Thursday, July 26, 2007

 

Half-Your-Age-Plus-Seven Rule


The half-your-age-plus-seven rule is a mathematical guide to judge whether the age difference in an intimate relationship is socially acceptable. Mathematically speaking, the rule is (Minimum Age) = (Age of the Older Individual) / 2 + 7.

For example, if Shane is 30 and wants to date Kristen, who is 20, he would be in violation of the rule, since the minimum age being 22. Notice, however, that the age difference matters less as the potential partners grow older. In this case, Shane would have four years to wait before the age difference in the relationship was "socially acceptable".

Note that what is implied by "socially acceptable" is largely a cultural construct, and has varied over time. Anna Nicole Smith and J. Howard Marshall were 26 and 89 at the time of their relationship. This violation of the rule (she was 25.5 years too young), and the rule itself, were discussed on CNN in 2006. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Half-Your-Age-Plus-Seven Rule". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.


# posted by Cliff Pickover @ 6:32 AM
Comments:
Its half you age plus 5, not 7.
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 4:14 PM
 
You're the only one I heard say it's plus 5/
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 4:28 PM
 
There are other rules that are quite instilled in common knowledge such as the 20/25 rule and the +- 5 rule.

Check this article.

http://lifesxp.com/2009/09/how-young-and-old-can-you-date-the-age-rules/
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 12:38 PM
 
i thought the rule was mind your own god damn business and let people love who they want. but note that i said love, not make love to. haters.
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 6:36 PM
 
Funny how those obsessed about age are the ones outside the relationship.
# posted by Blogger Shadow Man : 2:55 PM
 
Actually, ya'll are being a little harsh. The rule is also applied by older men who are interested in younger women, but don't want to be perceived as "creepy."
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 10:58 AM
 
Sometimes people adjust the "7", however this is rare and we have not noticed much movement towards "5".

At OneHalfPlusSeven.com we do not use the rule to refer specifically to intimate relationships as stated here. It refers more to romantic interest in general.
# posted by Anonymous OneHalfPlusSeven : 1:03 AM
 
Technically speaking, as long as two people are not the exact same age, they will one day, or have already, fit this rule perfectly. One easy way to determine when two people will fit this rule is by downloading the iPhone app, "Dating Calc." It can be found on iTunes from this link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dating-calc/id493736462?ls=1&mt=8.
# posted by Anonymous Ryan : 8:17 PM
 
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