The Ideal Dating Age Calculator

Rebecca Hinds

Developing Data Products Course Assignment

How to better ensure that your relationships are successful.

Why use the Ideal Dating Age Calculator?

  1. Healthy relationships have been linked to longer lifespans. According to Dan Buettner, committing to a life partner can add 3 years to life expectancy.

  2. People with strong relationships are more likely to have better health. According to research conducted by Sheldon Cohel, college students with stong relationships are 1/2 as likely to catch a common cold when exposed to the virus.

  3. Several studies have found that people with stronger relationships tend to be less susceptible to suffering from depression.

Did these celebrities follow the Ideal Dating Age calculator?

Michael Douglas (69). Partner (Catherine Zeta-Jones) age: 44

Lower bound (Yes!) [1] 42

Angelina Jolie (39). Partner (Brad Pitt) age: 50

Upper bound (Yes!) [1] 64

Marie-Kate Olsen (28). Partner (Olivier Sarkozy) age: 45

Upper bound (No!) [1] 42

Disadvantages of Dating Older Partners

The Ideal Age calculator can be incredibly useful in helping you avoid disasterous dating/marriage outcomes. However, there are certain reasons why you may not want to date people who fall closer to the upper bound identified by the calculator.

  • Less energy/stamina
  • More likely to have wrinkles
  • Higher risk for health issues
  • More "baggage" and preconceived notions about women/relationships
  • More likely to be mistaken for your mother/father

Further reading

The inspiration for this presentation came from this May 2014 Psychology Today article.

Be sure to check out the George Clooney case study!