How much of an age gap is OK?

[Kirosilence]

Being an immortal demigod born of the fury of the Internet long before time began, age really isn't an issue for me. I do get the odd joke about "Robbing the cradle" when I date someone who is 11.6 Billion years younger then me, but hey what can you say.

In all seriousness, I base my attraction on Maturity, and Maturity =/= Age.

 

[AngloDoom]

Depends on when the two are together. A four-year age-gap isn't a big deal, unless you're sixteen and they're twelve. Once your into your twenties, I see it as incredibly flexible. If you're still growing, developing, and trying to grasp the complexities of an adult life, then an older person will simply have less to discuss with you. While this can be overcome with maturity...I've always found it a question of 'why would you'?

If I was in my forties, I wouldn't go out with an eighteen-year-old, what would I have to talk with them about?

 

[Inverse Skies]

I have this feeling it depends from person to person and who you're going after. I'm 21, and I would feel incredibly uncomfortable dating anything younger than... 19 or older than... 25 maybe? It's hard to say. I guess part of it comes into the fact my sister is 18 so younger than that seems really weird indeed. It depends, I think you can stretch it out more as you get older, but the idea of myself being a uni student and dating someone in highschool doesn't appeal to me at all say.

 

[101194]

Divide by two, add seven. Thems the rules.

/thread

 

[Superior Mind]

Divide by two, add seven. Thems the rules.

The truth.

 

[Chesterfield Snapdragon McFisticuffs]

At my age, 2 years below and 20 years above. Milfs ftw.

 

[zombflux]

Divide by two, add seven. Thems the rules.

Sounds good enough for me. Even if is a reference to something I don't know or just 'the rule'

Spoiler: Reference to this XKCD comic

Rule has been around since before XKCD.

It works pretty well, I never really think about it though.

 

[Amnestic]

Half your age + 7.

[Arbitrary Line 1] to [Arbitrary Line 2]

The question is biased. It implies that there is a point when an age gap is not okay. I take issue with this.

A 90 year old and a freshly natal-ized baby.

Should I need to spell out "when both parties are mentally and physically mature enough to make conscious, well-informed decisions about themselves and their bodies"?

It really should go without saying.

 

[Fasckira]

Honestly it depends on the maturity and relationship of the people.

This. I think the younger you are, the closer the gap should be, simply because if the gap is too big then you're both going to be expecting different things from the relationship. As you get older and (supposedly) more mature, you're expectations of how a relationship should work even out more. This means that the gap can be wider (within limits).

I personally think the gap should be no more than 5 years however; I know a guy of 21 dating a girl of 35 and I cant help but think if he'll still be interested when hes 35 and shes 49.

 

[badgersprite]

I think the older you get, the less important an age gap becomes. It also depends on the people - some people are mature for their age, and some people are always young at heart. Also, people go through different stages of their lives at different points, depending on whether you spend a lot of time at college, or whether you have a career, or whether you just want to start a family straight out of school.

Social convention also makes a difference. Age gaps seem to be a bigger deal now than they used to be. I mean, because of their generation, all of my grandparents married exactly ten years apart, with the man ten years older than the woman, but, for my parents, who met at university in the 70s, where they were both in the same career (medicine), the age gap is only a month. All those marriages have been strong since the day they said, "I do," so, of all the factors that affect a relationship, I don't think age is one.

(Personally, I go after people waaaaaay older than me, so I may be biased on this issue. =3)

 

[hebdomad]

Divide by two, add seven. Thems the rules.

/ thread

 

[Agema]

That rule with divide by two and add seven is pretty good, although I'd modify it that once both parties are over 21, any age gap is fine as both should be mature enough to deal with it.

 

[Chipperz]

*snip*

Surely that's just for sex? Besides, 18/2+7=16, which is legal here!

Let's see... 23/2+7=18.5. Sounds good to me

OK! New question! When using the XKCD formula, do you round up or down? There comes a time in everyone's life when they stop saying "I'm five and a quarter!". Usually around the age of five an three months.

well yes but still

wait wait wait did you just say you'd be OK with a guy french kissing little girl (as long as he doesn't grope her)




or did I just misunderstand something here

Nonono, the XKCD limit applies to most things, it's just at it's strictest on the subject of sex - I have no problem with, say... A twenty year old in a nonsexual relationship with a fifteen year old, but if sex is involved, then (20/2+7) 17's really the lower limit.

It all comes down to a theory based on (depending on source) a comic or a drunken roommate. I'd say a bit of flexibility is good

 

[rossatdi]

Divide by 2, add 7.

 

[Crimson Cade]

Depends entirely on the people involved. I have dated girls my own age+ who acted like they should be half my age. And I have dated girls that were four years younger that were ahead of the curve and provided a good match.

Huge gaps, like me dating a 20 year old when I am 35, seems completely absurd in my mind.

 

[HotFezz8]

lol i'm 19, so 6 months? ;-)

 

[TheRundownRabbit]

age difference of 2 years