When It Comes to Relationships, Is Age Really Just a Number?

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DEAR DR. JENN,

My best friend started dating a man that is old enough to be her father. I gotta say, it creeps me out. I can't say that to her though. She is happier than I have ever seen her. I know celebrities do this all the time... but I'm skeptical about how well this can work. Does age really not matter? —Old Enough to Be Her Father

DEAR OLD ENOUGH TO BE HER FATHER,

In three decades of being a therapist in private practice in Beverly Hills, I have seen my share of "age gap" relationships. "Age gap" relationships are typically defined by unions where one person is 10 years or more older than the other.

We all know celebrity couples who have done it:

• Priyanka Chopra & Nick Jonas (11 years)

• Chris Pratt & Katherine Schwarzenegger (10 years)

• Ellen DeGeneres & Portia de Rossi (15 years)

• George Clooney & Amal Clooney (17 years)

• Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds (11 years)

• Jay-Z & Beyoncé (12 Years)

• Adam Levine & Behati Prinsloo (10 years)

• Jason Statham & Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (20 years)

• Matt Bomer & Simon Halls (13 years)

• Heidi Klum & Tokio Kaulitz (16 years)

• Michael Douglas & Catherine Zeta-Jones (25 years)

• Sarah Paulson & Holland Taylor (31 years)

• David Foster & Katharine McPhee (35 years)

• Florence Pugh & Zach Braff (21 years)

"But those are celebs," you may say. But what about regular people? How big of an impact does an age gap have on the quality and longevity of a relationship? Well, according to a study of age gaps and marital satisfaction, the larger the age gap between the two members of a couple, the more dissatisfaction reported. That's not to say it isn't possible to have a healthy relationship with a significant age gap, but it is certainly more challenging.