Vital Ways Men Mature More Slowly Than Women

Younger women sometimes go for older guys, and these relationships makes sense since we tend to mature faster than men. While everyone is different and there are some younger guys who have their acts together, science actually does back up the fact that women mature at a much faster rate. Here’s what the professionals have to say.

1. Women optimize brain connections sooner than men. According to Psychology Today, women usually demonstrate higher cognitive and emotional strengths before men, and this may be why. Again, they point out that these maturities are often on a spectrum. That means that not everyone matures at the same rate, but rather that women seem to get a faster start.
2. Oddly enough, these brain connections are connected to survival. When connections in the brain aren’t used, they shrink. This happens often during childhood when our brains are better preparing us to survive in our environment. That’s why it’s important to teach young children vital messages about empowerment, self-worth, and even emotional output. Physical activity is also important. Telling boys that it’s not okay to cry might have a long-term effect.
3. If your guy is hooked on video games, that may be a bad sign. Games have their place in the world and there’s nothing wrong with entertainment. However, scientists have been looking at the advancement of technology in terms of maturity and brain growth and found that constantly looking at screens may be detrimental to growth. “Many young people—especially boys—are vulnerable to the changes of growing up in a digital age. They become isolated and are thrown into a constant state of cortisol fueled fight-or-flight,” states Psychology Today writer Christopher Bergland. “This wreaks havoc on a young and vulnerable brain which needs to be in a parasympathetic state of ‘tend-and-befriend’ to feel safe.”
4. Women’s brains reportedly “prune” themselves to become more defined. It’s a weird way of thinking, but scientists claim that it’s true. Sol Lim, a graduate student at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom, did a study back in 2013 for Cerebral Cortex. Supposedly, the process of pruning happens throughout our lives. “The process starts a few years after birth and continues to occur until around 40 years old,” Lim told Mic.
5. Socially, young women are expected to act a certain way. It’s a good thing that gender roles are changing, but women often feel obligated to be polite and mature even if they shouldn’t. Saying please and thank you was instilled in young girls. Even if these lessons were taught in young boys, it wasn’t drilled in quite as hard. That means that women may socially feel pressured to act more cordially. That often makes them look more mature.
6. It takes men up to their 40s to reach maximum maturity. Of course, that number is less for women, who reportedly mature between the ages of 30 and 32 (even though we often feel we’ve matured much earlier than that). So if you’re still a little turned off by your boyfriend’s lewd sense of humor, it may not be him — it may just be where his brain is at for his age.
7. Surprisingly, men have been found to be more emotional than women. It seems ridiculous — especially if your guy refuses to shed a tear at romcoms. But a study by Mindlab actually debunked the theory that men aren’t as emotional. The truth is, they’re just a lot better at hiding it. Perhaps they feel like it’s a sign of weakness to reveal emotion. Hopefully, they’ll realize that a woman who’s turned off by an openly sensitive guy probably isn’t worth dating in the first place.
8. Women often feel more pressure to get married and start a family. A woman shouldn’t feel pressured to have kids — but if they want them, there’s only a slim window for that to be possible. Did you know that any pregnancy after the age of 35 is considered “geriatric”? Families often pressure young women to “settle down” or tell them that they’re being too picky when selecting a significant other. Meanwhile, guys who are eternal bachelors are often celebrated. That can be another reason why women are seen as being more mature since they usually feel more of a drive to check off the vintage “adulthood boxes” set up by generations past.
9. Women’s brains actually age slower. Marcus Raichle, a neurobiologist at Washington University school of medicine in St Louis, studied brain metabolism and realized that women’s brains burn fuel at a slower rate. That means that a woman’s brain is about four years younger than that of a man — and sharper. “I refer to things like this as the curveballs of Mother Nature,” Raichle told The Guardian. “Maybe women start off with this difference and it’s perpetuated throughout life.”
10. Men usually can’t multitask as well as women. Most women are able to juggle five different tasks in their head at once. For men, it’s often a bit harder and more overwhelming. It doesn’t mean that they aren’t capable of doing a good job, just that they might not be as natural at the daily balance. Science is actually 50/50 on this theory. Some people believe that there’s definitely a link based on the brain and how the brain is wired differently. Others feel as if it’s not necessarily balancing a ton of tasks as much as switching between them, or “task changing.”