For decades, Hollywood has romanticized the boy toy.
It was most recently displayed in Zac Efron (36) and Nicole Kidman's (57) on-screen fling in the Netflix rom-com A Family Affair and Anne Hathaway (41) and Nicholas Galitzine (29) film The Idea of You.
A survey has revealed that this age difference has jumped off the big screen and into our daily lives as millennial women have found that younger Gen Z men are more emotionally available, offering more admiration and less competition than their older peers.
More than half of Americans ages 18 to 34 reported that they see more benefits to dating or marrying someone who is 10-plus years their senior or junior.
Physical attractiveness, emotional maturity and financial freedom were cited as the main reasons.
The Ipsos poll found that 74 percent of women who dated younger men were more sexually fulfilled and experienced more fun and enjoyment in the relationship than dating someone their own age.
Researchers surveyed 207 women who dated younger men, finding they were more available and didn't feel the need to compete with their partner because they were in different life stages.
About eight in 10 participants who had a 10-plus age difference in their relationships said they were able to more easily express their needs and desires, trust their partner's intentions and could be themselves.
'He isn't threatened by any aspects of my life because we are automatically in different places/stages due to the age gap,' one woman explained to StudyFinds.
Another woman stated: 'Women my age seem to be excited by the freshness and lack of bitterness that comes with dating someone younger. Younger men seem more open and less burdened by insecurities.'
Big-time celebrities have long been advocates of turning to a younger partner, with some taking it to extreme levels like Madonna (65) and Josh Popper (30) who have a 36-year age difference and Cher (78) and her 40-year younger boyfriend, Alexander 'AE' Edwards (38).
Cher acknowledged their age difference in a post on X in 2022, writing: 'On paper, this looks strange (Even 2 ME). A.E Says [love] Doesn't Know Math.'
In a separate tweet to a fan, Cher described Edwards as 'kind,' 'smart,' and 'hilarious.' She also said that they kiss 'like teenagers.'
Other celebs like Priyanka Chopra (42) and Nick Jonas (31) have a 10-year gap and Heidi Klum (51) and Tom Kaulitz (34) have a 16-year gap, showing that age is just a number.
Yet, the question remained what do men get from dating an older woman, also known as a cougar?
StudyFinds reported that of the 201 men surveyed in the poll, many said they were drawn to the emotional maturity that comes with dating an older woman, with one person saying he appreciated having an older partner around because she's more mature than others his own age.
More than that though, younger men find that dating an older woman has made them inclined to grow up faster both emotionally and socially.
'I often find women are much more evolved when it comes to relationships and emotional depth and actually expressing feelings,' one Gen Z male said.
'The age difference on top of that means I take a relationship more seriously and grow [more].'
The moral of the study: Gen Z men see dating Millennial women as an opportunity to 'level up.'
