Growing up comes with an uncomfortable realization: many of life's most important lessons arrive years after we need them. When people are young, they often believe that success, happiness, friendships, and confidence will naturally fall into place. Psychology says reality is usually more complicated. Researchers studying human behavior have found that people repeatedly make the same mistakes in their twenties and early thirties because the brain learns many life lessons through experience rather than instruction.
These lessons may feel harsh at first, but understanding them earlier can save years of frustration.
