Tolkien was right. In hobbit land, adulthood began at age 33. Meanwhile, some states are pushing for 18 [corrected to 16] yo voting.

“If the antics of twentysomethings seem childish to you, stop worrying. For we only truly become grown up in our 30s.

While we may legally come of age at 18, the idea this is the dawn of adulthood is ‘increasingly absurd’, brain experts said yesterday.
……
Our twenties are a time when we are highly susceptible to mental health disorders, something which resolves around the age of 30…”

https://mol.im/a/6824499

Dems are pushing for 16 year old voting.

Not surprised: The last I had read was the brain was not fully developed until about age 26.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I only started thinking coherently in my 60's, before then 90% of my thoughts were about sex, now it's about 50%.

This makes me feel just a little bit better because I was an absolute immature idiot up until around 30 when I finally started thinking and acting like “a grownup”. I thought it was just me, being slow to mature, but I guess maybe I was just more “average” in that area instead.

Works for me. Voting age change to 30 then.

In my late 20s I realized 2 things: how much I didn't know and that hangovers weren't worth the pain.

Scientists flip flop on any topic...give 'em a year or so.

Previously, I had heard 25. I must be an anomaly--I somehow skipped adolescence and went directly to adult. I started my adoloscence around age 40--actually got interested in rumbly exhaust cars and motorcycles. I never was interested in booze, girls (or boys), parties, frat life, etc. I didn't indulge in questionable activities. Never smoked, doped, or drank.

flashguy

have a daughter almost 20.

she is more mature and even-tempered than a lot of 40 year-olds

i suppose she is an outlier

-------------------------------

I guess I was screwed up, at nineteen I figured out that the world did not owe me a living, I had better get my s*** together and have a job by the time I got out of high school (my second Senior year, don't ask) and I had probably better start to grow up.

While not perfect and will admit to some missteps (a personal relationship, jobs I turned down, couple dumb financial decsions) over the ensuing years by 26 I was in a lower level of management in my vocation. By the time I was 30 I was on my second management job, married with a kid and had completed a Firefighter II and EMT Basic certification in my city.

Some of us just mature earlier I suppose.

Honestly, I find this theory believable.

I pointed this study out to my 18 year daughter today when she brought up the idea of getting a tattoo.

I'll go along with that. I was a complete, blithering dumb-ass until about 30 or so, give or take 6 months. It wasn't until I was well past 35 that I figured out what I wanted to do for the rest of my working career...

I had two kids before I was 29. And.....career oriented employment! The horror!

quote:

Originally posted by M-11:
In my late 20s I realized 2 things: how much I didn't know and that hangovers weren't worth the pain.

Same here. But, I've worked since high school. After college I was working full time, 12 hour days minimum (out door work) and by 31 I was back in school (law) at night, while working during the day and married.

But, if you reference some of my other posts, I am still a child....

I didn't realize that my parents were right and I didn't know shit until I was around 25 years of age.

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:
Previously, I had heard 25. I must be an anomaly--I somehow skipped adolescence and went directly to adult. I started my adoloscence around age 40--actually got interested in rumbly exhaust cars and motorcycles. I never was interested in booze, girls (or boys), parties, frat life, etc. I didn't indulge in questionable activities. Never smoked, doped, or drank.

flashguy

There’s still time.

quote:

Originally posted by az4783054:
Scientists flip flop on any topic...give 'em a year or so.

You're sure correct about that one - like in the recent thread about eggs being bad for you. Again.

But, at the time of Christ, Jewish society said that adulthood begins at 30. That's why Jesus didn't start his ministry until he turned 30.

Even when I was a prepubescent kid, I could see that real adulthood seemed to befall everyone at around 30. There were exceptions, of course, but overall, I could see even then that 30 seemed to be the age when everyone started thinking and acting like responsible adults. (Well, everyone in my circles)

Count me among the data points that matches up with the hypothesis. Most of my teens and twenties were spent escaping sobriety as often and thoroughly as possible.

Now I'm wondering what percentage of humans have lived long enough to be grown ups.

As for me, most days I kinda wish that I bought it about ten years ago (around 40). Since then there has been a whole lot of shit and not much sandwich.

Sorry for the drift, kinda felt like I needed to type that.
Carry on.