Psychological Neoteny

INCIDENT:
I feel blessed to have a group of amazing and brilliant friends. And through the years I have noticed that they all seem to exhibit a degree of reckless abandon. I am not sure whether this is just an inherent quality in people I am drawn to as friends or if this is a characteristic of smart people. But this dichotomy has always intrigued me... finally with the miracle of science, it has a name!

MORAL:
What is psychological neoteny?

A "child-like flexibility of attitudes, behaviors and knowledge" is probably adaptive to the increased instability of the modern world, Charlton believes. Formal education now extends well past physical maturity, leaving students with minds that are, he said, "unfinished."

"The psychological neoteny effect of formal education is an accidental by-product - the main role of education is to increase general, abstract intelligence and prepare for economic activity," he explained.

"But formal education requires a child-like stance of receptivity to new learning, and cognitive flexibility."

"When formal education continues into the early twenties," he continued, "it probably, to an extent, counteracts the attainment of psychological maturity, which would otherwise occur at about this age."

- Serious Study: Immaturity Levels Rising; Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News

It seems ironic that remaining receptive to new learning would be deleterious to psychological maturity. Do we really have to sacrifice one for the other? What defines psychological maturity anyway?

I find psychological neoteny to be a positive attribute. Life is always changing and transforming. Being poised to meet those challenges with an open mind even if it is an ignorant mind can generate opportunities that would have otherwise been missed.