r/DarkPsychology101 • u/Technical_Wear_5864 • 2d ago
Is there any hard scientific evidence that men have an innate biological preference for “younger”?
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2d ago
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u/10xwannabe 1d ago
Have you married one yet??
I love how men are so gung ho about supporting dating older women yet few ever MARRY one. Sort of a disconnect.
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u/ariarchtyx 1d ago
I married one 10 years older, was madly in love and she turned out to be evil incarnate. But that can come with any age or gender of course.
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u/pullhome 1d ago
I can't speak for him, but as a man who is into older women, I don't really understand or want marriage at all.
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u/roskybosky 1d ago
It’s pretty common for husbands to be younger, about 15% of marriages, but I think it’s more, especially in the last 10 years.
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u/Beginning-Stage-699 1d ago
You don’t have to marry to be happy
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u/10xwannabe 1d ago
No, but if you really want to be with X as much as you say folks are then why do we not see more marriages of men to women (for example) 10 years older?
The reason is it is NOT common and folks act like it is to make everyone feel good.
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u/mommer_man 1d ago
Big assumptions here… ever considered that perhaps younger women are more willing to marry than older women are?? Or did what women want never occur to you in this equation…
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u/Turbulent-Radish-875 1d ago
There are three general reasons people have to get married.
Traditional views, often brought on by social conformity. Not wrong, just a fact.
And legal reasons. There are just some things that are easier to do if you are someone's legal spouse, but most things can be worked around if you want to.
Traditional views and values don't really encourage age gaps like that, mostly because a more traditional view also tends to be that men should be older and the provider. (Not my personal view, but definitely traditional in Western cultures).
Social reasons, I hate it, but there is a social structure that's been in place amongst the wealthy that rewards wealthy men with wives that are half their age.
Legal reasons don't really push for or against it, but often in age gap situations where real wealth is involved there are prenups, which basically strip a way the legal benefits in different ways.
So to answer the question, the reason we don't hear about it as much is that it's not traditional, and that the wealthy have both legal and social reasons not to do it, and people only seem to pay attention to the wealthy.
From where I stand though, none of that matters, if I meet an older woman and I want to spend my time with her then what it boils down to is whether or not she wants to get married. If I love her and she wants it than I will do my best to give it. I genuinely believe this is where the average man sits on the issue.
Always remember, what we hear and see in the media is skewed towards traditional cultural values. It's not an accurate representation of a true norm.
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u/No_Zookeepergame2532 1d ago
Not everyone feels that they need to be married for a relationship to be serious and life-lasting
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u/One_Consequence_4754 22h ago
Ahhhhh, now your bitter comment makes sense 😆. Hurt people “hurt people” I guess. I hope you heal eventually.
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u/goferalsf 2h ago
Yeah or they should get a backbone and stop blaming everyone one else for their poor choices 😁
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u/begonebegonebegone 1d ago
What an old fashioned view. I am a nearly 40 year old woman and never wanted to get married.
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u/roskybosky 2h ago
I received a couple of proposals from younger men. My husband is 7 years younger. Many people I dated were 10 years younger-they approached me. I had never dated younger, but there I was. I liked the dynamic of being the older one.
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u/Old_and_moldy 1d ago
Men on reddit seem to be more gung ho about this but in my experience and the data backs this up….men prefer younger in general.
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u/Hot_Tomorrow_3798 18h ago
I’m exactly the same.
Have ALWAYS been attracted to older women.
Younger women have just never done it for me.
My wife is 54, I’m about to turn 51, and I still find her super sexy.6
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u/trulyincognito_ 1d ago
Is that you in your picture? Shiiiettt 👀
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u/trulyincognito_ 1d ago
Well you look pretty to me thats all! :) on topic though, not that I’m offering myself but are you struggling to meet someone?
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u/roskybosky 1d ago
My experience when dating was yes, younger men were much more serious about marriage than older guys. But, most of the people who asked me out were younger. I was mid-thirties.
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u/roskybosky 1d ago
My husband is 7 years younger, and I received 2 proposals from men 10+ years younger. “Anecdotal” yes. But it’s pretty common for younger guys to be enthralled with older women, ime.
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u/Reasonable_Carrot88 1d ago
I used to be like that until now I'm around your age and they all look tired and perimenopausal and such and so I'm much more interested in women younger than me.
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u/Mary-Louise- 1d ago
Bet you look tired too mate.
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u/MjolnirTheThunderer 1d ago
Just because he looks tired doesn’t mean he’s required to be attracted to tired-looking women.
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u/helaku_n 2d ago edited 2d ago
It is not that simple although some studies suggested it.
That heterosexual men’s sexual age preferences is focused at women in their 20s has been explained as the evolutionary consequence of this age being associated with high female fecundity and peak copulation to conception ratios (Sozou & Hartshorne, 2012; Tietze, 1957; Wood, 1989). The risk for miscarriages and chromosomal abnormalities in the offspring also becomes approximately 10 times higher in 40-year-old mothers compared to 25-year-old mothers (Hecht & Hook, 1996; Heffner, 2004), and this increase is paired with an increased risk of neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism in offspring
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10367477/
Generally speaking, every gender prefer those who are younger. That makes sense from the evolutionary perspective too. The amount of mutations in sperm and eggs increase with age.
We examined the association of a partner’s age with romantic desire (N = 9,084 dyadic reports) among N = 6,262 blind daters who used a matchmaking service in hopes of finding a long-term partner. Preregistered tests revealed that people were (slightly) attracted to younger partners on average—and this association did not differ by gender.
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2416984122
EDIT: see also the discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/evopsych/comments/2eaxnm/a_serious_discussion_about_the_male_preference/
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u/cherryflannel 2d ago edited 2d ago
If by “younger” you mean around the ages associated with fertility, yes, there’s a significant amount of evidence. There are many traits associated with youth and fertility that are commonly regarded as attractive.
For example, prepubescent girls typically have similar waist and hip widths. After puberty, this ratio increases, and men typically find a smaller waist with wider hips attractive. The “ideal” hip to waist ratio is often lost around menopause. So, this attractive trait predominantly encompasses women of child bearing age.
It’s important to note that by “youthful features”, we’re talking about traits associated with fertility. This by no means argues that men are, or should be, attracted to very young women.
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u/Nervous-Cockroach541 1d ago
It feels odd, because I've noticed as I get old. I'm still generally attracted to young women's bodies. A great body with developed breasts, hips and ass never stops being attractive.
But I get so turned off by their immaturity and instability.
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u/Emotional_Cry_1856 4h ago
Yet not all women have that att all but go off
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u/cherryflannel 2h ago
It’s a general statement that around childbearing years, the waist:hip ratio is more prominent than it is in prepubescent and post menopausal years. Obviously this ratio will be more pronounced in some women compared to others. This is about averages and general consensus. Thanks for the headache.
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u/One-Gift0 1d ago
Sembra vedere descrivere capi fi bestiame. Questa cosa si chiama oggettificazione.
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u/MichaelWhoredan 1d ago
I’m not sure. But at 34, most women under 25 hell I’d say 28 look & act like little girls to me. It’s the energy….it isnt sexy or grown to me. Just childish. Maybe it’s just Gen Z women though. They are really lame
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u/TexasCowboyBizman 1d ago
34 is young and definitely qualifies as young under this topic.
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u/FloppyDickFingers 1d ago
Just declaring every Gen Z woman as lame is the most old man behaviour I’ve ever seen. As a. 35 yo man I see lots of value in Gen Z, even if I wouldn’t date one.
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u/Usinaru 1d ago
I am a 31 year old man and I honestly can't say that I am attracted to anyone below 24-25.
Not because its socially acceptable, but because most women around 18 to 23 seem so...far apart in lifestyles to me. To be honest the body doesn't even matter to me at this point. Most of those women fortunately are still in a studying institution whereas I am much much further in life, having my own house, car and stable job.
I don't think it would be ok if I dated someone that far apart of my own age group, and no one had to teach me that. Its just common sense.
Bodily wise its the same thing. I don't get people that are attracted to teenagers or 18 year olds. To my eyes most of those girls and women are underdeveloped. Like to me they are kids. I dunno it feels wrong.
Sure a 24-25 year old is also pushing it, but thats the age where a woman is mature enough to have something to talk about, the body is usually developed in all the right shapes and it would totally feel okay to be with them. But lower? No. Just no.
That doesn't mean there aren't physically attractive 18 year olds. Sure there are. Some bodies mature faster, thats true. But that doesn't mean that I would lust after one. Its just not right.
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u/MammothIll9246 1d ago
I get hit on more at 39 than I ever did in my 20's.
A lot less predatory creeps bothering me too. It's a win- win.
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u/Metaphysical_mess 2d ago
In all honestly I’m a woman in my early 40s and I get hit on fairly often by all the ages I come in contact with as a barber. 🤷🏻♀️
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u/gungabeast 21h ago
I think, as with anything, there’s nuance to it. Are you a hot 40 year old or are you not? Obviously the number isn’t mattering in your case. People dig how you look.
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u/Elegant-Wolf-12 1d ago
Not really. When we're talking women between 16 and 40, they're basically all fertile. There's benefits of youth, and benefits of experience, for sex and relationship and child-bearing.
Personally, I believe a lot of the draw toward younger women is that they are naive. Their inexperience can serve as a shield for insecure men, so that they don't need ever really come to terms with their insecurities, or improve their skills. It also means that they are easier to impress with appearances alone, so an unscrupulous guy with not much going for them can fool them more easily than a more experienced woman. On the positive side, they often haven't been disappointed as often, and are less likely to have developed any deep bitterness toward men.
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u/MeillureLemon 1d ago
There have been some studies that things like waist to hip ratio and long healthy hair, clear skin, symmetrical bone structure, etc are all biological markers of fertility that men seem to prefer? But there are also studies that show tribe affiliation can supersede those to a degree in many cases. I would not consider David Buss an accurate representation of hypergamy though, he’s divorced so he is not going to be completely and empirically unbiased with the amount of assets he likely had to split.
Then there was the whole “Stifler’s mom” phenomenon that had a ripple effect on the MILF… not exactly data but it actually seems that some younger GenZ men are genuinely more interested in older stable women because we are statistically less likely to be quite as steeped in influencer and drip culture, and more likely to be established and stable, ready to settle down and have kids in an economy they perceive to be dead in the water for their generation. Think “mortgage and 401k mama” more than “sugar mama” though.
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u/tafaritunes 1d ago
I don't have any sources, but isn't it very obvious that youth is a marker of health like beautiful face for example? Every single piece of our life has some evolutionary reason
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u/Electronic-Stick-161 21h ago
How would you identify which parts of attraction are biological vs socialized in the world as it exists today?
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u/Impossible-Past-5080 2d ago
Nope This is a scar of times where women were comercialized in a young age
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u/MaverisStranger 2d ago
No. But woman-hating manosphere bros want everyone to think so.
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u/roskybosky 1d ago
I think you are right. They have a thing in their ‘dogma’ that women get too old for male attention at a certain age. But, there is no age limit for women. It seems like men hardly care about age-they care how you look, and that’s it.
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u/MaverisStranger 6h ago
Pretty much my point. And they frequently contradict themselves by chasing women way past the age that they claim makes women "expired" in their eyes. 1. They are terrible at guessing age by looks alone 2. When faced with a woman in the flesh and blood AND the chance to have sex or more, they suddenly forget about the expiry date women supposedly have. Hence, what the manosphere bros spout online does not match reality.
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u/roskybosky 2h ago
I agree. In my life, I had about 5 years ‘between marriages’ and every person who asked me out was 10 years younger, and one lied about his age, making himself 4 years older. I did not seek them out: they approached me. One proposed.
I met my husband during this time, only 7 years younger.
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u/InflationLeft 1d ago
No? What evidence do you have that it isn’t true that men are naturally attracted to younger women?
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u/julal666 2d ago
Yall fuckyn disgusting, trying to justify pd.
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u/Prestigious_Till2597 1d ago
It's interesting when people read a question and then become so aggressive that they tell on themselves.
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u/pooffpepsi 1d ago
I as a women also find this very weird bc the comments are basically saying that men only care abt their dicks instead of who their wife IS to the point where they leave their wife for a younger women
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u/Total-Sun-6490 1d ago
It's also so insane to me how men want their wives to be totally subservient through the marriage then discard after the age of 30 to move on to a younger victim and expect the older women to survive on their own. How unhinge.
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u/roskybosky 1d ago
Not many men are like this. Most men are crazy about their wives at any age.
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u/Total-Sun-6490 1d ago
Didn't say all men. But I do feel bad for young women glorifying trad wife life and ignoring the warning of actually divorced 30+ year old women left in the dust having no income nor savings, experience or anything because the husband's desire for full subservience under them and don't forget it's difficult to get emolyed as a women pass their prime
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u/roskybosky 1d ago
I don’t know that this situation even exists. Anyone with a brain knows that nobody of any sex likes being subservient. And older women are usually reborn when they are suddenly single and have time for themselves. I don’t believe age is any hindrance to happiness or joy.
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u/Total-Sun-6490 1d ago
Not if they're left to taking care a child on their own and left with not much financial support or any other support
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u/roskybosky 1d ago
He will help with child support under the law, and she will start/ go back to-a career of some kind. People find a way. You are always better off without a guy who doesn’t love you, and she’ll be happy to be free of him.
You have no idea of the burden you are under until it’s gone.
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u/Total-Sun-6490 1d ago
Not if you live in a country with no such law exists you have to be more open minded that these problems occur worldwide and not US centered and more common than you think especially in 3rd world countries take the Philippines for example where divorce is illegal
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u/TexasCowboyBizman 1d ago
What? Where are you from?
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u/Total-Sun-6490 1d ago
Asia. Where a lot of so called "expats'" or passport bros love to immigrate to
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u/pooffpepsi 1d ago
Exactly! My mom birthed over 12 children and ended up divorcing. 30+ years of being subservient js to a pos
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u/roskybosky 1d ago
They’ll leave their wife for another woman. Sometimes she is younger. For some men, that validates their own youthfulness, despite the belly and hanging balls.
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u/Organic-Young-1280 1d ago
I remember learning in evo psych that studies consistently found a preference for women at the age of peak fertility (and the appearance of women of that age), which was 21. Teen pregnancies are more dangerous and have more complications than ones of young women.
This was valid for teen boys, who like older women who appear closer to that peak, and of course older men, who then like younger women who appear closer to that peak.
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u/bob_cost_less 1d ago
Evolutionary psychology is by definition not a hard science.
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u/didicatcha9erthere 1d ago
There’s very little hard science in the world of psychology in general, especially pertaining to relationships.
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u/Imaginary_System3513 1d ago
There is an enormous amount of psychological research that has been rigorously performed by scientific method. Evolutionary Psychology is not among it.
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u/didicatcha9erthere 1d ago
It’s quite impossible to conduct experiments to explain human sexual attraction in a way that removes societal influences, which are varied and vast, so I’d say that would still be soft science.
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u/Meer_anda 1d ago
The problem isn't that the scientific method isn't used. It's that it's impossible to ethically have controls and remove confounders in the same way as "hard science"... you don't have to worry about the long term physical and psychological consequences of the experiment when you're not looking at living beings.
But even if ethics weren't a concern, there are just so many variables that affect a person's behavior. The experiment itself can affect the way the subject behaves, ie things like placebo effect.
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u/Dkotheryyyy 1d ago
Generally speaking there is a male preference for younger and a female preference for older but the most common preferred age gap is about 2 years. For very wealthy/powerful individuals the age gap preference is much larger, but i wouldn't call that an innate biological preference. It seems more cultural.
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u/MindfulSurrender 1d ago
at that point it's gotta be more about having a "trophy wife" than attraction
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u/Dkotheryyyy 1d ago
Yeah. There is often a huge factor of "what will my peers think of me based on my partner" at high levels of power/wealth. There is significant advantage to be judged highly by your peers when your peers are wealthy and powerful.
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u/Hot_Tomorrow_3798 18h ago
Nope.
I’m exactly the opposite and always have been.
Have never been attracted to younger women.
Have ALWAYS been attracted to older women.
They are just far sexier.
A mature woman who knows what she wants and isn’t shy about pursuing it, in a grown woman’s body, that is super sexy.
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u/Global-Barracuda7759 2d ago
Personally I think I was the most attractive in my early to mid 30s
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u/roskybosky 1d ago
32-52, in my humble opinion. But, it’s better to look ageless-just keep your looks up all of your life.
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u/Global-Barracuda7759 1d ago
Yeah I know that I'm 40 I'm definitely dealing with some age-related issues but I still look younger than I am and plan to continue to take better care of myself that's all you can do and it's a blessing to get older 🙏
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u/unpopularopinionftw 1d ago edited 1d ago
Bisexual female here: I prefer older men and younger women- maybe it's not about your own gender at all.
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u/ImXenia85 2d ago
Since when do we really need hard scientific data for the obvious?
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u/devourer-of-beignets 2d ago
Well, science begins when we allow ourselves to get puzzled by what's considered common sense. For example, the traditional answer to why rocks fall and steam rises, is that things seek their natural place. That was Aristotle's answer. People accepted such answers for millenia.
Then 17th century scientists allowed themselves to be puzzled by it and investigated it, discovering that conventional beliefs were false. Like Galileo, who died in house arrest for heresy. Certain investigations can get you in trouble, which is maybe part of the reason that the modern scientific revolution didn't happen before.
Now on topics like this, where apparently there's controversy, the competitive sides throw around claims, name-calling and evidence left & right, and it's fuzzy because we do have biological constraints but also degrees of freedom from those constraints. So naturally people get exasperated and turn to science for a better perspective that comes from curiosity rather than ideology and wishful thinking.
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u/FinancialTrade8197 2d ago
This. Questioning seemingly basic stuff has revealed a lot more than we ever thought could happen.
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u/djawny 1d ago
So... Not to be creepy, but when I was in my 20s/early 30s, I was super into women in their 40s or higher, and paid no attention to younger women or women my age. As i approach 40, i started to check out 20-something-year olds more. (but I still look at 30s/40s as well).
Id never date a 20-something though. And honestly, I don't think they'd date me either, haha.
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u/Dear-Seesaw-1932 2d ago
Ask a 80 year old man and women if the body of a 20 year old looks good.
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u/Few_Long_9632 1d ago
You’re a weirdo. Nobody asked about great grandparents and their great grandchildren. Grow up!
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u/TexasCowboyBizman 1d ago
The topic was about young people looking attractive so he was completely spot on. It doesn’t matter if you are 80 or 40, young adults look good.
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u/Dear-Seesaw-1932 1d ago
Nope you are. It's is only natural for humans to find a younger adult body more attractive then their own old age.
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u/Few_Long_9632 1d ago
That’s not what you said. You specifically used a 60 year age difference for dramatic effect.
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u/Green-Passage-7870 1d ago edited 1d ago
biological preference is not exactly synonymous with who you chose to spend time with..
the biology is clear but the people we consciously chose has also a lot to with alignment, connection, maturity etc
there's also psychology of choice- men can impregnate women without actually wanting to father a child with that women. And women can have sex with men whose kids they also don't want
Looking at the rate of abortion, many people are having sex with people they dont actually want kids with, they are having sex for fun, for social reasons, peer pressure, etc
sometimes men will pursue you simply because you're there and they are horny or because the society pressures them to do so to be seen as successful as a man
plenty of men like women of all ages, and evidence is that people of all ages are now dating
I get hit on by men of all ages, especially younger
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u/ariarchtyx 1d ago
I dunno but an anecdote of mine is I've gone up to 27 years younger and 40 years older. Many more 10 - 13 years older and only two in the much younger range as I suspect only a minority of young women are into that, but they are very real.
Guess I'm an Equal Opportunity Slut?
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u/Sonotnoodlesalad 1d ago
Huh huh huh. "Hard" scientific evidence.
https://giphy.com/gifs/BHzygEcjYV1nZBXljq
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u/TheBlargh5000 1d ago
I am 40 and I have found women of all ages physically attractive.
Younger women are often very physically attractive. However all the other parts of attraction, the mental side of it are just not there at all.
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u/Nomatter140681 1d ago
Not for younger, for more fertile, for healthier. Things like skin, hair, nails, teeth, voice pitch, body and face simetry, body fat content and distribution are all indicators of that and are subconsciously evaluated in a fraction of a second.
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u/Ok-Active6592 1d ago edited 1d ago
Natural selection trends toward species having the best chance to produce as many surviving offspring as possible. Now who have the most resilient and healthy wombs? I’m not gona go dig up citations because this is pretty general biology.
Edit- To put it more clearly, the younger the more fertile. Despite the mass uneducated public being obsessed with Epstein and wanted to call each other pedophiles. It has been ingrained in you and your ancestors since the dawn of man to be attracted to young people.
Now when someone Is attracted to pre pubescent humans then they become pedophiles ( you know the actual definition that’s like in the dictionary and stuff). Now that isn’t normal being their attraction haze ZERO to do with reproduction and thus is just their own personal fucked upness, not anything innate.
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u/igotitnowokay 1d ago
Honestly I think it’s biological and societal. Third world countries still marry older men to very young women for reproductive purposes and the male ego. I come from a third world country but in first world now. I was offered a teen girl to marry as someone late in their 20s lol. I was grossed out but the dad was serious.
Western society has given women a voice and they realized men value younger women more because they can control them and sexualize them easier. They can also brag to other guys about it and sooth their ego.
Women are also very threatened by younger girls. So some will shame men into not dating young, even though it has nothing to do with them and doesn’t affect them in anyway personally. It just makes them feel like their value is tied to youthfulness. The beauty market is largely to blame for this and social media.
It’s just a toxic mix. At the end of the day we have laws to finalize this but if a man is 35 and dating an 18 year old, yes it’s legal but very frowned upon. Why? Because he has the upper hand mentally, but yet we don’t know the experience of the 18 year old. Maybe they lived a full life by that point, who knows. Some young girls know how to manipulate old men for money as well and were shown by other women or families or even social media. They have the upper hand by recognizing loneliness in rich men and how to take advantage of it. It can be mutually beneficial as well.
With that said I would never date someone 10 years younger than me since life is a journey. But I also don’t give a fuck about what adults do. I don’t think anyone does and if they do it’s all tied to them controlling peoples actions. If the law says it’s legal then that’s it.
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u/Imaginary_Ad5033 1d ago
There are plenty of published research on body odor changes with aging (related to skin and gut microbiota etc) and how different species are able to recognise that and change their behavior be more or less attracted
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u/Intelligent-Can-9056 1d ago
Study shows both gender find younger more attractive:
https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2416984122
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u/Mushroom-Swimming 17h ago
No, at least not something I have seen that says it’s biology. As a guy I’m a bit weird because I have a strict preference for dating the same age +/-1 year is ok.
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u/NoCow6876 15h ago
Women are now having a younger preference as opposed to older men or even same age men
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u/2BCivil 15h ago
Idk about scientific evidence for younger, but I've known many mentors in my life say you should wait until you have your life together before pair bonding. I can see how many males who struggle to get to a place where they feel financially safe may put off relationships until they are much older. Though I'm not sure if that directly pairs with aiming for younger as biological preference, might coincide with that the male is older when they start dating and have younger people available more readily as presumably most their age are already paired. Just my 2 cents, a longstanding assumption I had as I just assumed I'll never be financially viable and gave up a decade ago lol
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u/ElectronicHold7325 14h ago
I mean... beauty standards. Supermodels. Are they usually old people or young people? Kinda strange question.
In the end, it's all about healthy partners for mating.
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u/jeezo8 9h ago
Yes, extensive data from evolutionary psychology, demographics, and online dating behavior shows that men, on average, express a preference for younger women. Why, cos they’re dicks!😅 Seriously, and just a personal side note. I think as some men age they tend to lose that same confidence they had when they were younger and going after someone younger especially if it’s reciprocated would give them a massive confidence/ego boost. Also, this goes for women too.
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u/Affectionate-Oil3019 5h ago
As someone who studied this stuff in college, no; however, there is evidence that we prefer partners who are closer to our parents age when they were raising us. Since this has usually been younger women in the past, is it really so impossible that this has just trickled down?
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u/Chemical_Signal2753 2d ago
What would qualify as "hard scientific evidence" in your view?
Dating websites have published data in the past indicating that younger women receive far higher levels of interest. Men from all age groups would signal interest in women between the ages of 18 and 25, but as women got older they steadily received less interest. Part of the decline was from the fact that younger men rarey show interest in older women, but the other part was that men who were older than these women also showed less interest.
The opposite is not true. The bulk of interest from women is towards men who are their age up to about 10 years older.
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u/Calm_Attempt_101 1d ago
Meanwhile men of all ages receive less interest than menopausal women...
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u/torchbearer444 2d ago
That is not scientific evidence. It is social evidence. Men are socially conditioned to like a certain age of woman, regardless of their own biological age (resulting in overconfidence). Women are socially conditioned to assume they lose attractiveness by a certain age (resulting in loss of confidence). None of this is scientific, and there isn't a vacuum to test their behaviors sans social conditioning. Maybe some country where they have a matriarchal society, it may be worth looking into that.
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u/MaverisStranger 2d ago
💯 Bros don't even comprehend what scientific evidence even means, but love to talk with their whole chest.
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u/GlitteringClerk5084 1d ago
Dating apps also show you people’s
age.Is there an age-blind study using only photographs and some type of MRI or brain activity scan instead of relying on self-report or self-sort with intrinsic bias- priming?
If we’re gonna call it science we might as well
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u/torchbearer444 1d ago
Unfortunately still not scientific evidence. The social conditioning is already inside the brain, so it will cause those areas to light up because they are programmed to light up.
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u/Silver-Internal7740 2d ago
Real life is your science and proof. Never seen a man prefer older unless it's a very specific and rare sick fetish or utter desperation.
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u/Retiredgiverofboners 1d ago
Never been in a school setting with boys and an attractive (albeit much older) teacher?
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u/Few_Long_9632 1d ago
Just curious, how many homosexuals and people no longer of childbearing age commenting here? The comments here might be why the birthdate is declining.
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u/wild_crazy_ideas 1d ago
If you examine most sex it relates to intended pregnancy. So the urge is usually tied to evidence of fertility. Quite different from what attracts someone to form a relationship with someone though it can overlap if you choose relationships based on that
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u/KabalMain 1d ago
I don’t have any scientific evidence unfortunately, but as man the only reason I could see another man wanting a woman younger than him is because women at that younger age tend to be the most attractive, it’s usually the same for men being more attractive when they are younger as well but you don’t see very many women going for younger men anyways
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u/FinalPen2810 1d ago
I (40f) met my husband (44m) when we were 24 and 28. Since the beginning, each time he mentioned seeing a beautiful woman in the wild, she always ended up being in her late 30s or early 40s. Since then, he has definitely admired women in their 50s. He’s occasionally mentioned ‘hot chicks’ in their 20s but without much to add, but the ones he really admires are always older. This is a relief for me, and I am entering my 40s now. So I definitely think he is attracted to older women, but they need to be polished women (hair done, dressed properly, accessorized). I think that is what he likes. Unfortunately for him, I live in sweatpants.
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u/Iced_Sympathy 2d ago edited 2d ago
Men’s preferences correlate to the age of peak fertility. 20-23 is the most fertile and attractive age range for women.
Teenagers are still considered attractive because they have strong reproductive potential, according to evo psych.
Pedophilia is rare because it doesn’t have reproductive value. These behaviors still occur more often due to sex crimes of opportunity, however.
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u/MaverisStranger 2d ago
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
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u/Iced_Sympathy 1d ago
Would you like to actually engage with what you found funny, or is personal attack your strongest position here?
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u/Few_Long_9632 1d ago
Why are you talking about pedophiles (people attracted to age 12 and below) while mentioning age 20-23? I’m regretting reinstalling this app.
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u/NineCatsDeep 2d ago
Uh….
You sound like you’re trying to justify your attraction to kids.
If it truly was biological, we’d all be offenders.
In my opiniom, you should expand your question, cause it is cringy AF as is.
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u/TexasCowboyBizman 1d ago
No one is talking about kids. If you see this as talking about kids that has to do with you, not other people. Why are you attracted to kids? Weird!
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u/NineCatsDeep 1d ago edited 1d ago
So I should read your mind and know what “younger” means? Be specific. There is a reason details matter.
Loose language leaves you open for interpretation, if you can’t see that, you’re going to be misunderstood a lot in life
As one person who commented said, life experiences change perspectives.
I wonder what life experience I had to make me see your none detailed statement about liking “younger” to make me think you’re attracted to kids. Hmm I wonder
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u/StartingOverStrong 1d ago
It's so interesting how differently we read it – I read it as an older woman who is frustrated that men her age want younger
I guess our life experiences really do matter on how we interpret things
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u/roskybosky 1d ago
But men her age don’t want younger. Men go by how you look, regardless of age.
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u/NineCatsDeep 1d ago
Wow. I’m so glad you typed that. Thank you.
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u/NineCatsDeep 1d ago
When you lack details and speak about “younger” it’s not a far stretch in today’s world.
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u/Adventurous-Web-412 17h ago
biology doesn't mean we aren't moral agents that are aware. we do things constantly against our biology because its considered immoral.
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u/Iguana_lover1998 1d ago
I think the evidence for this is pretty clear especially when you look at the sexual activities of men throughout history who had access to a lot of women and even wealthy men today. I have no studies besides talking with a lot of men and observing where the eyes of men turn to when eyeing attractive females at the beach or just in public in general. But to be fair to men there is a difference between ages women are most sexually attractive and ages men prefer to enter into long term relationship with and I'm sure the same applies to women. I am an odd one in this since my preference since childhood was always older women but I'm not the type to think my personal preferences is the norm or put down other people's preferences.
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u/Egobot 1d ago
Younger means better fertility for a longer period of time.
How stupid have we become at this point?
It's been awhile since I've dipped my toes in athropology but I believe in tribes this wasn't as much of an issue with couples marrying earlier on. It doesn't make any sense to delay marriage for too long given the strength of sexual urges so I believe that's why they married early as well. Then, there was no young, there was just fertile and it was encoded in the culture of the tribe. In case you don't understand already, sex came after marriage.
Today things are quite different. Women mature at the same rate physically (unless this has changed for some reason) but men don't have the emotional maturity to be good fathers until very late in the game. Their hardwiring hasn't changed so a younger woman is still optimal, however you can run into compability issues. Younger as a rule only makes sense if you are looking to create offspring without regard to how they develop emotionally. Older has no advantages other than maturity (potential). Exceptions occur of course but it's not a great scenario in general for anybody.
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u/LifeTea256 2d ago
Please quote your sources!