San Jose - It may seem as if they will never grow up.
But ‘kidults’, young adults who live with their parents long after their friends fly the nest, may benefit from more than having their washing done and their bills paid.
Experts say that having extra years free of responsibility may allow the brain to become more efficient.
Beatriz Luna, an expert on the teenage mind, said that an extended adolescence may allow the brain to ‘specialise’, and so become more mature in the long run.
The Chilean-born US psychologist, who believes adolescence may not end until at least the age of 25, said: ‘People might argue that we take too much care of these kids and they never grow up.
‘But there is also the proposal that protecting their ability to have a longer time of specialisation could potentially be a good investment, because then the brain really has the ability to specialise to a higher level; that you are able to find “what is it that I really want to do with myself?”
‘In the United States, I feel like they leave home too early. They finish high school and they are gone.
‘Having the freedom to play a little bit longer in life might be a good thing.’
Professor Luna, of the University of Pittsburgh, compared the developing brain is like a sculpture in progress.
During adolescence, the brain is being pruned into shape, like a block of marble being chipped away to create a statue.
The result is a more streamlined and efficient processing machine. Having longer to do this could improve the quality of the brain.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science’s annual conference in San Jose also heard why teenagers so often have an impulsive streak.
The professor said that while teenagers have the ability to make complex judgements, the decision-making part of the brain is overruled by the buzz they get from taking risks.
Professor Luna, who admits to having been a ‘crazy adolescent’, said: ‘Parents often believe their children are doing things to annoy them on purpose. But that’s not how their brains work. There are biological reasons why they are acting that way. It happens in all species.Their brain is telling them to leave the nest and take chances.’
Daily Mail