I totally needed this! Except I go the other way--I date much older. I may or may not have a date next week (is it coffee? Is it a date? Is she gay? you know the kinds of questions) with someone much older than myself. I think I may withhold doing the math, even though I think she might just barely be in the ballpark. Hahahaha

I have a brother five years older & a sister five years younger than I am. I tend to use them as my parameters.

When I was younger, I dated women much older than me, it wasn't necessarily a preference, it was a necessity, there weren't any out dykes in my age range. In my 20's I was with women within a year or two of my age, when I got into my 30's I began dating women much younger than me, I was talking to a friend about this, and she astutely pointed out, that I've pretty much always dated women in their 20's, lol!

It's the same age for me either way.... Hmm....

At some point age matters. Not saying love doesn't. But we all are into different things at different stages. The older you get the more obvious those things become. For the short term, sure there can be differences...for the long term, more than 10 years either way...is going to cause some issues....

Did you make this up.

I look at it this way: If I'm old enough to be their mother or vice versa, it's not gonna happen. For me that is an 8 year difference (yes 8). Maturity level, life experience, etc all factor in too.

touche' my friend!

im 23 and my girl will be 43 soon... ive never met anyone that made me so happy with such little effort....ever! she has a 10 yr old son that still after almost 1 year takes some getting used to because hes halfway grown and not something gradual for me to get used to with his aging process...never dated anyone with a kid) but her personality and mine mesh like no other... my action for adventure matched up with her urge for it and vice versa... not to mention 9for her anyway) 43 means no more playing and cheating games!

Wow, I'm so glad that I am married and out of the dating scene. It's nice not to have to worry about social norms and all that. Now, my wife and I are traveling the world and enjoying the "happily ever after" part of life. Oh, and by the way, my wife is 8 years younger than me but since I'm rather immature, it evens itself out. :)

I met my Beautiful Wife when I was 17 and she was 25. . . Our age difference is funny sometimes, we make poor pedo jokes at our own expense :p, and other times it doesn't even matter. It's about the connection that you feel with a person. As I like to quote to all of my friends, (One in particular ;) as he has a sudden interest in men over 35. Him being 21 :D and is slightly distressed at this new revelation ) "Love Knows No Age." and "Don't hinder yourself in such a way that you could potentially miss out on someone wonderfully amazing." :D

Having just played cupid with a couple of friends who were admiring each other from too great a distance - because 'age' was a factor (55 & 33),

I say despite the generosity of your new calculation, throw out the rulebook - If you're as queer as all f**k, age is irrelevant!

Awesome! So glad to hear that :-)

Oh my, this formula almost perfectly fits my life right now, or more so, the women who are hitting on me! I'm in my mid-30s and the last three women who've hit on me are all 21 and 22! I usually date mid-30s to mid-40s, so this has been a bit of a shock. But I'm considering each one for who they are and getting to know them and deciding if dating (MUCH) younger is of interest to me.

Thank you for the permission. Go Cougs!!

I often date younger women (I'm 44), because I'm into activities (e.g., dancing, live music events) that most women my age aren't, and I have a lot of energy. My current GF (she's 29) is pretty mature and self-directed, and teaches me lots re: life, emotions, music and literature. She says she appreciates that I'm self-possessed and know what I want from life and love--things I attribute to my age. Anyway, it works for us.

Why is the "formula" different for orientations? I think this is total bs either way. Why do people need some method to tell them who it's ok to date? Anyway....I'm almost 30, and most people in their early 20's annoy the sh*t out of me. With the exception of those rare birds, this new generation is a headache. I personally like being with someone who can relate to the things I grew up with. I don't wanna be anybody's teacher.