Teenagers up to 30: It's false that the brain suddenly becomes an adult at 25

"It's become neuroscience's go-to explanation for bad decisions, like ordering an extra drink at the bar or texting an ex you swore not to. The frontal lobe plays a central role in higher level functions like planning, decision-making and judgment. It's easy to find comfort in the idea that there's a biological excuse for why we sometimes feel unstable, impulsive or like a work in progress."

"But the idea that the brain, particularly the frontal lobe, stops developing at 25 is a pervasive misconception in psychology and neuroscience. Like many myths, the age 25 idea is rooted in real scientific findings, but it's an oversimplification of a much longer and more complex process. In reality, new research suggests this development actually extends into our 30s. This new understanding changes how we view adulthood and suggests that 25 was never meant to be the finish line in the first place."

"In one 1999 study, researchers tracked brain changes through repeated scans in children and teens. They analyzed gray matter, which consists of cell bodies and can be thought of as the thinking component of the brain. Researchers found that during the teenage years, gray matter goes through a process called pruning. Early in life, the brain builds an enormous number of neural connections. As we age, it gradually trims back the ones that are used less often, strengthening those that remain."

Frontal-lobe maturation involved in planning, decision-making and judgment does not end at 25. Early brain-imaging studies revealed adolescent gray-matter pruning, where excess neural connections are trimmed and frequently used networks are strengthened. The age-25 idea emerged from those findings but represented an oversimplified interpretation rather than a definitive endpoint. More recent research shows structural and functional development extends into the 30s, shifting expectations about impulsivity and stability in young adulthood. Recognizing prolonged brain maturation reframes how adulthood and behavioral variability across the twenties and early thirties are understood.

Read at english.elpais.com