If you believe the dating sites, dating over 50 is easy, fun and stress-free. Some services have even gone so far as to say that dating in your 50s and 60s is better than at any other age. But, is this really true? Or, are dating sites simply looking for new ways to separate us from our money?

Is Dating Over 50 Better than Ever?

On the one hand, there are many good arguments for why dating over 50 is better than in your 20s. For example, in a recent article, Your Tango argued that, in your 50s, you know yourself better, have more relationship experience and feel less pressure to tie the knot.

There’s certainly some truth to this. After 5 decades on this planet, most of us know what we are looking for in a partner. We also understand ourselves better than at any point in the past.

On the other hand, it seems overly simplistic to say that dating over 50 is better than in our 20s. For starters, many of the “benefits” of dating after 50, such as “knowing ourselves better” can work against us.

Independence is an attractive trait, but, it can also prevent us from seeking out intimacy. Having relationship experience can help us to know what to look for in a partner, but, it can also cause us to develop unrealistic expectations. Not caring what other people think can build our confidence, but, it can also prevent us from taking care of our appearance.

In addition, the older we get, the more skewed the ratio of single men to single women becomes. As we get into our late 50s and early 60s, there just aren’t enough single older men to go around.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

Do you think that dating over 50 is better than at other points in your life? Why or why not? Please join the conversation.