Adulthood begins in your 30s, claims new research

People do not become fully “adult” until their 30s, according to brain scientists.

The rocky path to adulthood also varies from person to person, with some individuals making the transition faster than others, say experts.

New insights into how the brain is wired and reshaped throughout much of a person’s life have major implications for society, they claim.

Currently the judicial system in the UK recognises a person of 18 as being a mature adult.

In fact someone of this age is still undergoing tumultuous changes in the brain that can affect behaviour and susceptibility to mental health disorders, research has shown.

Processes that involve boosting the conductivity of nerves, building neural networks and “pruning” away unwanted connections begin in the womb and continue for decades.

Such upheaval in the brain is thought to account for the notoriously difficult behaviour of adolescents.

Professor Peter Jones, from Cambridge University, told journalists at a press briefing in London: “What we’re really saying is that to have a definition of when you move from childhood to adulthood looks increasingly absurd.

“It’s a much more nuanced transition that takes place over three decades.”