Our brains peak in our early 30s, research says

New research now suggests that our brains are still in the teenage phase until we “peak” in our early thirties.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge looked at scans from around 4,000 people up to the age of 90 to reveal the connections between their brain cells. Rather than progressing steadily over our lifetimes, research published in the journal Nature Communications suggests our brain goes through five distinct phases in life, with key turning points happening at ages nine, 32, 66, and 83.

The first stage, from birth to nine, sees the brain rapidly increasing in size. Around age nine, the “adolescent” phase begins as the brain works on increasing its efficiency. This is the stage when there is the greatest risk of mental health disorders beginning.

“Many neurodevelopmental, m