It’s interesting to note that society views different relationships as “odd” compared to others that seem “normal”. For example, a relationship between a 28 year old and a 16 year old seems odd to a lot of people, while a relationship between a 48 year old and a 36 year old does not seem as weird. But why is that the case? The two relationships are the same ages apart, yet the former seems more “odd”. Another example is an 18 year old and a 38 year old, compared to a 52 year old and a 32 year old. Again the former seems a lot more odd compared to the latter. You can even compare a 14 year old dating an 18 year old, versus a 21 year old dating a 25 year old. Of course this last one is illegal due to things such as grooming, but the same age difference applies. The reason why some of these relationships seem odd compared to others is due to the point in life each person is at. When two people are in similar points in life, for them to date does not seem odd from the viewer. A 14 year old and an 18 year old are two very different points of life. One is about to leave middle school, while the other is about to enter university or is working. A 52 year old and a 32 year old are both adults most likely working on their careers looking to settle down if they haven’t already. To pair two people who are at two different stages of life, causes dissonance that can make us uncomfortable.
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