Study of #eHarmony subscribers shows that older people above 60 still enjoys and wants to have sex

You might assume that those approaching their twilight years may no longer have the spark for passion-filled romances.

But, according to research, the older generation still regard desiring their partner as an important factor in their love lives.

In a study which separated a person's needs from the length of their relationship, psychologists found that, although there was a slight drop in the importance placed on sexual attraction after the age of 60, it did not dip further after that.

And the report, which analysed data from people aged 20-95, found that the need for cosy companionship was no greater in the older daters than the younger ones.

'Contrary to the stereotype, older adults still value sexual attraction quite highly,' said the researchers from the University of California.

'There is no consistent evidence that communication or companionate characteristics are valued more at older ages.'

For their study, the academics analysed data from nearly 5,500 men and women who had signed up to the online dating site eHarmony.

The site asks users to complete a mandatory questionnaire that scrutinises their characteristics and goals, by asking them to rate the importance of various items on a scale.

The researchers split the data into four groups: 'young' users under age 40, 'middle-aged' users aged 40-59, 'young-old' users age 60-74 and 'old-old' users age 75 and above.

While there was evidence that 'users approaching age 60 and older valued sexual attraction less than younger users…there were no significant age differences among the users older than 60, and they still valued sexual attraction highly', the researchers wrote in the journal Psychology & Aging.

'Overall, young-old and old-old users had similar preferences in this sample.'

The researchers said that while older adults tend to have longer relationships, which in turn are associated with 'declining sexual, passionate love and more friendship-based, companionate love', by studying new relationships they were able to analyse the influence of 'age separate from relationship duration'.

'Comparing younger and older adults seeking a new relationship provides a more equivalent starting point than comparing long-time married couples to newlyweds,' they wrote.

Josephine Menkin, one of the study's authors, added that often people resist starting a new relationship in later life because of certain 'barriers', such as concerns about upsetting adult children.

'It is possible that older adults who are using online dating are especially highly motivated to re-partner, and sexual interest may be one of the motivating factors that encourages people to actively seek a partner online, instead of just seeing if they happen to meet someone in person,' she said.

Less surprisingly, the researchers found that across the age groups, men consistently valued sexual attraction slightly more than women, with ladies placing a greater relative emphasis on companionship than the chaps.

Additionally, they found that divorcees were more concerned with feeling the spark of desire with a new partner than the daters who had never been married.

CAN SHARING A HUSBAND BE GOOD FOR WOMEN? POLYGAMOUS HOUSEHOLDS ARE WEALTHIER AND HAVE HEALTHIER CHILDREN

It's the dream of some men and the nightmare of others.

But now scientists have discovered that having multiple wives can actually be good for the entire family.

A new study into polygyny - where a man has more than one wife (polygamy is the umbrella term for multiple marriages) - found it lead to greater health and wealth for women and their children.

While countries around the globe ban or restrict marriages to more than one spouse at a time, UC Davis researchers looked at the established practice in parts of Tanzania.

They compared polygynous and monogamous households in 56 villages in northern parts of the country, where polygyny is widespread among certain ethnic groups, including the Maasai. 

It was found that polygynous households often had better access to food and healthier children. 

They also owned more cattle and farmed more land than monogamous households. 

'If you have a choice of a guy who has 180 cows, lots of land and other wives, it might be better for you to marry him rather than a guy who has no wives, three cows and one acre,' said anthropologist and study lead, Monique Borgerhoff Mulder.

Scientists suggest the findings support early accounts of marriage - that polygyny can be in a woman's strategic interest when they depend on men for resources. 

The practice of taking several wives has been practiced for many centuries by cultures from all over the world.

It can often be found in areas where food is scarce and there is poor health among children.

But rather than being the cause of this, researchers suggest it can be beneficial to these people. 

So while the United Nations states that polygyny contravenes a woman's right to equality with men and that such marriages ought to be discouraged and prohibited, the study found this a depended on local factors.

They suggest that in some settings, prohibiting polygyny could be disadvantageous to women by restricting their marriage options.

'The issue is not the number of partners,' Professor Borgerhoff Mulder said. 'Women should be assured the autonomy to make the decisions they want'

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