Miramichi, NB – Navigating adulthood can be challenging, but for 28-year-old Shawn Walker, life in his early twenties couldn’t be better.
“I wasn’t sure about this new life stage at first,” said Walker. “But now that I have job security, disposable income, and a stable, long-term relationship, my early twenties are so much more fun.”
Walker’s story isn’t unusual. In fact, research finds that no one actually enjoys their early twenties until they’re in their late twenties. The good news is that aging trends show the early twenties are lasting longer and longer.
“One or two generations back, the early twenties lasted three or four years max,” explained aging scientist Dr. Hannah Gabriel. “Heck, my great-grandfather was only in his early twenties for a week and a half. These days, you aren’t even in your twenties until you’re 25, and your early twenties don’t end until all the baseball players you grew up watching have retired.”
Dr. Gabriel continued, “Your forties are your new thirties, and your thirties are your new twenties. But your twenties are also your twenties, unless you’re 24 or under, in which case you’re legally still a toddler. Then you turn 25 and your quarter-life crisis hits, which is the moment you realize you probably aren’t going to live to 100, and your life is actually more than a quarter of the way through, and you decide to run a half-marathon or go to grad school.”
Not every generation has it so complicated. There is conclusive evidence that your parents are middle-aged and your grandparents are old. However, the latest studies find that all millennials are still in their twenties with no signs of aging out. This is known as Andrew Garfield’s law.
Thankfully for the 28-year-old Walker, he isn’t in any rush to grow up.
“I’m still just figuring things out,” he said. “Maybe I’ll get married someday, buy a house, have a few kids, watch them grow, send them off to college, retire. And then I’ll turn 30.”
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