Couples with big age gaps are less satisfied in marriage than same-aged couples

More the age gap, more the dissatisfaction.

Divorce can lead to insomnia. © Shutterstock

Traditionally, in Indian societies, it is always desirable for married folks to have an age gap, where the man is at least 5-6 years older than the woman. But that notion is slowly changing with people marrying within their age groups and men settling for women who are older than them. After all, age is just a number and love is blind. Correct? Not quite.

A new research from the University of Colorado, Boulder is out to ruin our mood with this disclosure: couples with a huge age gap in marriage are less satisfied than those who belong to the same age group.

As if this wasn't a dampener enough, the findings of the study also say that when faced with financial problems, couples with a lesser age gap are more likely to overcome them better than the couples with a big age gap.

According to researcher Professor Terra McKinnish, men are much happier with a younger wife than those with older wives. Similarly, women are also most satisfied when they are with a younger husband and least satisfied with an older man.

(Read: How to diffuse an argument with your spouse)

Many married couples may attest to the belief that the initial spark of the marriage declines as time goes by. The proverbial "honeymoon period" of the marriage is anything but long lasting. The study seems to vindicate those beliefs by saying that marital satisfaction becomes lesser and lesser with each passing year in couples who have an age gap. Those married to spouses belonging to the same age group may have an edge over the differently aged couples.

(Read: Older women reveal what they liked best about dating younger men)

The bad news doesn't end there. The study goes on to say that the higher levels of satisfaction with the marriage experienced by men and women with older spouses go for a toss within 6-10 years of marriage. When it comes to dealing with the ups and downs of married life, the same-aged or similarly-aged couples are much well-built to deal with the stress as opposed to their differently-aged counterparts who are less resilient.

(Read: Real men reveal what it is to date older women)

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