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.
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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
I had my first kid when I was 21 and my last one at 33... I feel this one in to the bones of my once elastic knees and back!
For me, the all-night-party-and-straight to work line, was already over at 23.
Tip: Never show people that you are a complete lunatic before the wedding.
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
Jeez! Whining about the 30s? I'd seriously consider a human sacrifice to do the 30s again. Preferably someone I didn't like anyway but still..........
I love being in my 30's! It's freaking hard sometimes having back pain and headaches and still having 4 toddlers hanging off your legs but it's actually kind of . . . fun!
36 here. Physical ailments/decline? I did a 5k recently, saw fellow runners, who had to be in their 50s or older, putting up really decent times. I finished in the top 5% overall, but some 40 and 50-somethings finished ahead of me. I've seen people at those ages who are very fit on speed, strength, flexibility and endurance. Unlike some younger folk we should now know on exercise certain things: do stretches pre or post workout, make sure you stay hydrated, don't over-do certain things. But age isn't really an excuse on fitness shortcomings yet.
That's rather judgemental and not at all correct. I have very physical jobs (animal care) and always have. The last time I was at the Dr's they asked if I was into working out because my resting heart rate and BP were on the lower end of normal. Because of my jobs I've been bitten, trampled, knocked down etc. and you really stop bouncing after a while. I have a torn meniscus, torn shoulder, and Reynaud's from working outdoors in the cold for years. I used to go to the gym, but after struggling through ankle deep mud with a heavy wheelbarrow after a ten hour day, I'm tired. And the dogs still need a walk, plus I have to get dinner at the store, make it, clean the kitchen. By the time I'm done I've been on my feet twelve hours or more. My back, knee and hip HURT. I have woken up in agony because my lower back was spasming. I'm in great shape and fairly muscular. If you sit all day, then workout, your experience will be radically different from people who stand/lift all day.
Load More Replies...I feel this thread is more about how americans are really unhealthy than anything else. (M4A! I guess...)
All these people sound super sad. i am 32 and my wife and I are having the time of our lives. Its like being in your 20s but you make more money. I wouldn't want to be friends with any of these fun sponges
No, they aren’t. It's obvious they are making fun of themselves. They could LOVE their lives. It's alright to make fun of yourself sometimes!!!
Load More Replies...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
Jeez! Whining about the 30s? I'd seriously consider a human sacrifice to do the 30s again. Preferably someone I didn't like anyway but still..........
I love being in my 30's! It's freaking hard sometimes having back pain and headaches and still having 4 toddlers hanging off your legs but it's actually kind of . . . fun!
36 here. Physical ailments/decline? I did a 5k recently, saw fellow runners, who had to be in their 50s or older, putting up really decent times. I finished in the top 5% overall, but some 40 and 50-somethings finished ahead of me. I've seen people at those ages who are very fit on speed, strength, flexibility and endurance. Unlike some younger folk we should now know on exercise certain things: do stretches pre or post workout, make sure you stay hydrated, don't over-do certain things. But age isn't really an excuse on fitness shortcomings yet.
That's rather judgemental and not at all correct. I have very physical jobs (animal care) and always have. The last time I was at the Dr's they asked if I was into working out because my resting heart rate and BP were on the lower end of normal. Because of my jobs I've been bitten, trampled, knocked down etc. and you really stop bouncing after a while. I have a torn meniscus, torn shoulder, and Reynaud's from working outdoors in the cold for years. I used to go to the gym, but after struggling through ankle deep mud with a heavy wheelbarrow after a ten hour day, I'm tired. And the dogs still need a walk, plus I have to get dinner at the store, make it, clean the kitchen. By the time I'm done I've been on my feet twelve hours or more. My back, knee and hip HURT. I have woken up in agony because my lower back was spasming. I'm in great shape and fairly muscular. If you sit all day, then workout, your experience will be radically different from people who stand/lift all day.
Load More Replies...I feel this thread is more about how americans are really unhealthy than anything else. (M4A! I guess...)
All these people sound super sad. i am 32 and my wife and I are having the time of our lives. Its like being in your 20s but you make more money. I wouldn't want to be friends with any of these fun sponges
No, they aren’t. It's obvious they are making fun of themselves. They could LOVE their lives. It's alright to make fun of yourself sometimes!!!
Load More Replies...