Being 23, I have friends who are 20-26 years old. That basically puts me in the middle of my early and mid 20s friends lol Anyways, I can't help but notice some "maturity" differences between my friends who are in their late teens-early 20s and my friends in their mid 20s. It seems like my late teens-early 20s friends aren't really concerned about life and just drink and party instead of study. My mid-20s friends on the other hand who went college, dropped out, but enrolled back in are more serious about their education and don't go to parties or anything.

Is there a significant maturity difference between, say 18-25/6? According to my mid-20s friends, it seems like they flipped the maturity switch when they were around 23. It seems like my 23-25/6 year old friends said they were more mature compared to their 18-20 year old self. What are your thoughts? There are other differences I noticed too if you guys want that.

The youngs are inexperienced and want to party all the time and try new things, while I've been there done that and have no interest in that stuff anymore. My New Years Resolution was to not to drink any alcohol :-X while an under-19 last year tried to show off his fake ID to me (which left me unimpressed)

From what I've seen, 18 years try their best to be as mature and responsible as possible because they're now legally adults, and only a few years later it's "fück it life's too short for bein serious already" and it essentially becomes Teenagerhood part 2 but with much less limits ;D

I was never into partying and alchool, so I never'd had that temptation, but I will say I matured quite a bit from 18-21 (almost 22). When I was 18 I felt lost and unsure about myself, but ever since last year I been more goal-orienated and not afraid to take chances. I became more self-aware and been able to not let family members or friends tell me what I should or should not do. When I was a teen, I always felt pressured to be "normal" by my family members due  to being autistic, I was always told I should dress like this or choose this career and I always felt like I was pleasing them instead of pleasing myself. My family may have the best intetions for me but only I know whats the best for me.  There are people my age who still don't know what they want in life, but I know excatly what I want in life and thats to use poetry as a way to be a voice for my generation.

From what I've seen, 18 years try their best to be as mature and responsible as possible because they're now legally adults, and only a few years later it's "fück it life's too short for bein serious already" and it essentially becomes Teenagerhood part 2 but with much less limits ;D

That kinda describes me. But I'm slowly moving back to the mature adult phase now that I'm 23.

I was never into partying and alchool, so I never'd had that temptation, but I will say I matured quite a bit from 18-21 (almost 22). When I was 18 I felt lost and unsure about myself, but ever since last year I been more goal-orienated and not afraid to take chances. I became more self-aware and been able to not let family members or friends tell me what I should or should not do. When I was a teen, I always felt pressured to be "normal" by my family members due  to being autistic, I was always told I should dress like this or choose this career and I always felt like I was pleasing them instead of pleasing myself. My family may have the best intetions for me but only I know whats the best for me.  There are people my age who still don't know what they want in life, but I know excatly what I want in life and thats to use poetry as a way to be a voice for my generation.

Rock on man!

The first year out of school (a few years ago), I really care to socialize, go to parties, drink a lot, but now I’m more goal-oriented and I don’t have interest about go to parties

I'm more interested in parodies then parties myself

I feel I'm more interested in partying now at 27 than I was at 18. I am also more into current Pop culture and more open to new movies and music. I talk to a kid who is 16, she is like a little sister to me, and perhaps she is an outlier but she isn't into drugs (thinks people who use them are stupid) and not into partying that much either. She's a theater nut and very mature for her age, definitely moreso than I was. Gives me hope. At 16 I was looking for love, rather than partying. I was having unprotected sex with girls I shouldn't have. I luckily didn't catch any STDs or didn't end up fathering a child, but I was a dumb love struck teen.

Well, I wasn't just talking about partying, I meant trying new things/experiences in general.

I feel I'm more interested in partying now at 27 than I was at 18. I am also more into current Pop culture and more open to new movies and music. I talk to a kid who is 16, she is like a little sister to me, and perhaps she is an outlier but she isn't into drugs (thinks people who use them are stupid) and not into partying that much either. She's a theater nut and very mature for her age, definitely moreso than I was. Gives me hope. At 16 I was looking for love, rather than partying. I was having unprotected sex with girls I shouldn't have. I luckily didn't catch any STDs or didn't end up fathering a child, but I was a dumb love struck teen.
Oh wow man. Weren't you on this site back in 2006 as Donnie Darko?

Oh wow man. Weren't you on this site back in 2006 as Donnie Darko?


Donnie Darko was born in January of 1990.

Being 23, I have friends who are 20-26 years old. That basically puts me in the middle of my early and mid 20s friends lol Anyways, I can't help but notice some "maturity" differences between my friends who are in their late teens-early 20s and my friends in their mid 20s. It seems like my late teens-early 20s friends aren't really concerned about life and just drink and party instead of study. My mid-20s friends on the other hand who went college, dropped out, but enrolled back in are more serious about their education and don't go to parties or anything.

Is there a significant maturity difference between, say 18-25/6? According to my mid-20s friends, it seems like they flipped the maturity switch when they were around 23. It seems like my 23-25/6 year old friends said they were more mature compared to their 18-20 year old self. What are your thoughts? There are other differences I noticed too if you guys want that.


Eh...it really all depends on the individual but according to recent science, the brain fully develops around 25 or so. I knew plenty of people between 13 to 23 concerned with studying. TBH, I was kind of a goody two shoes during my teen years and I barely touched alcohol before I turned 21. But when I did...

When I was going through my early-mid 20s partying phase, I met a lot of people who still liked to party who had kids, a mortgage, marriages, substantial jobs, etc. At the end of the day, for some people, that's enough. For others...it's not enough to be fully content with.

But I've gotten past my early/mid 20s partying personality to an extent. As much as I still like to party, my tolerance for bullsh!t is nearly gone. And partying with others outside your comfort zone involves bullsh!t.

The brain fully develops at age 25, so yes there is going to be a maturity gap between 18 and 25 year olds generally.

Obviously, there are mature 18 year olds (like myself) and there are immature 25 year olds. However, in general, both age groups have different priorities in life and are at different maturity levels.

Oh wow man. Weren't you on this site back in 2006 as Donnie Darko?


No, I first joined in 2009 as Rhett Butler, lost my password and data for that account and made a new one. Donnie Darko is one of the most mindf*ck movies I ever seen, second only to Lovely Bones.

Obviously, there are mature 18 year olds (like myself)

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTVnBw9aBx35WZHNFf7GNGZNwUMRa_TvD24HWF7lry-ETWXIZXC (jk)

The brain fully develops at age 25, so yes there is going to be a maturity gap between 18 and 25-year-olds generally.

There are mature 18-year-olds (like myself), and there are immature 25-year-olds. However, in general, both age groups have different priorities in life and are at different maturity levels.
Agreed they do! For instance, an 18-year-old could be married and have a family while the 25-year-old could still be single. Another would be that an 18-year-old can start work immediately after high school while the 25-year-old could be in school for several years.


No, I first joined in 2009 as Rhett Butler.
How was the atmosphere on this site back then? Was it different compared to today or was it relatively the same? One distinction I noticed is that back in 2009 there were generally more users. Now, not so much.

Agreed they do! For instance, an 18-year-old could be married and have a family while the 25-year-old could still be single. Another would be that an 18-year-old can start work immediately after high school while the 25-year-old could be in school for several years.
How was the atmosphere on this site back then? Was it different compared to today or was it relatively the same? One distinction I noticed is that back in 2009 there were generally more users. Now, not so much.


From what I remember, decadeology was more rigidly cracked down and the topics that could potentially be labelled such were more narrow. Like, many threads which are allowed now I don't think would've been allowed then. Other than that I remember it being a less charged and generally more fun atmosphere. A lot of the old timers like Howard, LyricBoy, Don Carlos and myself were here then, so honestly I haven't seen the membership as changing much (no offense, but newer people are harder to keep track of). I will say that I remember around 2011 or so I made a thread asking basically if it was just me or was the forum dying down and it wasn't met well. The forum isn't as active or as light hearted as it was in 2009, but it's much more active than it was in 2011-2012. I'll try to look back at my old posts from that era and give you more of a sense of that time later.

From what I remember, decadeology was more rigidly cracked down, and the topics that could potentially be labeled such were more narrow. Like, many threads which are allowed now I don't think would've been allowed then. Other than that I remember it being a less charged and generally more fun atmosphere. A lot of the old timers like Howard, LyricBoy, Don Carlos and myself were here then, so honestly, I haven't seen the membership as changing much (no offense, but newer people are harder to keep track of). I will say that I remember around 2011 or so I made a thread asking if it was just me or was the forum dying down and it didn't end well. The forum isn't as active or as light-hearted as it was in 2009, but it's much more active than it was in 2011-2012. I'll try to look back at my old posts from that era and give you more of a sense of that time later.
Oh, I remember that too! When I first discovered this site in 2012, there were tons of decadeology topics where people asked questions such as "Did 2007 feel like 2006", "When did the 00s end" or even "Were the 90s like the 80s in some ways?" Then, there was endless arguing to the point the mods would lock the threads and sometimes ban the members who didn't stop the squabbles.

Oh, I remember that too! When I first discovered this site in 2012, there were tons of decadeology topics where people asked questions such as "Did 2007 feel like 2006", "When did the 00s end" or even "Were the 90s like the 80s in some ways?" Then, there was endless arguing to the point the mods would lock the threads and sometimes ban the members who didn't stop the squabbles.


Honestly, while some of it was out of hand, it was a happier forum back then. As an aside, I do actually find decadeology interesting. I know to some it seems silly but I do think each year has its own unique vibe and comparing the two can be fun. That said, you should post more often.

Honestly, while some of it was out of hand, it was a happier forum back then. As an aside, I do find decadeology interesting. I know to some it seems silly, but I do think each year has its unique vibe and comparing the two can be fun. That said, you should post more often.It is fascinating in a way as long as people don't exaggerate the shifts that take place each year or period. These discussions would also be more entertaining if we focused on all angles of pop culture, and not just one. Now I don't have an issue with talking about music, but there are way too many topics about that feature and not anything else.

Being 23, I have friends who are 20-26 years old. That basically puts me in the middle of my early and mid 20s friends lol Anyways, I can't help but notice some "maturity" differences between my friends who are in their late teens-early 20s and my friends in their mid 20s. It seems like my late teens-early 20s friends aren't really concerned about life and just drink and party instead of study. My mid-20s friends on the other hand who went college, dropped out, but enrolled back in are more serious about their education and don't go to parties or anything.

Is there a significant maturity difference between, say 18-25/6? According to my mid-20s friends, it seems like they flipped the maturity switch when they were around 23. It seems like my 23-25/6 year old friends said they were more mature compared to their 18-20 year old self. What are your thoughts? There are other differences I noticed too if you guys want that.


Maybe....although my experience is different. All of my friends at uni are 18/19 apart from this one guy who came back to uni and is 26....he still likes to come out and drink with us, in fact I feel as though I put in more effort than him. :P

The youngs are inexperienced and want to party all the time and try new things, while I've been there done that and have no interest in that stuff anymore. My New Years Resolution was to not to drink any alcohol :-X while an under-19 last year tried to show off his fake ID to me (which left me unimpressed)


Dont worry, you guys in your mid/late 20s don't have to feel old yet, my friends all agreed yesterday that 30 was the cut-off age from being normal to being just a creepy old person if their with us ;D (rip anyone born before 1989)

Dont worry, you guys in your mid/late 20s don't have to feel old yet, my friends all agreed yesterday that 30 was the cut-off age from being normal to being just a creepy old person if their with us ;D (rip anyone born before 1989)
Yeah I talked to a lady a few months ago and she said she's not young (she's 29) and I'm like your still young to me. It just goes to show that millenals aren't as young as the media make it look.

Dont worry, you guys in your mid/late 20s don't have to feel old yet, my friends all agreed yesterday that 30 was the cut-off age from being normal to being just a creepy old person if their with us ;D (rip anyone born before 1989)


When I was in my early twenties, I would list 30 as my cut off preference. Now I'm 31 and I feel like an idiot, but at least I've learned my lesson and I don't trash younger people for having the same mindset I had. We all find out after we reach 30 after all.

I don't consider 30 old, just more mature heck I know 30 year olds that act more like teenagers.  Since I was raised by an older mom, who had kids over 30 I never'd considerd 30 old even as a teenager. Heck even 40 doesn't seem that old.

I don't consider 30 old, just more mature heck I know 30 year olds that act more like teenagers.  Since I was raised by an older mom, who had kids over 30 I never'd considerd 30 old even as a teenager. Heck even 40 doesn't seem that old.

I agree. 30 isn't even middle aged. It's still a very young age to be.

Obviously, there are mature 18 year olds (like myself) and there are immature 25 year olds.


Wow @ that shade.

https://media.giphy.com/media/14qkjntvEr21O0/giphy.webp