Our brains do not fully get matured until about the age of 25. So in your early 20s, you are more likely to act out of your emotional part of the brain-amygdala, instead of thinking rationally with your prefrontal cortex. Hence it is vital to decide anything only after carefully thinking about it.And in your twenties, your brain gets the last growth spurt for making new neural connections. So use it to learn important skills like controlling your anger, thinking rationally, coping to stress, etc.

Brain Development 

If we only wanted to be happy, it would be easy; but we want to be happier than other people, which is almost always difficult since we think them happier than they are.

There is no formula for a good life. There is no right or wrong life. There are only choices and consequences.

The most important decision in your life regarding your happiness is choosing whom you are going to marry. This single decision will greatly decide how happy you will be in the future. You are going to spend most of the rest of your life with your spouse. So put as much effort into this as you put in your career, instead of simply leaving it up to luck.

Marriage

Do not slide into a Living Relationship too soon. Many couples start living together casually just out of convenience or to spend more time together. While it is true that cohabitation might help you to understand your partner better, you should make sure that you are committed enough to that relationship. Otherwise, due to many years of living together, you might get locked in a relationship you don't want to be in.

Living Relationship 

If someone does a favor for you, they feel good about it and subconsciously they start liking you.As long as the help you ask for is not a burden for them, they will feel good about being good. So don't hesitate to ask for help.

The Ben Franklin Effect 

Confidence doesn't come from within. Instead, it comes from the things you have accomplished in the past. So don't sit around waiting to get confident.Push through the procrastination and do something you want to accomplish. And that will give you the confidence to do more things.

Confidence 

Inaction breeds fear and doubt. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit at home and think about it. Go out and get busy.

Fertility peaks in your late twenties. After that due to older sperm or lower-quality eggs along with poor hormone regulation, babies born to couples older than 30 are more likely to have neuro-cognitive disorders like autism, dyslexia, and lower intelligence.Hence it is important to plan kids earlier, preferably before your 30s to avoid any fertility related issues.

Fertility

What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility.

Don't just build your career around your passion blindly. You may end up being jobless, or barely making ends meet. The truth is that you have to work hard, no matter how passionate you are about something. Find something that is satisfying enough, so that you can work on it for a long time but also ensure that you will be sufficiently paid for that work.

Passion

Being unemployed in your twenties gives you freedom, and you feel like enjoying your life before the "real life" begins. But the dread of an unsecured future can be mentally draining.So it is better to build yourself in your twenties and build your identity capital by gaining real experience. Don't worry, start with a small job which you will enjoy, and build up from it.

Unemployment

Life continues even after your twenties. It is not the end of the world. Don't believe those Netflix shows which make it look like your twenties are all the time you have got to enjoy and to "live" your life.Statistically speaking, you still do have a lot of time to "live" your life after your 20s. Life is still fun and exciting after your 20s. Make a timeline and think about what you will be doing in your life in your 30s, 40s, or even older.

Not The End 

A guide to adulthood. Practical and insightful. 

Contemporary culture tells us the twentysomething years don't matter. Clinical psychologist Dr Meg Jay argues that this could not be further from the truth. In fact, your twenties are the most defining decade of adulthood. The Defining Decade weaves the latest science of the twentysomething years with real-life stories to show us how work, relationships, personality, social networks, identity and even the brain can change more during this decade than at any other time in adulthood. Smart, compassionate and constructive, The Defining Decade is a practical guide to making the most of the years we cannot afford to miss.

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

loveandrelationships

Love & Relationships

books

Books

scienceandnature

Science & Nature

The Defining Decade has changed the way millions of twentysomethings think about their twenties—and themselves. Revised and reissued for a new generation, let it change how you think about you and yours.Our "thirty-is-the-new-twenty" culture tells us the twentysomething years don't matter. Some say they are an extended adolescence. Others call them an emerging adulthood. In The Defining Decade, Meg Jay argues that twentysomethings have been caught in a swirl of hype and misinformation, much of which has trivialized the most transformative time of our lives.Drawing from more than two decades of work with thousands of clients and students, Jay weaves the latest science of the twentysomething years with behind-closed-doors stories from twentysomethings themselves. The result is a provocative read that provides the tools necessary to take the most of your twenties, and shows us how work, relationships, personality, identity and even the brain can change more during this decade than at any other time in adulthood—if we use the time well. Also included in this updated edition: <ul><li>Up-to-date research on work, love, the brain, friendship, technology, and fertility</li><li>What a decade of device use has taught us about looking at friends—and looking for love—online</li><li>29 conversations to have with your partner—or to keep in mind as you search for one</li><li>A social experiment in which "digital natives" go without their phones</li><li>A Reader's Guide for book clubs, classrooms, or further self-reflection</li></ul>

Meg Jay is an accomplished writer whose work has resonated with readers around the world. Meg Jay has published several books that explore a range of topics, from fiction to nonfiction, and has received critical acclaim for the ability to weave compelling narratives. Meg Jay's writing style is known for its depth and authenticity, and has earned quite a loyal following of readers.

CHARLES MONTESQUIEU

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