People say love is blind, but a study claims that the age difference can determine the longevity of your relationship.
The idea of dating someone significantly older (or younger) than you still raises quite a few eyebrows. While there are always exceptions to the rule, research has shown that relationships with specific age gaps are more likely to end in a breakup. According to a study conducted by Emory University in Atlanta, the bigger the age difference, the greater the likelihood of a breakup.
After analyzing data from 3000 people, researchers found that couples with a five-year age gap are 18% more likely to divorce than people of the same age. This percentage increases to 39% for couples with a 10-year age gap and to 95% for those “separated” by two decades. For those 30 years apart, the odds of divorce are 172% higher than their peers.
As for the "ideal" age gap, contrary to popular belief that couples need to be several years apart for a relationship to thrive, researchers believe it's one year. In this case, the chances of a breakup are only 3%, compared to a couple of the same age or a couple with many years of age difference.
"It may be that the types of couples with these characteristics are more likely to break up for other reasons," said Hugo Mialon, one of the study's researchers.
The same research concluded that the longer a couple is together, the lower the chances of divorce. Specifically, those who counted five years of relationship were 76% less likely to separate.
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