Gavin in Va Beach Posted June 29, 2006 Share Posted June 29, 2006 Serious Study: Immaturity Levels RisingJennifer Viegas, Discovery News June 23, 2006 —The adage "like a kid at heart" may be truer than we think, since new research is showing that grown-ups are more immature than ever. Specifically, it seems a growing number of people are retaining the behaviors and attitudes associated with youth. As a consequence, many older people simply never achieve mental adulthood, according to a leading expert on evolutionary psychiatry. Among scientists, the phenomenon is called psychological neoteny. Charlton explained to Discovery News that humans have an inherent attraction to physical youth, since it can be a sign of fertility, health and vitality. In the mid-20th century, however, another force kicked in, due to increasing need for individuals to change jobs, learn new skills, move to new places and make new friends. A “child-like flexibility of attitudes, behaviors and knowledge” is probably adaptive to the increased instability of the modern world, Charlton believes. Formal education now extends well past physical maturity, leaving students with minds that are, he said, “unfinished.” “The psychological neoteny effect of formal education is an accidental by-product — the main role of education is to increase general, abstract intelligence and prepare for economic activity,” he explained. “But formal education requires a child-like stance of receptivity to new learning, and cognitive flexibility." While the human mind responds to new information over the course of any individual’s lifetime, Charlton argues that past physical environments were more stable and allowed for a state of psychological maturity. In hunter-gatherer societies, that maturity was probably achieved during a person’s late teens or early twenties, he said. “By contrast, many modern adults fail to attain this maturity, and such failure is common and indeed characteristic of highly educated and, on the whole, effective and socially valuable people," he said. "People such as academics, teachers, scientists and many other professionals are often strikingly immature outside of their strictly specialist competence in the sense of being unpredictable, unbalanced in priorities, and tending to overreact.” *cough cough coli cough* Charlton added that since modern cultures now favor cognitive flexibility, “immature” people tend to thrive and succeed, and have set the tone not only for contemporary life, but also for the future, when it is possible our genes may even change as a result of the psychological shift. The faults of youth are retained along with the virtues, he believes. These include short attention span, sensation and novelty-seeking, short cycles of arbitrary fashion and a sense of cultural shallowness. I don't want to grow up I'm a toys r us kid I don't think this is really news to anyone anymore. Our culture as a whole seems to grow more frivolous and silly with each passing day. I'm not immune to this, some days it hard to realize I'm not in my 20's anymore. But is growing older and hopefully wiser, and accepting it, really that terrible? I don't buy the idea that staying immature is beneficial in an increasingly unstable world, rather it seems it's the immaturity that is causing the instability. Strange days indeed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary M Posted June 29, 2006 Share Posted June 29, 2006 I don't want to grow up I'm a toys r us kidI don't think this is really news to anyone anymore. Our culture as a whole seems to grow more frivolous and silly with each passing day. I'm not immune to this, some days it hard to realize I'm not in my 20's anymore. But is growing older and hopefully wiser, and accepting it, really that terrible? I don't buy the idea that staying immature is beneficial in an increasingly unstable world, rather it seems it's the immaturity that is causing the instability. Strange days indeed... 716245[/snapback] Didn't the Toyota(?) commercial already expose this? You know, the one with the truck in the toy store. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GG Posted June 29, 2006 Share Posted June 29, 2006 Didn't the Toyota(?) commercial already expose this? You know, the one with the truck in the toy store. 716246[/snapback] I think it was in this ad or the movie Big. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyT Posted June 29, 2006 Share Posted June 29, 2006 Further evidence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EC-Bills Posted June 30, 2006 Share Posted June 30, 2006 "People such as academics, teachers, scientists and many other professionals are often strikingly immature outside of their strictly specialist competence in the sense of being unpredictable, unbalanced in priorities, and tending to overreact.” ... 716245[/snapback] I can definitely attest to this one since I work at a university. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Coli Posted June 30, 2006 Share Posted June 30, 2006 I don't want to grow up I'm a toys r us kidI don't think this is really news to anyone anymore. Our culture as a whole seems to grow more frivolous and silly with each passing day. I'm not immune to this, some days it hard to realize I'm not in my 20's anymore. But is growing older and hopefully wiser, and accepting it, really that terrible? I don't buy the idea that staying immature is beneficial in an increasingly unstable world, rather it seems it's the immaturity that is causing the instability. Strange days indeed... 716245[/snapback] The author seems to be equating old and dull with wise and responsible. Why would a healthy zest for life in your mid-to-late years be considered immature and unintelligent? His characterization of scientists as being immature, unpredictable and "unbalanced (!?!?!)" seems pretty generalized, and most definately wrong. The best scientists approach their field with a sense of wonder and excitement (and often whimsy), and a healthy drive to shine a light into that black box to reveal the mysteries inside. It is precisely that youthfull enthusiasm that makes them good scientists. Having worked in both industry and academia it is the old, stodgy ones that are a drag to be around. His final assumption that "the faults of youth are retained along with the virtues" is also a foolish presumption. Losing the zeal for living an exciting, enjoyable life should not be a prerequisite for being considered "mature." In sum, !@#$ him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kegtapr Posted June 30, 2006 Share Posted June 30, 2006 His characterization of scientists as being immature, unpredictable and "unbalanced (!?!?!)" seems pretty generalized, and most definately wrong. The best scientists approach their field with a sense of wonder and excitement (and often whimsy), and a healthy drive to shine a light into that black box to reveal the mysteries inside. 716675[/snapback] And then you have T-Bone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UConn James Posted June 30, 2006 Share Posted June 30, 2006 The best scientists approach their field with a sense of wonder and excitement (and often whimsy)... 716675[/snapback] And the worst ones listen to that Thomas Dolby song ALL! DAY! LONG! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Coli Posted June 30, 2006 Share Posted June 30, 2006 And then you have T-Bone. 716680[/snapback] It wouldn't be science if there weren't a few outliers in the data set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted June 30, 2006 Share Posted June 30, 2006 I can definitely attest to this one since I work at a university. 716497[/snapback] Picard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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