#665: How Childhood Shapes Adulthood

#665: How Childhood Shapes Adulthood

Ask an adult, especially if they're struggling in life, what caused them to end up the way they did, and they might cite certain factors from their childhood, like having a mother that was too cold.

The problem here, of course, is that memories change over time, and narratives about the past develop to fit one's current situation.

My guests today work on the kind of research that corrects this problem to figure out how aspects of childhood truly affect adulthood, by studying humans from the time they're babies through middle age and beyond. Their names are Jay Belsky and Terrie Moffitt, and they're professors of human development, and two of the four contributors to The Origins of You: How Childhood Shapes Later Life. To begin our conversation, Jay and Terrie discuss the longitudinal studies they and their colleagues have used to track people over decades of their lives, and how aggressiveness and shyness in childhood end up impacting adulthood. We then discuss the limitations of the famous marshmallow experiment, and what these more expansive longitudinal studies have shown about the importance of self-control in achieving a successful adulthood. We unpack whether the negative outcomes associated with being bullied in childhood are inevitable, who's most likely to become a bully, and who's most likely to be bullied (which as it turns out, isn't a matter of being fat or wearing glasses). We discuss how children who act out in childhood, but avoid making certain mistakes in adolescence, can still turn out okay, and why you probably shouldn't worry about children who were good kids, but get into a little trouble in their teen years. We also dig into the impact that childcare has on kids, and the role that genes play in development. We end our conversation with some allowance-related ideas for cultivating greater self-control in your kids.

Get the show notes at aom.is/childhood.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episoder(1158)

The Idea Machine — How Books Changed the World (and Still Matter)

The Idea Machine — How Books Changed the World (and Still Matter)

Books are everywhere. They're so common, they're easy to take for granted. But my guest argues that they’re worth fully appreciating — because the book isn’t just a container for content; it’s a revol...

16 Des 202555min

Why You Don’t Follow Through on Your Health Goals — and How to Fix It

Why You Don’t Follow Through on Your Health Goals — and How to Fix It

Most of us know what we should do to be healthier: eat better, move more, sleep well. The real challenge? Actually following through.On today’s show, I talk to behavioral psychologist Amantha Imber, a...

9 Des 202551min

Masculinity as Confident Competence

Masculinity as Confident Competence

There’s a lot of debate these days about what it means to be a man. But maybe the answer is simpler than we think, and a lot of masculinity just comes down to confident competence. A broad set of know...

2 Des 202549min

A Butler’s Guide to Managing Your Household

A Butler’s Guide to Managing Your Household

Note: This is a rebroadcast. It’s a tough job to manage a household. Things need to be regularly fixed, maintained, and cleaned. How do you stay on top of these tasks in order to keep your home in tip...

25 Nov 202549min

How the World Wars Shaped J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis

How the World Wars Shaped J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis

When people think of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, they often picture tweedy Oxford professors and beloved fantasy authors. But their writing wasn't drawn only from their bucolic days teaching at Oxf...

18 Nov 202556min

Family Culture and the Sibling Effect — What Really Shapes Who You Become

Family Culture and the Sibling Effect — What Really Shapes Who You Become

When we think about what shaped our life trajectory, we often focus on the way our parents raised us. But what about our siblings? What role do they play in who we become?My guest today makes the case...

11 Nov 202541min

Hercules at the Crossroads — Choosing the Hard Path That Leads to a Good Life

Hercules at the Crossroads — Choosing the Hard Path That Leads to a Good Life

In a story from ancient Greek philosophy, Hercules faces a choice between two paths: one promising pleasure and ease; the other, hardship and struggle — but also growth and greatness. According to tod...

4 Nov 202558min

Make Friends With Death to Live a Better Life

Make Friends With Death to Live a Better Life

We live in a culture that does everything it can to keep death at a distance. We hide it behind hospital curtains, euphemize it in conversation, and hustle through grief like it's just another item on...

28 Okt 202553min

Populært innen Fakta

fastlegen
dine-penger-pengeradet
mikkels-paskenotter
relasjonspodden-med-dora-thorhallsdottir-kjersti-idem
foreldreradet
rss-strid-de-norske-borgerkrigene
treningspodden
jakt-og-fiskepodden
rss-bisarr-historie
tomprat-med-gunnar-tjomlid
gravid-uke-for-uke
sinnsyn
level-up-med-anniken-binz
rss-kull
hverdagspsyken
takk-og-lov-med-anine-kierulf
rss-bak-luftfarten
hagespiren-podcast
rss-kunsten-a-leve
fryktlos