Just like our earlier list featuring the 30 Famous People Who Didn’t Make It Until After Age 30 has shown, life doesn't end after your twenties. On the contrary, you're well introduced to adulthood, the dust starts settling, and you finally realize you're getting it.
Twitter has been spending quite some time "auditing" this precious period of our lives. People have hilariously summed up what your 30s is really like time and time again, but the truth is that there are so many aspects of it, we just had to make a follow-up post.
From partying to dating and listening to music in grocery stores, continue scrolling to read this amusing crash course, and upvote and comment on your favorites while you're at it.
This post may include affiliate links.
i'm 34 now and pro at finding excuses not to go to party, going to bed at 10 pm is pretty awesome :D
"People in their 30s, psychologically speaking, are going to a peak in their lifespan chart," psychotherapist and counselor Tati Silva told Bored Panda. "It is the beginning of our middle adulthood when we start to say 'goodbye' to our early adulthood, which for some can be challenging."
One study by a British social-networking site called Friends Reunited found out pretty much the same thing. 70% of respondents over the age of 40 thought they were not truly happy until they reached 33.
"The age of 33 is enough time to have shaken off childhood naiveté and the wild scheming of teenaged years without losing the energy and enthusiasm of youth," psychologist Donna Dawson commented on the findings.
Another study by insurer Aviva came to similar results. They asked more than 2,000 adults what they thought the best age was to be and the average came out as 35. While only those aged 45-54 picked that exact number, most groups chose somewhere in the 30s, except for 18-24-year-olds who thought it was 27 and those aged 65 and over who answered with 44.
But the age doesn't come without its fair share of doubts, too. "People start getting anxious about their future, questioning if they are in the right path," Silva explained. "There is an increase in anxiety and depression in the 30s as a result of looking back to the past and questioning the future. The high hopes and expectations we have when we're teens start to be challenged by reality and dreams are painfully crashed."
However, chances are, your personality won't change that much during this time. According to 20th-century Harvard psychologist William James, after age 30, a personality has “set like plaster.” Some studies back up this claim as well.
"Research about personality traits shows that personality doesn’t change for a long period of time over our lifespan," Silva explained. "There is a recognizable change from childhood to age 30, becoming more stable and gradual after that (Terracciano, Costa & McCrae, 2009). My experience working with clients across their lifespan shows that there are a better understanding of who they are and things they want to change. I observe a continuous personality development."
"30s can be seeing as a new beginning, which can bring anxiety but also lots of hopes, to reshape, restart, rethink," Silva concluded. "It can be an exciting time to review what you have done and where you want to go. Start a new book or continue the one you are already writing."
To put it simply, you're still probably going to be the same you after you hit the big 3-0. Just an upgraded version!
Me in my 50s: What is this nonsense youngsters are listening to these days?
This should be much higher, I can't believe how true this is. o_O I never thought of it this way, but it actually hits the nail on the head... Thinking about what you've done is the worst punishment possible when you're an adult.
So true, my back locked on me yesterday ( I am 31) and I couldn't move. sure as s**t I thought to myself I'm going to die packing my lunch
Making friends as a kid. "Hey you have a blue shirt on too we'll be best friends for life." Making friends as an adult. "Will they rob me or use me or are they trying to get close enough to murder me..." let's stay lonely, safe and lonely
It's funny how things change. In my 20's I was doing drugs, drinking and partying for 2 days straight. Now at 35 a wild night for me is putting on a Led Zeppelin record, drinking a glass of wine and playing Jenga. I love it!
Exactly slackjack! If you're not complaining at 59, then we first-wave Millennials def. need to shut our unsurprisingly complaining digital mouths about 'aging issues.'
Load More Replies...Exactly, I'm 36, and I assume one must be at least 50 to really start complaining.
Load More Replies...I'm 49 and still hip with kids. That's a nice little lie I tell myself. :-D
It's funny how things change. In my 20's I was doing drugs, drinking and partying for 2 days straight. Now at 35 a wild night for me is putting on a Led Zeppelin record, drinking a glass of wine and playing Jenga. I love it!
Exactly slackjack! If you're not complaining at 59, then we first-wave Millennials def. need to shut our unsurprisingly complaining digital mouths about 'aging issues.'
Load More Replies...Exactly, I'm 36, and I assume one must be at least 50 to really start complaining.
Load More Replies...I'm 49 and still hip with kids. That's a nice little lie I tell myself. :-D