Adulthood begins at 25: study

People do not become adults until the age of 25, suggests a new research which found that adolescent desires of sensation-seeking in the brain may last for longer than previously thought.
Researchers found evidence that hyperactivity in a part of the brain known as the striatum, which is stimulated by 'rewards', continues until the mid-twenties.
The adolescent desires of sensation-seeking and novelty in the brain increase as individuals leave home and fend for themselves, said Beatriz Luna, a psychiatrist at the Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Previously, such desires were thought to peak at 15, but new research found that they extend far beyond this age.

Researchers believe that the hyperactivity in the striatum is calmed down after people take on 'adult' responsibilities such as mortgages, long-term relationships and full-time jobs.
Luna said that the age people crossed the threshold of adulthood was 'probably closer to 25'.

In teenagers the sensation-seeking part of the brain works together with the 'planning centre', or pre-frontal cortex, to drive curiosity and experimentation, 'The Independent' reported.
"Sensation seeking, which is really information seeking, novelty seeking, is evident across species and human societies," Luna said at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in San Jose, California.

Luna is still conducting research to discover how far into adulthood the brain changes continue, but it is possible they may extend into a person's thirties.