It is worth noting that over the past 20 years, new technologies in transport, medicine, and electronics caused large changes in the life and habits of people. In general, life expectancy has increased, and means such as telecommunications and the Internet have provided a large amount of information that is available almost everywhere. Therefore, it can be presumed that full brain maturity can reach when a person is in the ’20s (Arnett, 2007).
However, it depends on the point of view of which the issue is considered. My father said that in his 20’s, he has become a father already and has been psychologically prepared for it while my brother, who is now 23, is not prepared for it but he is much smarter than my dad was. It is worth noting that one of the indicators of full brain maturity at 20 years old is the highest psychological function. Regarding my dad, he was already in emotional maturity and had control over the impulses.
Nevertheless, despite the psychological maturity, he had the intellectual capacity to develop. In the case of my brother, it is the reverse. From these two examples, it follows that it is impossible to make a comprehensive conclusion whether the brain reaches its full capacity when a person is around 20.
Rapid achievement of the full capacity can be linked to a direct biological impact of the new environment (Arnett, 2007). Sufficient nutrition and health can lead to better development of the brain, and a more “active” environment can contribute to better functioning of the brain structures. Besides, these factors are intensified in the course of social interaction with other people, which is much easier now. However, these changes do not mean that the human brain continues to develop.
Evolution usually involves changes in genes that are passed to offspring and it, therefore, requires a minimum of one round of selection and reproduction. Then come the hereditary change and a person born with better genes will be able to achieve full brain maturity earlier. Subsequently, it can be stated that during the past 20 years, the development has stayed relatively constant but it has altered in the quality.
References
Arnett, J. J. (2007). Emerging adulthood, a 21st century theory: A rejoinder to Hendry and Kloep. Child Development Perspectives, 1(2), 80-82.