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Life was definitely more carefree for me in my teens, which made life feel more exciting. I didn't have to worry about rent, utilities, insurance, etc. I also think, when you're just newly becoming an adult and starting to separate yourself from your parents, that you feel very adventurous, even if you're not actually going far or doing anything crazy. Just the fact that you're making your own decisions is exciting.
As an adult, I've actually traveled more, but traveling was also accompanied by planning my PTO, saving money, etc. It's fun, but not carefree.
I would say, there are more bonuses to being an adult than someone in their teens or early twenties, but the carefree factor is one that I get nostalgic for from time to time.
I would add that when you are that young your body is at its physiological peak. The most energetic of your adult years, and likely the most athletic. This tends to fade in your thirties, though you are still in young adulthood.
In a way you are lucky to have enjoyed those years so much, but the excitement back then just isn't an option for the later years. That's because the level of responsibility at that time was so much less, even if you had to hit the books and work summers. That special freedom was ours, and even a single adult can't experience that in the same way because that person is working full-time just to stay afloat.
I don't think it's just that many people have more responsibilities in their 30s...it's more of a "been there, done that" quality.
When you get into your 30s, you have to put more effort into things to reap that level of energy / excitement and/or you have to change your mindset....which is tough. The excitement doesn't come as quickly or easily. That sounds like a bad thing, but it can also be a good thing. As Ruth4Truth alluded to, a lot of times that sense of excitement doesn't come from hedonistic activities, but from giving to others in some way.
I am now 31 and commonly look back on my late teens and early twenties with immense nostalgia. I many times find myself wondering where all the time went and how that world turned into this one.
I wouldn't want to re-live that era of my life, unless I had the ability to make different decisions. However, looking back at it, I can't help but think that everything seemed so much more exciting back then. Now everything is routine and mundane. Things like music and movies don't have the impact they used to. Even experiences, like vacations and stuff that used to be so exciting have become kind of "meh" compared to what they used to be. It's like when you are in the 18-25 demographic, you still have some of that childhood awe and wonder left that disappears as you age.
I can't be the only one who has experienced this. In fact, there is a huge market out there for nostalgia because when people get into their thirties, they have immense longing for the "simpler days" of their late teens and early adulthood.
I definitely don't want to go to the grave having lived the best of my life at age 25.
Has anybody experienced this?
Yes. There appears to be truth to this. I think that in my own case. especially the music that I embraced during the 18-25 year old period, is the music that I still love the most.
While I like music that came later, and I don't hate all new music, the way some folks my age do, I don't experience the music as passionately as I did then.
My personal window of time lasted until my late 30s.
The twenties weren't more exciting for me, they just felt more out of control. Things "happened to me" then, while as I got older I had to make more effort to make good use of my time. But every decade is exciting in its own way, just as every decade has its own particular burdens.
I don't think there's an objective answer to your question, OP. It's highly dependent on the person...his lifestyle, his temperament, the things (good and bad) that he encountered both during his late teens/early 20s and during other periods of his life.
I will say though that most people between the ages of 18-25 are just starting to experience the real world for themselves. Especially those that are no longer living with their parents. Lots of things then still seem new and fresh, which can be exciting. It's like a journey filled with discovery. Many people at that age are adventurous or even rebellious. People at that age are generally less cynical, and a lot of them don't really have much to lose.
Once they get older and have a better grasp of how the world works, their sudden "wow" moments may become fewer and farther between. I don't think we get bored quicker, but fewer and fewer things truly surprise us. Plenty of people also become more risk-averse, choose their battles more wisely, and get more selective of who they associate with. Especially people who have a family and/or a good job. For many people, their actions tend to become increasingly calculated and less spontaneous. None of this though has to mean that life becomes less fun or interesting.
In the end, I think a lot of people evolve their perspectives and find excitement in different ways as they go through life. You also have plenty of control over how exciting or unexciting (mundane) your life is.
I'm 35 and I enjoy my life more than ever. Are you sure you aren't depressed? I mean that seriously, not as a jab. It's a huge sign of depression to find things less exciting, and to lose interest in things you've been otherwise interested in. It's one of the largest clinical indications of depression... that you no longer find anything exciting.
I'm currently in my mid 20's, and honestly, I feel like life is just getting started in terms of excitement and what not.
My goals this year are to get a full-time job, keep my acquaintances/friendships on a good level, expand on my online side business, and move out (get a place somewhere in Manhattan and have true independence).
So, at least for me, the title isn't true. I think my mid 20's to mid 30's (or even late 30's) will be my peak years. There wasn't much excitement for me in my late teen to early 20 years, and was sometimes depressed. That started to change as I turned 23 or so.
30 is when you start getting some flab on your belly and hair on your chest. You also realize that life is really pretty damn boring. Going to the bar/club isn't fun anymore and most of your free time is spent on obligations rather than fun things. You don't hang out with friends anymore and quite frankly, you start thinking about retirement and old age. You realize 50 is only 20 years away, which is nothing.
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