What is a cougar in the dating world

The Modern Struggles of Cougar Dating in 2024

Cougar is a slang term for a woman who seeks romantic or sexual relationships with significantly younger men. The origin of the word cougar as a slang term is debated, but it is thought to have originated in Western Canada and first appeared in print on the Canadian dating website Cougardate. The term has been variously applied to middle-aged women who pursue romantic or sexual relations with men more than ten to fifteen years younger than they are. A British psychological study published in Evolution and Human Behavior asserted that men and women, in general, continue to follow traditional gender roles when searching for mates, and thus concluded that the posited "cougar phenomenon" does not exist, or more precisely, exists but is rare. The study found that most men preferred younger, physically attractive women, while most women, of any age, preferred successful, established men their age or older. The study found very few instances of older women pursuing much younger men and vice versa. The cougar concept has been increasingly used in television shows, advertising, and film. The film Cougar Club was dedicated to the subject.

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When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Like a lot of pop culture phrases, the term "cougar" can mean different things to different people, leaving many to wonder what is a cougar? According to Merriam-Webster, the basic definition of a cougar is "a middle-aged woman seeking a romantic relationship with a younger man. This can be interpreted in a variety of ways. For one thing, what one person considers "middle-aged" might be totally different from how another person would describe it. However, the universal definition seems to be an older woman who prefers dating a younger man. But that's not all there is to cougars.

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Last Updated: June 28, Fact Checked. This article was co-authored by Julia McCurley. She has been creating happy couples in Austin for over 12 years and has helped hundreds of singles on their journey to finding love. There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

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Puma? Cougar? What’s the Difference?

Real cougar dating has become increasingly popular in the modern dating scene. It refers to relationships in which a mature woman, often referred to as a cougar, seeks romantic relationships with younger men. This dynamic breaks traditional dating norms and embraces the beauty of diverse relationship structures. At its core, cougar dating is about compatibility and mutual respect, much like any other relationship.

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