Physically old or mentally old are two very distinct beasts.

Good article. Great sense of humor. I am almost 54 and yes it does seem men my age are not really interested. But now worries. They are missing out and I am, for the most part, happy with my life.

Mental age is far more important to me than physical age. A woman of my age (67) with the attitude of a five year old (and I know of one such woman) is a real no-no for me. My latitude is -25 to +10 years.

Anybody who refuses to date somebody their own physical age for solely the reason given has a severe attitude problem, and I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.

There does seem to be a trend that way, and it does seem rather superficial when someone is so fixed on the requirement of youth and beauty. But I think the writer may have gotten better results if she'd changed the ending of her letter to "You don’t know what you’re missing, but let's meet for coffee if you'd like to find out." She's no longer castigating, but intriguing.

My parameters are broad as far as age and race ... and a lot of other things, too, I guess. There's such a variety of interesting people out there that I hate to close off opportunities. I've had fulfilling relationships with men 20 years older and 20 years younger, although most are between the ages of 45 and 55. Being quintessentially true to who they are is much more important to me.

I won’t only date younger men, but I’m attracted to only the minusculest number of men around my age (52). My current BF is 10 years younger. A perfect match for me is a younger man who’s attracted to older women. They’re out there — and there are more men like that than one would think.

Sad to say it is all too common. I have a buddy who is:

-A little older than me, 67
-Obese, morbidly so
-So de-conditioned he can barely move or take care of himself
-On a limited income
-Can get moody when he drinks

To top it off, he thinks he's a babe magnet especially for women who are a good 30 years younger than him. Really!

No, he doesn't have much success.

I have no problem dating someone my age last partner of 14 years was 1 month younger

Everyone has their quirks. Though it is disappointing when you're turned down because of your age you have to respect their preferences.
Years ago I preferred older women. Now I don't put a lot of thought into the date of birth. Compatibility and chemistry transcends age to me. A 45 year old woman and her 65 year old aunt can both be appealing to me. Lol.

I have noticed that a lot of older men want to date a younger woman and vise versa. It all depends on the preferences of each person. I have dated older women and younger women in my life time. I'm have a connection now with a lady now that is 57 and I'm 56. We were born in the same year. You make a really good point about having things in common when you're close in age.

Chronoligical age is less relevant than emotional maturity and physical fitness. Those can vary widely by age so you can’t make an offhand judgement just because of age. I do see one advantage of being the same age, in that you will have more common experiences. You lived through the same era.

So true on dating sites-all type of sites -Christian, Jewish, Hippy, Free Thinking, Seniors etc. I've done some research over the years when I established my own all inclusive company Rainbow Circle of Friends for dating and relationships. I typically have dated younger-no one is there anymore. Age is irrelevant to me now. Its just a number.

Of course we would all like a partner who can still walk, still has a sparkle in their eyes, and who has interests in more than just their grandchildren.

All of the women I've seen on "Fitness Singles" want men who are substantially younger. Very few of them will accept men as much as 2 years older than themselves. Fitness Singles is the only site I know of where age preference appears in the profile.

My only other information comes from my own experiences. Younger women and women my age (66) don't respond to my invitations (although I keep trying). The responses I get tend to come from women in their mid 70s.

Sigh, well if I lived closer to you, I'd be happy to date you! Sofabeast almost 58

I have only had a relationship with older... in one case 3 weeks, the other 3 years. I don't mind dating older, but I want to date a healthy older that is going to enjoy getting out with me.

I am also a board gamer, so sometimes I feel judged by older women for having a hobby that crosses all age groups and keeps me mentally stimulated. I don't take it personal, but conversations like that make me less inclined to date older.

Some can manage this , but many can't . My observation has been that many elders ( define that how you will ), of either gender are older than they need to be. Big bellies. Dozens of preventable ailments with accompanying prescriptions. Inability to walk a half mile , much less a few, far less - hike for half day ! "old" dated attitudes about life in general. Few interests besides maybe eating, fishing, drinking, church, blah-blah-blah ...

I read somewhere that a mans ideal partner is half
the mans age +7

I suppose anything is possible, but being around the same age give or take a few years is important. A couple needs to relate to each other, similar outlook and experience. Nothing written in stone, but generally my preference.

Everyone has their personal list of deal breakers. I can't handle being around someone who won't at least try to take care of themself. I don't mean self obsessed model figure, but someone who cares so little about themself that common sense diet and exercise are too much trouble, simply cannot care much about anyone else. That said, I don't put predetermined limits on age. I'm 57, I've dated women in their early 40s ( found the younger attitudes a tad trying ) when I was young, I had an extended relationship with a woman 20+ years older. Currently forming a relationship with a woman about 4 years older. Young pretty things are great to look at, and fun to play with, but I prefer the company of someone intelligent and mature. .
I think many men are drawn to younger women due to the unpleasant experience of having been burdened with someone who has used sex as a tool of manipulation. There are an unfortunate number of women who use sex as a control mechanism and as they get older, especially if they jump on the evangelical train, sex becomes non existent, so the men think they stand a better chance if shopping younger. What they don't realize is they need to shop smarter. There are plenty of self confident , intelligent older women out there ( although not many here in the bible belt ).
Many people have primarily sex on their minds when they start dating again, but let's face it. Sex is great, but once you've worn out the trapeze and the 30 foot mechanical shark in the bedroom, if you can't hold a conversation, it's all over

Well if he was on here and following your posts to know what a beautiful,thoughtfull ,adventures,wisdom . ,caring,athletic ,smart,knowledgeable Lady plus so many other adjectives to describe you ,he would not be saying such things and if he did ,he is just telling world what a thoughtless total assh**e he is , I would be very proud to have you as my lady and so many others on here also if the circumstances were right

FTA: “ Which is probably why I remain single.”

Yep.