We are most confident and “brave” when we are 55
The idea that life goes downhill after your 20s is a myth – the most confident people of all are in their mid 50s, it turns out.
We're most content with who we are – and at our most “brave” – when we hit age 55, according to a study of 2,000 people by Volvic.
At this age, 65 per cent of people say they “no longer care what people think” of them, while 45 per cent say they would “throw themselves into new and exciting challenges” and 44 per cent say they wish they had “listened to their instincts in their early twenties”.
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In fact, those in their mid-to-late 20s feel the burdens of adult life much more than those who are well into middle age. The research suggests they fret about failure instead of taking risks and experimenting. Some 36 per cent of 25 year-olds said they felt “weighed down by adult responsibilities”, while 30 per cent said they “didn’t have enough time to follow their passions”.
Alice Stapleton, a researcher involved in the study, said people in their 20s are “under increasing pressure to succeed”, but most people eventually stop caring about things they can't change.
The majority realise things outside of their control, such as looking their best at all times, are not going to make them feel unstoppable. Instead they acknowledge it's inner qualities, such as reaching their personal best, that will create self-fulfillment.