11/29/2025
An interesting read for all my 20-somethings.
Many 20-somethings feel like they’re falling far behind peer, parental, and societal expectations when it comes to meeting adult milestones. But if your 20s are the best years of your life, Meg Jay argues, “something has gone seriously wrong.” https://theatln.tc/5jdxu52T
People often wonder what 20-somethings—who lack the challenges of partners or kids or mortgages or aging bodies—could be so unhappy about, Jay, a developmental clinical psychologist specializing in this age group, explains. Yet 20-somethings are far more likely than other age groups to have their “share of firsts and worsts with respect to jobs, bosses, relationships, breakups, roommates, and apartments.”
Meanwhile, adult sources of stability are becoming more likely to be realized in one’s 30s rather than one’s 20s. “Comparing what’s happening now with what life looked like half a century ago … isn’t helping anyone,” Jay argues.
“Young adults may no longer have work and love sorted out in their 20s, but they can use their early adult years to build the kinds of skills and relationships they will still feel good about as they age,” Jay continues. At the link, read more about the advice that 20-somethings ought to be hearing.
🎨: Aksh*ta Chandra / The Atlantic
