10 Really Surprising Facts About Dating In Your 50s (4 of 6)

You’re No Longer Dating for Validation

Young people often measure their self-worth in terms of their dating status. By extension, they feel like their friends and family will accept them more if they’re in a relationship. However, 50-year-olds view their decision to date (or not) from a practical perspective. You date because it enhances your life, not because you’re worried about what others will think if you don’t have a boyfriend/girlfriend.

Finances and Careers Are More Settled, So Dating Feels More Stable

By your 50s, you have three decades of work life under your belt, and presumably you’ve got your financial ducks in a row. Having this level of professional and financial stability makes for a far more relaxed dating life when compared to your 20s and 30s when you’re still paying off student loans and trying to figure out your career path.