"The difference between a boy and a man is not age, it's maturity." ‒ Matshona Dhliwayo.
People often say that age is just a number but it's not. It matters when you are dating or you are interested in someone. Although you may not know the other person's age, their habits and maturity level differ if they are younger or older than you. It becomes evident when you talk about interests, activities, goals, and career choices.
It doesn't seem nice to directly ask someone about their age. So, the question is- how to guess someone's age? When you don't want to be direct, there are some ways you can know about their age without asking. Then you'll know whether it's suitable to date them or not.
6 Ways to Know Someone's Age
Instead of asking directly, you can have an idea about someone's age if you consider the following things:
1. Checking social media style
Social media is your go-to when you want you are wondering how to tell someone's age. Check out their Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook account and you'll have some idea about their age based on their interests and style on social media. You can check out their "about info" and maybe their birthday if they have put it on Facebook (pretty direct way).
Also, look at the style of pictures they have shared on Instagram and Facebook. If the pictures are more experimental and fun selfies, then your date might be a young person, maybe in their 20s. It's not a rule of thumb but that is the general trend based on age groups.
The next thing you need to check out is their posts and tweets. If they touch serious topics more often, your date might be a mature person. It doesn't necessarily mean that they are older. It simply shows their level of maturity and what kind of person they are.
So, checking out their social media accounts may give you a lot of hints and help you in knowing how to tell someone's age.
2. Discussing childhood memories
How to ask a guy his age without asking? It's not rocket science. Simply bring up childhood memories and see how he talks about his childhood. If he says something like, "I remember how we used to play when we didn't have a computer", then he is definitely an older guy in his 30s or maybe even older.
Bring up school memories to know more about his childhood and obviously his age. Then, let him talk about his family, his precious memories, and any memorable events. Older guys usually cherish these memories more than younger guys.
You can even ask about the year of graduation or if you think that the guy is younger, you can ask about graduating from school or anything related to his childhood and studies.
3. Talking about music
Music is definitely something you can easily talk about. Ask about favorite music genres, songs, and artists. If someone has a more classical taste or if they like music from a particular decade like the 80s or 90s, they might be a bit older. It's not necessary but knowing their taste in music gives a few hints about their age.
4. Talking to mutual friends
If you have mutual friends, you can talk to them in a subtle way. Bring up things like your date's interests, hobbies, education, and age. Talk about their career choice and you'll have an idea about their age and mental level. Age does matter when it comes to compatibility and mutual interests. That's why you should consider talking to mutual friends who know these things about your date. If they are within your age group or even two or three years older or younger, then it's not a huge difference. But if the difference is huge and you feel that in interactions with them, then it's probably better to date someone within your age group.
5. Discussing the latest technology
Talking about technology will never fail. Start by talking about the first phone you owned and ask about his first phone. It will give you a little hint about his age. If he is enthusiastic about the latest technology and knows a lot about gadgets and smartphones, then he might be your age or younger. But if he says that he didn't own a phone until 2000 or mentions an old model of a phone, then he is definitely older.
6. Talking about views on life
Another way of judging a person's level of maturity is to bring up serious topics like philosophy or views on life. Although it's a very vast topic and you may even get lost because everyone thinks differently about life. You can also include social issues and what matters in life. This discussion can go anywhere but if you pay a little attention, you'll notice that older or mature people tend to go deeper or talk more about more serious things. If you are dating a younger person, they may say something like "I have got so much to do in life."
Does Age Really Matter?
Whether age is the deciding factor or it's simply a number depends on a person's view on these things. When your significant other is older than you is not a cause for concern unless you are very young or under 18. Then you need to realize that you should be careful about age and compatibility when it comes to dating. But if you are in your 20s or 30s and know how to take care of yourself, it's okay to date someone five or ten years older if both of you are having a good time. Sometimes you don't find that connection in people of your age group but you instantly click with an older or younger person. Give it a shot if you feel that you are compatible and you are having a good time.