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Boing Boing

The “brain isn’t done until 25” factoid is based on a funding cutoff

Ellsworth Toohey
Feb 19, 2026
∙ Paid

Brain (Billywolf/Shutterstock)

You’ve seen the claim on TikTok, in parenting forums, and in roughly a million Instagram infographics: “Your brain isn’t fully developed until you’re 25.” It’s the go-to explanation for everything from bad relationships to impulsive tattoos. The number 25, though, has almost nothing to do with neuroscience. It’s an artifact…

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