Time sponges

Proboscis Bat Rhynchonycteris naso

It is found from southern Mexico to Belize, Peru, Venezuela, Bolivia and Brazil, as well as in Trinidad. The bats are nocturnal, sleeping during the day in an unusual formation: most of them line up, one after another, on a branch or wooden beam, nose to tail, in a straight row.

In the photo, the two bats on the lower left are carrying young.

in brief:

-we know that agency, independence, and actions having consequences, are all things that lead to maturity.

-our society built a structure in which a large number of children did not have agency or independence until 18, and in which the adults around them strove to limit the choices they could make with consequences

-a study came out saying that there was a major shift in brain function at 25, instead of 18: ie., 7 years after people were leaving the system which constrained their autonomy

-our society shifted to giving people even less agency at 18, since "their brains haven't fully developed," and colleges increasingly treated 18-25 year olds as juveniles

-a study has come out saying that the major shift in brain function might actually be at 32.

...........

i.e., 7 years after people leave the system which constrains their autonomy

my prediction. in a few years, we're going to have another study saying that either there are smaller gradations in brain shift and some of them happen earlier (and if we do, most people will ignore it), or. more likely (alas)

in a few years, we're going to have another study saying that actually actually, adolescence lasts until 35-39 now :)

For most of primary school through college you are surrounded by peers of your own age group, with only a few mentors who are “adults”. If you went to a large high school or college, the dilution of mentors to youth is even larger, meaning that for most of your day you are not directly interacting with “adults”.

Not to say that children should hang out with adults, I think it’s important for children to develop age appropriate relationships, but it’s weird how socially we have systems in place to isolate the youth and reduce their contact with more mature adults.

Really only when you enter the work force are you actually exposed to a variety of age ranges.