Puberty influences our mood throughout life

Emotions do not appear out of nowhere nor do they behave the same in all people. One day we wake up excited and the next everything seems to cost a little more. A team of researchers from the University of Michigan has shown that the way we manage information in our minds, known as working memoryand the time in which we go through the puberty, lasting influence on the emotional ups and downs of adult lifeincluding stress, anxiety and low moods.

The research, published in the journal Journal of Affective Disordersfollowed 91 adults for 100 days to observe how their cheer upyour level of stress and his anxiety in everyday life. Unlike other works based on specific surveys, this analysis has allowed us to observe the daily evolution of emotionsalmost as if it were an emotional diary.

According to researcher Natasha Chaku, author of the study, traditional methods usually ask people to remember how they have felt for days or weeks, something that is not always accurate. “One-time surveys only offer a snapshotwhich may be biased or inaccurate,” he says.

The results show that our emotions do not occur in isolation, but are filtered through our cognitive skills and by early experiences such as puberty. Both factors together help explain not only how much discomfort we feel on averagebut also how stable or volatile our emotions are.

Daily monitoring has made it possible to verify that those who have a better working memory tend to handle emotional ups and downs betterwhile those who have more limited it experience greater mood swings, more anxiety or more irritability.

The imprint of puberty

The study also focuses on a stage that is often forgotten when talking about mental health in adults: puberty. It is not only important when it occurs, but also how it is lived and in what context.

Researchers noted that these early experiences influence how a person responds to stress many years later. As Chaku explains, the moment and the way in which it is crossed puberty can mark how to deal with difficult situations in adulthood.

The work has also detected clear differences according to sex. The women who matured later and have good working memory They are those with the lowest levels of discomfort and greater emotional stability. Meanwhile, the men who matured earlier and have weaker working memory experience the greatest fluctuations in anxiety and discomfort over time.

Adriene Beltz, professor of psychology and co-author, clarifies that these fluctuations refer to day-to-day changes in worry, irritability, or self-criticism. For men, they also include physical symptoms of stress, such as tightness in the chest or rapid heartbeat.