When is your brain actually an "adult"? - podcast episode cover

When is your brain actually an "adult"?

Jan 14, 202614 minEp. 1413
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Episode description

There’s this idea that something happens in the human brain when we turn 25. Suddenly, we can rent a car without fees. Make rational decisions. We may even regret some of our past… indiscretions. All because we’re developed…right? Well, a recent paper in the journal Nature suggests that may not be the case. Neuroscientists found four distinct turning points in brain development across the human lifespan – and that the brain may be in its “adolescent” phase until about the age of 32. 


Interested in more of the science inside your brain? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.


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This episode was produced by Rachel Carlson. It was edited by Rebecca Ramirez. Tyler Jones checked the facts. The audio engineer was Kwesi Lee.

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