Name: When are you actually an adult? - Shannon Odell
Uploaded: 2022-12-12T16:51:09.000Z
Duration: 5 min 22 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Most countries recognize 18  as the start of adulthood

by granting various freedoms  and privileges.

But is age the best way to measure maturity?

5 minutes short of being eligible  to vote in the election tomorrow.

Meanwhile, your big brother— yours truly—

was born 15 minutes earlier, so I can vote.

No way 16-year-olds are mature enough to  make decisions with national consequences.

I'm eligible and I don't even know who's running.

Meanwhile, I know the candidates inside and out.

Exactly! If 16-year-olds aren't mature enough to vote,

then by that same logic,  they shouldn't be allowed to drive.

I firmly disagree!  I'm an excellent driver!

And I've never gotten a ticket,  unlike some people.

That's so unfair!  That stop sign was hidden by a tree.

And questioning the age limits  of adulthood is well warranted.

Some countries have lowered the voting age to 16,

and cultural coming-of-age ceremonies are often celebrated at different ages.

As there seems to be no consensus  on exactly when we reach maturity,

perhaps science can give us a clearer answer.

One way neuroscientists have looked to define adulthood

Brain development involves  two trajectories.

First, there's a reduction in gray matter.

Gray matter consists  of cells and connections

that facilitate communication  at short ranges,

creating dense,  information-processing hubs.

While a reduction may seem like a bad thing,

Connections that are used  are kept and strengthened,

creating a brain that is both fine-tuned to its environment and energy efficient.

This gray matter reduction coincides with an increase in white matter.

White matter refers to connections that are myelinated,

allowing for fast far-range communication between information hubs.

For example, these paths connect regions that signal

the pleasure of immediate reward  with regions that help us plan ahead,

allowing us to make more balanced, forward-thinking decisions.

Imaging studies show that  white and gray matter volumes

undergo drastic changes  during adolescence,

But the brain's journey  is far from finished,

as various experiences continue  to reshape its connections

So brain structure alone may not give us our answer.

Another way scientists have tried  to define adulthood

when are you able to learn  and complete mental tasks

By this definition, adulthood may begin as early as 16,

that assess reasoning, problem-solving and critical thinking.

Though capable of making smart, well-informed decisions,

teens may be more susceptible to external pressures.

Studies show that when performing risk- taking and self-control related tasks,

18 to 21 year olds behave much like older adults.

But when these tests include an emotional element—

such as utilizing self-control  when identifying fearful faces—

such as making a decision  in the presence of a friend—

Under these influences, 18 to 21 year olds tend to behave more like younger teens,

and their brains show  younger-teen-like patterns of activity.

In other words, during your teens and early twenties,

your brain is wired to place more value and attention

This allows emerging adults to better  explore their identities

but may also create more vulnerability to negative peer influence

For this reason, many scientists argue that judicial systems

those in their late teens  and early twenties,

how the emerging adult brain is still changing.

As you can see,  there is no exact age or moment

Instead, neuroscience suggests  that there are waves of maturity.

As different brain regions and mental abilities mature at different times,

so do different adult-like states and behaviors.

Not everyone will reach each wave of maturity at the same age.

Each person's journey  to adulthood is unique,

influenced by genetics, environment, and experience.