There's actually a perfect age difference to have with your partner (apparently)

How big is your age gap?

A study was conducted at Emory University in Atlanta, proving that there actually might be an ideal age difference between you and your partner. Surveying 3,000 people, researchers essentially found that the more years you’ve got in your age gap, the higher likelihood there is that you’ll break up (in case you're wondering, this is the age you're most likely to meet 'the one'.).

A couple with a five-year age gap is 18 percent more likely to break up than a same-age couple. People dating someone older with a decade of age different were 39 percent more likely to split, and those with 20 years between them had a 95 percent high chance of calling it quits than two people who were the same age. Ouch. That’s a pretty high number.

The researchers believe that having one year difference between your ages is your best bet, because these couples only have a 3 percent likelihood of parting ways.

Why is it like this, you may ask? In this case, it’s the most obvious reason that comes out on top. People who are different ages want different things from life, they have different values, and they just see the world differently.

Honestly, I’m skeptical on this subject, but maybe because I’m biased. My partner and I are 17 years apart, we’ve been together for almost 3 years, and we’re happier than ever. I wonder what age the people were who participated in this study. Obviously, if you’re a 21-year-old in college dating a 35-year-old who is established in their career and has a completely contrasting life, the likelihood of you two lovely people lasting isn’t very high. But what about people who are essentially in the same stage of life, only with a few years between them?

Emory researchers admit that there are other factors to consider. One by the name of Hugo Mialon said, 'It could just be that the types of couples with those characteristics are the types of couples who are, on average, more likely to divorce for other reasons.' Whether one of them has children matters as well. Also, they cite the basic concept of compatibility as something that might determine how long a couple will last.

At the end of the day, these are just patterns that they’re studying, so don’t feel doomed if you have an older or younger S.O. It just comes down to who you are, who they are, and who you are together. From the editors of Hello Giggles