Older Couples Break Up Less

When we are young we can date like we are going to the carnival jumping from carnival ride to carnival ride. We aren't invested in these relationships because we have time on our side. Thus we can take them or leave them. We might date for fun or for love but we have plenty of time to decide what we want to do.

When we get older we don't have all the time in the world and we don't have the energy to jump from flower to flower like a bumble bee. With age we seem to accept other's faults more readily and understand that no one is perfect. Thus we are less likely to have to dump a relationship and start over. We don't have that much time to lose and there is no guarantee that we will meet someone of better caliber.

A survey conducted by e-nation found that 35% of people have experienced a major break-up in the past 10 years. In addition, people under the age of 35 are twice as likely as people between the ages of 35 and 53 as well as five times as likely as people over than 55 to break up. When you're young breaking up is more common.

Some of the major reasons why break-ups occur is because of commitment problems (23% men versus 27% women), and lack of passion (23% men and 17% women). Thus woman are more likely to feel that their inability to make a commitment as well as their lack of passion is the reason for break-ups.

If you planned on getting married and you are over the age of 30 you might feel the pressure to go ahead and just tie the knot. You are more likely to forgive transgressions if you are being pressure by age, family and friends to find someone to marry. However, it doesn't do you any good to marry the wrong person.

Likewise, when you are older than 55 you might not be looking for marriage but you might be looking for someone to spend your time with. Thus you don't want to dump someone because it is possible you won't find anyone else. In addition, since you aren't going to be marrying them anyway you can much more forgiving in the relationship.