Have you ever been told to “grow up” or stop acting like a “child?” These are fairly common insults, often painting childishness as inherently negative. However, being childish may have its value. In fact, there are many things we can learn from children.
As we age, we often gain positive traits like increased social awareness, focus, or self-control. At the same time, losing positive behaviors is common in the aging process.
One of these lost traits is curiosity. Young children tend to explore their world with inquisitive minds, seeking out any opportunity to gain new knowledge. Often asking, why?, at every chance they get, children constantly showcase their high levels of curiosity. According to UCLA, trait curiosity (a person’s general level of curiosity) declines with age. Curiosity is an extremely important trait to nurture, as it is associated with improved physical, psychological, cognitive, and social well-being (National Library of Medicine).
Additionally, children tend to be more physically active. Their inclination to play outside, participate in sports, and generally goof around gets them the exercise they need to stay physically healthy. The American College of Sports Medicine explains that, “In general, children are more active than adults, and physical activity levels decline substantially during childhood and adolescence. This decrease in physical activity starts at very early ages (i.e., from the age of 5 years).” Only about 24% of American adults meet the national physical activity guidelines (National Center for Health Statistics), but if adults adopted more of a “child-like” lifestyle, they could be healthier.
Little kids seem to be constantly socializing and making new friends, which makes sense, according to the following study: Using the Big Five Personality Test (a scientific model used to measure personality traits), the National Library of Medicine recorded characteristics dependent on age. In doing so, they found that extraversion and openness are negatively correlated with increased age. Of course, there is nothing wrong with being an introvert, and it´s important to be independent. However, adequate socializing is an important factor of a healthy lifestyle, and according to Harvard, 21% of adults in the US report feeling lonely.
Growing up comes with many benefits—and oftentimes, many downsides. Each age has strengths and weaknesses, and acting like a child isn´t inherently negative. It´s important to recognize the strengths of others, because no matter the age, we can all learn something from others. Next time you find yourself criticizing someone for being too childish, remember, acting childish is not the same as being immature. In fact, to be a well-rounded, mature person, it turns out that it may be important to exhibit at least a couple of child-like behaviors.
