According to a recent study, older couples who choose to live separately may reap certain psychological advantages. An expert in dating pointed out that the elderly tend to have a strong sense of independence and established routines. Additionally, keeping an open mind about living separately can expand the dating options for older women, increasing their chances of finding a suitable partner.
Moving in together is one of the most significant relationship milestones is the ability to seamlessly merge into a single unit. This often serves as a predictor for other major transformations, such as...getting married or raising kids.
Another attractive relationship arrangement for older couples is living apart, together, commonly referred to as "LAT."
According to a new study, couples who live separately tend to have better mental health compared to single people.. The study, which surveyed 15,000 British adults aged 60-85, revealed that living apart together (LAT) had fewer benefits for mental health than getting married. However, it also showed that break-ups among LAT couples were less severe than those going through a divorce or moving out of a shared home.
According to Logan Ury, the director of relationship science at Hinge and an on-air expert in Netflix's "The Later Daters," there is a thriving trend among older couples.
According to Ury, their perspective is similar in that they both have arranged their homes according to their personal preferences. Therefore, the idea of committing to a long-term relationship without cohabitation is mutually beneficial.
Ury says, there are numerous advantages to living apart, together for older individuals, and it goes beyond just being a matter of logistics.
The dating pool becomes bigger
For those who are content with separate residences, it expands the dating pool to include a wider variety of individuals. Maintaining separate living spaces makes it easier to navigate differences in social lives and interests, compared to trying to find someone whose lifestyle perfectly aligns with your own. As marriage and child-rearing may not be at the forefront of their priorities, this concept may hold more appeal for older daters. According to Ury, younger individuals tend to seek out partners who share their religion, lifestyle, and education level when starting a family. However, for older daters, checking off these criteria is often less crucial. In fact, maintaining independent homes can allow each person to maintain their own unique world - a potential advantage for any relationship.
You needn't make as many compromises
LAT gives couples the opportunity to keep living how they want, with the benefit of romantic companionship.
According to the study authors at Lancaster University and University College London, older women seem to benefit the most from the arrangement. Women often take on more domestic labor in marriage or cohabitation, so they "may have more to gain than older men from LAT" by having more autonomy.
Ury said it makes sense that older women are drawn to LAT. Her research shows older daters typically have a "stronger sense of self" than younger people. For example, Ury said older people report having because they know their bodies better and are more capable of asking for what they want.
It's understandable that mature women tend to gravitate towards LAT. According to research, older individuals generally possess a more pronounced sense of self compared to their younger counterparts. In fact, Ury found that older daters often have more satisfying sex due to their deeper understanding of their bodies and their ability to communicate their desires.
Being self-aware can also make it challenging to compromise, be it while sharing a bedroom or eating the same meals. "Individuals tend to be set in their ways and less adaptable when it comes to how they do things."
Guess you could say, younger couples can be compared to startups that develop together while older individuals who move in together are more like mergers. She explains that mergers tend to be difficult as each person has their own HR department and CEO, making it challenging to merge those aspects.