An Emory University study suggests a huge age gap increases the likelihood of divorce. The study indicates that a five-year age gap increases the likelihood of divorce by 18 percent. A 10-year age difference, meanwhile, increases that rate to 39 percent. Add another 10-year difference, and the chance of divorce is 95 percent. On the flip side, the longer the couple stays together, the less likely they’ll end up divorced. One decade together can nearly cancel out the added risk of divorce for couples 20 years apart in age.

Divorce Statistics: What Factors Weigh More Heavily for Staying Together?

As any statistics boffin will tell you, correlation does not mean causation. Couples should be self-aware and keep the lines of communication open rather than let numbers dictate their fates.

One way to think about this is to ask: what do you and your spouse have in common? If you are close in age, you will be more likely to have more in common. A couple with a 20 year age difference may have different tastes in music, food, fashion, and other lifestyle choices. Those differences don’t necessarily spell divorce in all situations, but if you have little in common with your spouse (regardless of ages), you’ll have a difficult time building a relationship on anything substantive.

You can be friends with someone of another generation, but if you find that you don’t have much in common, then consider marrying someone closer to your age… or at least someone with whom you have more in common.