Does Age Make a Difference in Relationships?

“Rats know the way of rats.” -Chinese proverb

From the Rat-A-Tat-Cat card game

Gung hay fat choy! 2014 is the Year of the Horse. Twelve animals make up the Chinese zodiac: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. Each exhibits a different personality based on your birth year. As a kid, I remember seeing the zodiac printed on paper placemats in Chinese restaurants (our family establishment had ones with red curlicue borders). Besides the character traits, there’s usually a line about which other animals you would be compatible with.

There seems to be a pattern to this calculation: four year differences provide the best relationships. I’m not sure why. In fact, I would have thought the same age would work better with couples since people of the same cohort connect well because of similar experiences.

My parents will soon be celebrating their multi-decade anniversary (congratulations!), and they’re the same age. However, I have also seen almost decade gaps work really well. What do you think? Is there an age factor to compatibility?