By Christie Hartman, PhD
After 14 years of marriage, Sean Penn and Robin Wright divorced in July 2010.  Now Penn, who’s 50, has been caught canoodling with Scarlett Johansson, 26.  Yes, your calculations are correct: Sean Penn is dating a woman who is literally half his age.
Of course, the obvious questions are: Why would Sean Penn go for someone so young?  And why would Scarlett Johansson date a man so much older than herself?  That’s when all the pseudo-scientists come out of the woodwork and start spouting evolutionary theory — i.e. that older men like young and pretty women because they represent fertility, and that younger women like older, not-necessarily-good-looking men because they have the maturity and means to care for her and her young.  While there is some truth to these theories, it’s only a small part of what drives dating (and mating) behavior.  More often, such theory is used as an excuse for older men to chase women who are too young for them, and for younger women to seek sugar daddies.
