The expert called the unexpected consequence of recognizing 40 years of youth

The perception of 40 years as a milestone between youth and maturity is not related to biology, but to social attitudes formed during the industrial era. Anastasia Gorelkina, Chairman of the Board of Directors of JSC HC Siberian Business Union, member of the Board of Directors of JSC Azot, told Izvestia about this on July 13.

According to her, before the age of 40, people usually completed their professional development and already had adult children. With a shorter life expectancy, this age was perceived as the middle of the life path, and the corresponding stereotype was fixed in culture and official classifications.

Today, this boundary is gradually shifting. Modern people aged 35-40 often feel younger than their parents at the same age due to the development of medicine, improved nutrition and changing social roles. Many start families later, build careers longer, and maintain an active lifestyle.

"When society tells a person: "You're still young," it gives him permission to study, change his profession, and postpone important decisions without feeling like he's deviating from the norm," Gorelkina said.

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At the same time, the expert warned that the constant expansion of the age limits of youth can lead to infantilization. Some people, under the pretext that they still have time, begin to avoid adult responsibilities, and vague guidelines make it difficult to understand what tasks need to be solved at the current stage of life.

Gorelkina emphasized that it is more correct to perceive youth not as a specific figure, but as an internal state. Its signs include openness to new things, flexibility of thinking, emotional alertness and having goals for the future.

Gennady Onishchenko, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Deputy President of the Russian Academy of Education, said on July 11 that by 2030 life expectancy in Russia could reach 78 years, and by 2036 it could rise to 81 years. As the academician explained, in previous years it was possible to increase this figure by 20 years, largely due to the fact that it was possible to control many infectious diseases and carry out large—scale vaccination of the population.