The Peter Pan-demic

There is a saying (Zen? Stoner?) that a true master is always in a state of play, handling ideas like Silly Putty. Bruce Charlton, a professor of evolutionary psychiatry at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in England, might argue that today we are surrounded by masters. Or children.

In an editorial in the journal Medical Hypotheses, he coined the term "psychological neoteny." Neoteny means retaining the qualities of youth into adulthood. According to Charlton, trends in modern society encourage us to remain cognitively flexible—in a sense unfinished. Protean personalities thrive in an era of increased higher education, frequent changes in workplace demands, and the need to move and make new friends. He says the eternally wonky whiz kids in science and academia—on the forefront of a changing knowledge landscape—exemplify the trait.

"In a traditional society, Farmer Giles never visits the next village, but he knows everything there is to know about corn and is a source of sage advice," Charlton says. Which hints at the downside of knowing a little corn, a little calculus, and a little Coldplay. "Modern people also retain the undesirable aspects of immaturity—instability, fickleness, and shallowness."

Charlton's only hard data, however, are numbers showing more degrees and delays in settling down, a correlation open to interpretation. "One emphasis of liberal education is to provide students with the tools to engage in lifelong learning," says Sylvia Hurtado, director of the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA. "It is the best way to hedge our bets against a changing economy." But, Hurtado adds, "our national surveys do not have a measure
for immaturity."

Charlton urges that for now his idea is mostly speculation meant to spur future research. In the meantime, remain young at heart. You know that famous pic of Einstein sticking his tongue out? You're in good company.