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No, Your Brain Doesn’t Stop Growing at 25
Debunking the Myth that the Brain Stops Developing When It Reaches ‘Maturation’
Growing up, there was always an idea of a race to 25. It was commonly believed that that was when it would become harder to learn. Many pressured moments before that fateful date were spent cramming my head with knowledge before that dreaded “deadline”. It was an unending marathon to compile soft skills and hard skills — and all the skills in between — otherwise, they said, the back portion of my life wouldn’t be fulfilling. I wanted to prepare for a meaningful life — a successful one, too.
When I finally reached 25, my prefrontal cortex was complete and I was finally self-aware (Yippee!). In theory, I was done with education and ready to apply my hard-earned knowledge.
But, the learning never stopped, the subjects only shifted. Instead of academic lessons, it became learning how to function in society, how to be an adult after spending time in college. Have you noticed that learning didn’t stop at 25? Many people find that their most significant personal growth happens later in life. The learning doesn’t have to stop as long as we carry on wanting to educate ourselves.
Research shows that the idea of 25 as a magical brain maturity age is a bonafide myth. In truth, brain development and learning can be a lifelong experience with the right practices. Scientifically speaking, we can all keep learning until we drop. We only have to try.
The Origin of the Myth
As many modern myths are wont to do, this lovely one started with a misrepresentation of scientific studies. It all started when studies began using the incredible new power of fMRI brain imaging. In the 1990s, this technology was the hot new tool to use and was increasingly used over the next couple of decades as part of the study method in a wide variety of neuroscience papers. A good selection of those studies focused on brain development, specifically looking at the structures of the brains of teenagers and young adults.
From these studies, researchers in the neuroscience field discovered that “as children grew older, the prefrontal cortex, a brain area responsible for cognitive control, experienced…
