Which Guy Looks The Best

At what age do people look their best?

From an evolutionary perspective, men are generally most attracted to younger women, because they are more fertile than older women, while women prefer men their own age or older than themselves (but not too much older), because they prefer men of higher status (this could mean socially, financially, or a different kind of status) and older men are more likely than younger men to have higher status.OK Cupid has done some great research on the age ranges than men and women prefer in a partner: OK Cupid Data on Sex, Desirability, and Age, and: The Case For An Older Woman.Here is a summary:Women at most ages state a preference to date men who are up to eight years older or eight years younger.Men show a decided preference for younger women, especially as the men get older.Statistically speaking, a woman's desirability peaks at 21, which, ironically enough is the age that men just begin their "prime," i.e. become more desirable than average.As we can see in the chart below, a woman of 31 is already "past her prime," while a man doesn't become so until 36.The two lines cross around age 26: after age 26, a man has more potential matches than his female counterparts, which is a drastic reversal of the proportion in young adulthood, when women are much more sought-after. Because men's dating preferences skew so young, and women's are age-equitable, men peak later, and have a longer plateau of desirability, than women.That said, there are so many exceptions and nuances to these statistical rules that I think no one should get hung up on them. For instance, there are many, many women who are physically much more attractive at age 30-35 than they were at 20-25 (and I am referring strictly to physical beauty, before other factors--such as greater self-confidence or a healthier lifestyle, both of which tend to increase in women as they age--come into play).