Wisdom is known to be tied with age, but does your age correlate with maturity? Those who are younger tend to assume and have been taught that wisdom comes with age. Elders tend to look down on those who are younger. Adulthood is marked with extra responsibility and knowledge, but many people consider that your age has nothing to do with maturity, but with experience.
Maturity is often debated within the medical field in regard to when the brain actually functions and is fully developed. Research has shown that the brain matures in one’s 20s and typically occurs around age 26.
The key to maturity is objectivity, the ability to listen and learn.
According to a study published by the National Library of Medicine, if your personality has a huge impact on maturity level and age does not simply reveal someone’s maturity.
“Most recent findings have refined our understanding of personality maturation. For example, there is often a temporary disruption of adaptive development in adolescence at the beginning of adulthood. Maturity occurs across the lifespan and until death,” the article says.
A simple age doesn’t determine maturity, a person’s journey and life experience displays itself in society.
Kyrah Robel, a third-year architecture student at FAMU, believes that maturity is something that is nourished and worked on.
“As a younger sister, I consider myself more mature than my older siblings,” Robel said. “I often think that accountability and working on yourself is what brings maturity. Being older does not grant maturity.”
Growing older is something that naturally occurs, while maturity takes an active approach to break down past trauma and the willingness to be aware of what needs to be changed within our conditioning. Maturing allows us to take the steps to build from what we have learned in the past and continue to grow.
Ajit Singh, a member of Ph.D Council, acknowledges age in relation to maturity, due to brain maturation, but ultimately believes it depends on the person.
“However, it’s important to note that growing in age and growing in maturity are not the same, and psychological maturity is not determined solely by one’s age,” Singh said. “Factors such as life experiences, culture, and environment can also play a role in an individual’s maturity level. It’s also worth considering that different people may mature at different rates, and therefore age doesn’t necessarily guarantee maturity.”
Everything in life can be determined on a case-by-case basis. As individuals, it is up to those who can put in the work to contribute towards their own emotional and psychically growth. Growth that is not determined by time on Earth, but growth determined by active work being done towards someone’s character.