doesn’t mean that every single couple in the world works this way.

So, if you are in a relationship with a person who is older or younger than you, don’t worry. The most important things are feelings, mutual respect, and comfort. And if your relationship has these ingredients, then you should hold on to it.

And if you are looking for a partner and all your previous relationships didn’t end well, try to analyze the statistics and the age difference. If these tendencies worked for you, try to build a relationship with someone your age, and maybe you will find your happiness.

Do you believe that age can really define the success of a relationship? Share your opinion with us.