According to a study from Emory University in Atlanta, there's an ideal age difference that helps to maintain a long and healthy romantic relationship.
The study examined 3,000 people and discovered that when it comes to staying together long term, you're better off sticking with someone your own age. Couples with a five-year age difference were 18 percent more likely to break up than partners who are the same age, while couples with an age gap of 10 years were 39 percent more likely to split. Partners who were 20 years apart had it worst of all—a 95 percent chance of breaking up. So if someday you find yourself wanting to tie the knot with someone 20 years older or younger than you, make sure you're super compatible.
Good news! A slight age difference won't put too much of a dent in your chances of staying together—a one-year difference will make you 3 percent more likely to split than a couple that's the same age. If you're a sophomore, go ahead and hook up with that junior. Your potential future together isn't necessarily doomed, so live a little!
Of course we're joking about that last piece of advice—Age is one factor of many in every relationship, and just becuase there's a trend in one direction that doesn't mean you and your older or younger SO won't last. These results are interesting, but they're not meant to be an instruction manual for life. Go out and find love! (Hopefully with someone less than 20 years older than you.)
