As young adults, many millennials feared growing up more than previous generations. But they’ve been doing it as they get older, finds research published by the American Psychological Association.
The study, published in the journal Developmental Psychologylooked at how “coming of age fears” – the fear of adulthood and the desire to return to the safety of childhood – changed among college students between 1982 and 2002 and then among those same groups 20 years later. Overall, the researchers found that later generations of students feared growing up more than their predecessors. However, among all generations, these fears subsided as participants grew older.
Our findings suggest that fears about aging are not necessarily fixed. they seem to diminish for many people as they gain experience navigating adult roles and responsibilities. At the same time, more recent generations of students consistently reported higher fears of coming of age, suggesting that broader social factors such as economic uncertainty, social pressures and worries about the future may be shaping how young people view adulthood.”
April Smith, PhD, study author, Auburn University
Smith and her colleagues examined data from a total of 1,200 college students collected in 1982, 1992 and 2002. The survey asked participants to rate their agreement with statements such as “I wish I could go back to the safety of childhood” and “The happiest time in life is when you are a child.” Overall, among both men and women, college students in 2002 (millennials) had significantly higher levels of maturity fear than those in 1992 (Generation X), and college students in 1992 had higher levels than college students in 1982 (baby boomers).
Participants then answered the same questions 20 years later (in 2002 for baby boomers, 2012 for Generation X students, and 2022 for millennials). The researchers found that maturity fears declined with age in almost all cohorts, for both men and women – the only exception being the men of 1982. This decline was much steeper for the younger cohorts compared to the older, so that all generations had more similar levels of average age.
This could be because, in general, people’s fears tend to be reduced through exposure to the feared outcome – in this case, aging – according to Smith. Young adults may fear aging in part because they see it as something beyond their control, and these fears may subside as people gain security and financial independence and successfully cope with the responsibilities of adulthood.
The biggest unanswered question, according to Smith, is why younger generations reported higher maturity fears in the first place.
“Our study shows that these cohort differences exist, but does not tell us exactly what is driving them. Future research should examine the role of factors such as economic uncertainty, climate concerns, major social upheavals such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and the growing influence of social media,” he says. “If people perceive the future as increasingly uncertain, it would make sense that growing older might feel more frightening than it did for previous generations.”
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