53 and romantic

A recent article in all the leading newspapers took me by surprise. It goes like this :

"Men are the most romantic when they reach 53. Fifty-three-year-olds are much more likely to surprise their partner with a simple gesture such as a walk in the summer rain or a sprinkle of rose petals in the bath, a survey has found. This is the time they tend to splash out on chocolates, flowers and perfume.

Fifty-three emerged as the age of romance in a poll of 2,000 men between 18 to 65.

French President, Sarkozy (53) with his wife Carla Bruni

Of the 20 to 25-year-olds, only one in four said they had recently treated their loved one to a candlelit dinner. But almost half of the over 50s had. 'By the time a man reaches his 50s he has a wealth of experience under his belt and will be wiser about the things which please a woman,' said a spokesman for the hotel company that carried out the survey.

'He will have endured countless arguments with his partner, made hundreds of mistakes and blundered his way through the early years of his relationship. 'When a man reaches 53, he will be wiser about what works for his partner, and will be more likely to make an effort.'

The study also found a third of the over 50s have recently surprised their partner with champagne compared to just 19 per cent of men in their 20s. The other details of the survey are given below.
As I just crossed the half way mark between 25 and 53, I was wondering where do I stand on this scale of romance! More so, when I know that the percentage possibility I would have offered to walk in the rain (when I was 25) is next to 0%.

I have lots of questions about the methodology adopted in this survey and doubts about the results. However, the most glaring thing that is missing from these results is this. "What was the age of their counterparts with whom these oldies became romantic?" (Remember Sarkozy ...)