In this episode of The Psychology Undergrad, we break down why adolescence and the 20s are stretching out—and what that’s doing to real-life readiness. Using large-scale trend data and life history theory, we connect the “slow launch” (less working, driving, dating, and risk-taking) to a smartphone-centered social world, rising loneliness and anxiety, and an emerging soft-skills gap. We close with Meg Jay’s blunt argument: your 20s are a high-stakes decade—and treating them like “extended adolescence” creates serious pressure later.#psychology #developmentalpsychology #socialpsychology #igen #genz #smartphones #mentalhealth #loneliness #anxiety #emergingadulthood #lifecourse #lifehistorytheory #softskills #identitycapital #megjay #researchmethods