Dear Greg,
I am 20 and a college student. I am sick of immature guys. Here is my question...I met a wonderful guy. He is very handsome, tall, seems very nice and polite. He is also ten years older than me. Is it ok? He does not look "old" and he seems fun to be around. Would he date a woman who is ten years younger than him? What would hold him back? Would he feel intimidated or turned off, or does my age make no difference? Should I pursue him? Thanks.
Alice.
Dear Alice,
Women, as a rule, are more attracted to older guys for the precise reason you have mentioned above — guys their age are usually less mature than them. If I recall my social studies correctly, the average girl can be anything up to five years ahead of the average boy in her emotional development.
On the other hand, older men are attracted to younger girls for shallower reasons: They’re usually very beautiful and ‘fresh’. Therefore, to answer your question, yes, the older guy would very likely be interested in dating you. In fact, older guys are notorious for targeting college students. If you decide to pursue him, you will probably be successful.
However, I will ask you to consider some issues. First, while there is inherently nothing wrong with dating an older man, you run the risk of missing out on the ‘college experience’. I have always advised university students that this is one of the most important and beautiful experiences of their lives.
