As young adults, many Millennials were more afraid of growing up than past generations. But as they get older, they become more aware of it, a study published by the American Psychological Association found.
Research published in journals developmental psychologyinvestigated how “maturity fear” (the fear of becoming an adult and the desire to return to the safety of childhood) changed among college students between 1982 and 2002 and among the same group 20 years later. Overall, the researchers found that later generations of college students are more afraid of growing up than their predecessors. However, across all generations, such concerns diminished as participants grew older.
Our findings suggest that fear of growing older is not necessarily fixed. They seem to diminish for many people as they gain experience navigating adult roles and responsibilities. At the same time, recent generations of college students consistently report higher anxiety about adulthood, suggesting that broader social factors such as economic uncertainty, social pressures, and concerns about the future may be shaping young people’s views of adulthood. ”
Dr. April Smith, study author, Auburn University
Smith and colleagues examined data from 1,200 college students collected in 1982, 1992, and 2002. The survey asked participants to rate their level of agreement with statements such as “I want to return to the safe environment of my childhood” and “The happiest time in my life is my childhood.” Overall, for both men and women, college students in 2002 (Millennials) had significantly higher levels of maturity fear than college students in 1992 (Gen X), who in 1992 had significantly higher levels than college students in 1982 (Baby Boomers).
Participants then answered the same questions 20 years later (2002 for baby boomers, 2012 for Gen X students, and 2022 for Millennials). The researchers found that maturation anxiety decreased with age in nearly all cohorts for both men and women (the only exception was men in 1982). This decline was much steeper in younger cohorts compared to older cohorts, resulting in more similar levels across all generations by midlife.
Smith said this may be because people’s fears in general tend to be alleviated as a result of fear, in this case exposure to aging. Young people’s fear of aging, in part because they see it as something beyond their control, may fade as people gain security and financial independence and navigate the responsibilities of adulthood.
The biggest unanswered question, Smith said, is why newer generations report higher maturity anxiety in the first place.
“While our study shows that these cohort differences exist, it does not tell us exactly what is driving them. Future research should investigate the role of factors such as economic uncertainty, climate concerns, major social upheavals like the COVID-19 pandemic, and the growing influence of social media,” she says. “If people perceive their future to be increasingly uncertain, it’s no wonder that getting older feels even more difficult than in previous generations.”
sauce:
American Psychological Association
Reference magazines:
Smith, Arkansas; Others. (2026). Employing a 30-year cohort sequential design to understand the trajectory of maturational anxiety. developmental psychology. DOI: 10.1037/dev0002219. https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fdev0002219
