Earlier this week, we learned that when it comes to relationships, we tend to be attracted to people who are really similar to us, right down to the genetics. But according to a new study, there's one thing we seem to be willing to compromise on once we age.
The study, conducted by researchers at Queensland University of Technology and published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, found that while people do tend to date those with similar educational levels, that changes once they get older.
Researchers looked at the online dating interactions of 41,000 participants in Australia between the ages of 18 and 80 during a four-month period in 2016. The study found that online daters with higher levels of education are more likely to seek out those with the same educational background, but as they got older, were less interested in whether their date had the same level of education. On the other hand, those with comparatively lower education levels became more interested in contacting dates with higher education levels. This suggest that we don't necessarily lower our standards as we get older, but we may be more inclined to date people different from us as we age.
"Older women in particular have a greater likelihood of contacting potential partners who are less educated than themselves but conversely, younger males fall into this category as well," Stephen Whyte, one of the authors of the study, said in a press release.
Of course, these findings won't be true for everyone, and theories of attraction can vary widely — but it's always interesting to get insight on the possible science behind our swiping.
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