Psychotherapist reveals best age to get married if you don’t want it to end in disaster

The best age to get married if you want it to last has been revealed by an expert.

This is one for all of you who are planning to seal the deal sometime soon, as there is apparently an ideal window that gives your relationship the best chance of lasting.

Los Angeles-based psychotherapist Lori Gottileb recently appeared on Steven Bartlett's The Diary of a CEO podcast and spoke about everything to do with relationships, from the early stages of dating to potential heartbreak.

Gottileb is also the New York Times bestselling author behind Maybe You Should Talk to Someone.

She quoted a study carried out by the Institute of Family Studies, which claimed there is an optimum age to tie the knot to statistically avoid separation.

Getty Stock Photo

The study found the best time to get married is between the ages of 25 to 30, as 'someone who marries at 25 is 50 percent less likely to get divorced than someone who weds at age 20'.

The psychotherapist said: "It's obvious about marrying too young, that you don't have the skills and you’re not established in your own life, you don't necessarily have the maturity."

She further explained that when you get into your mid to late 20s, it's a better time as you know yourself and what you want better, which in turn will give both people in the relationship space to grow.

Gottileb continued: "You are going to have more shared experiences and you are going to know more about each other.

"Your parents are probably still alive on each side, you can get to know siblings, more integrated into each other's lives."

Another interesting aspect of the study was that prior to the age of 32, every additional year reduces the divorce odds by 11 percent, but after 32, the odds of divorce increases by five percent each year.

Getty Stock Photo

The expert attributed this to being more 'set in your ways' as you get older, and you have more solid expectations, compared to being more flexible when you are younger.

Gottileb said: "We get less open minded as we get older around relationships.

"We also have a history as we get older, we have more negative experiences of maybe been broken up with.

"Relationships that didn't work out then inform the way that we behave in other relationships."

The psychotherapist continued by explaining that by being older, you could 'punish' your current partner for the past bad experiences you had in other relationships, affecting your trust in your other half.

She claimed that the mentality of having more dating experience makes you a better partner is false, as all you do is bring more baggage from past relationships to the next.

Gottileb also questioned the current attitudes towards the early stages of dating. While many call it a day after not feeling a 'spark' on their first date with someone, the expert said this stops people from giving each other 'the chance' to build a relationship.

Topics: Sex and Relationships

Joshua Nair

Joshua Nair is a journalist at LADbible. Born in Malaysia and raised in Dubai, he has always been interested in writing about a range of subjects, from sports to trending pop culture news. After graduating from Oxford Brookes University with a BA in Media, Journalism and Publishing, he got a job freelance writing for SPORTbible while working in marketing before landing a full-time role at LADbible. Unfortunately, he's unhealthily obsessed with Manchester United, which takes its toll on his mental and physical health. Daily.

@joshnair10